[INeedAChange]

Is a Palmetto the same as what we call a "water bug" in the north?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by INeedAChange

Is a Palmetto the same as what we call a "water bug" in the north?

Yep. People really think they are a Florida exclusive. I have seen flying roaches in Manhattan, yet I have not seen too many here, and never seen one in my home (or any pest actually, except for those annoying tiny ghost ants that I just put down a trap and they go away). Now when I was in Orlando, they were ALL OVER!

[vespagirl]

I have lived in FL for two years and have never had these inside my house (and I've only seen them on the back porch if I leave the light on for a long time.)

Use an exterminator if you live here and you won't have problems!

Of course, always put food away as well.

[ddlove01]

I previously posted it has been years since I have even seen a palmetto bug, but last week I moved into a rental home after selling my home and this place HAS THEM EVERYWHERE! I've seen more of them in the past 5 days than I have seen in 14 years in FL!!! And, I didn't move out of my town! It has a lot to do with the type of plants that surround a home. This house has "palmetto" plants and sure enough those huge nasty bugs are hiding out in there...surprise!!! So if you hate these things, don't plant those kinds of things around your home. Or, like the previous poster stated, get an exterminator to do a perimeter spray....The over the counter stuff takes way too long to do the job... : (

[triton1]

i only saw one on the highway A1A bridge in fort lauderdale. strange it seems that i did not see any even when climbing a cabbage palmetto in crystal river!

[miamism]

OMG - there's nothing I hate more than Palmetto's - they totally freak me out and I am a local....so no.....some of us will never get used to them.

[megaamy]

Originally Posted by INeedAChange

Is a Palmetto the same as what we call a "water bug" in the north?

Originally Posted by fort lauderdale

Yep. People really think they are a Florida exclusive. I have seen flying roaches in Manhattan, yet I have not seen too many here, and never seen one in my home (or any pest actually, except for those annoying tiny ghost ants that I just put down a trap and they go away). Now when I was in Orlando, they were ALL OVER!

In Chicago what we call a "water bug" is nothing like a roach...it's a greyish long skinny thing with many many legs that moves really fast, and are generally spotted zooming across a wall. Disgusto. Although these seem to be similar to palmetto bugs/roaches in that some buildings in Chicago have many of them, and some have none (the current & 4th place I have lived in Chicago has not had one that I have see, while the other places I saw them more than once...in one place I saw them all the time.) I am moving to Ft. Lauderdale/Boca Raton area and I do not look forward to getting introduced to any of the huge, flying, crunchy bugs I keep reading/hearing about. Ick.

[Dutch1962]

Great pics...........With a little effort and smart use of pest products you can reduce our lovely friends to a minimum.

I've written some articles on bugs that may help.(nothing to sell just tips)

Welcome

[faithfulFrank]

We were just down to our home in Leesburg for a week. The house was closed up for about 5 months. We found 4-5 smaller dead palmetto bugs in the floor. The wife just cleaned them up. We did see a small one inside the toilet tank, and I saw one crawling on the ceiling when I turned on a light in the middle of the night, but I do not think we were overrun by them.

We are clean people, and the house is clean. I did buy a gallon jug of spectricide and sprayed around every room, etc. We did not see any bugs in any cabinets, etc. The spray says it is good for 9 months......( we'll see. )

We spent most of our time down there weeding and trimming the landscaping, and did not see any of these bugs around the grounds.

We will be down there again in December. I'll see if the stuff worked.

They did creep me out a bit, but it did not ruin our time there at all, or turn me off from Florida. Every place has their pests.

The first time I visited Florida, those little lizards freaked me out.....now I just think they are cute......you get used to them.

Frank D.

[BUGGEDOUT]

No matter how long you live here (florida) the Palmetto Bug is the one thing you'll never get use to. dead or alive. they can be alive legs in the air on thier backs for days, beware you attempt to pick them up and the sucker moves. you go to put on you slippers and there's one (nasty) Just the other day my wife calls me to the kitchen, she keeps her throat lozengers in a small open tupperware in one of the drawers, she shows me two wrapper still twisted at the ends, but with a holes in the middle the size of a pencil eraser head, and the lozenge gone. aside from a occasional Gecco lizard, these ugly bug are all we have. I've asked do they eat hard candy haven't received any replys as yet.