[slhalufska]

Originally Posted by iashell

Everyone can get bugs in their home.But if you want to keep them is another thing.I choose not to. I moved to St Pete almost 4 years ago, and like you heard all of the stories about the "BUGS in Florida". They're not bad. They do make you jump when you see the big flying ones. LOL !! I use "20 mule team borax" It's a laundy booster and is harmless to children and pets. But roaches don't like it and leave, and don't come back. I just sprinkle it{it's a powder} into the edges of the door ways and under the sink's any place a bug may try to hide.I have used this for many year's and have never had a bug problem. Good Luck on your move. I'm soo glad I found my paradise,

Yes, it's true! Palmetto bugs are nothing more than ****roaches on steroids & they DO fly! That freaked me out the first time. We also have a gross swarming ant with wings that has a really, really short life. The gross thing is that they convene in large numbers near lights at night. Good thing is they don't live long.

They say that if you live in the greater downtown Punta Gorda area, it's impossible not to have termites in your soil. Good news is that there are hundreds of Old Florida historic homes there, so they must be doing something to keep it under control. No matter how clean you try to keep things, I think the only thing that helps is constant maintenance. Roaches have been on this earth millions of years. And they find zillions of ways of hitchhiking around. Vigilence is the key. That borax tip is a great thing!

[Yaroslav]

I feel tingles down my spine when read about all those bugs. huh...

[Jim Jimbo Jimmerson]

I have bugs... not in my house really... but uh.. do you consider crabs bugs?
well either way just get ya a can of raid and set up tent in the living room, ull be fine

[Summerbreeze]

I'm from Stuart too like Robman....and I have never ever seen a roach in my house. I was scared of having them too, before I left Ct. but I don't have any. They're outside for sure...but they have never come in for me to see so far. It's not that bad....Really! Just keep everything clean...and put food away. I keep my cereal in the refrigerator and bread etc....I don't know if I need to do that, but it made sense to me so the bugs won't smell it and stuff.

[mrs1885]

Bugs are everywhere down here. It just depends on how good you are at keeping up with the pest control. Hire a good reputable company to come in to spray inside and outside.
Also - they love dark damp places. If you find a small leak anywhere fix it yesterday. Same goes for outside. Mulch against the side of the house - especially under an outside faucet - is just asking for bugs.

[Jim Jimbo Jimmerson]

Originally Posted by mrs1885

Bugs are everywhere down here. It just depends on how good you are at keeping up with the pest control. Hire a good reputable company to come in to spray inside and outside.
Also - they love dark damp places. If you find a small leak anywhere fix it yesterday. Same goes for outside. Mulch against the side of the house - especially under an outside faucet - is just asking for bugs.

Crabs are bad... they itch and bite and whatnot. you got em?

[WeekiWacheeWoman]

Originally Posted by rocco

OK, I don't mean to sound cynical or naive but are there a lot of coackroaches around Punta Gorda, North Palm Beach, St Pete Beach, Palm Harbour, LongBoat Key or Tampa? I love the heat and don't mind humidity at all but I am quite scared of ****roaches. So are they like, all over, or is that just tales people tell? Thank you in advance for any and all comments.

The "bug" issue in FL makes me smile because Florida is buggy and there is just no way to get around that. We spray around the parameter of the house and lanai so we don't have a bug issue in the home. We also spray for red ants in the yard.. sand fleas in the yard (we are basically on sand) here... our area gets sprayed for the pesky mequitos and the large camphor trees on our property help to control them -apparently, they don't like being around camphor. The "noseeems" are a problem once the day progressses, and they are pesky b/c you can't see them - hense the name "no see 'ems"! Palmetto bugs love palm trees and it's not uncommon for people to strip the bottoms of their palms so they dont breed in them... I have been told that palmettos are "****roaches" but here in FL, people like to say palmettos instead of the dreaded "roach" word. It does sound less "dirty" doesn't it? The grasshoppers can be huge... and so can the catepillars... but we have found that they aren't a problem if you remove certain bushes etc, that attract them.

[Bluebonnet]

It appears everyone who replied on the bug problem failed to mention all the Lizzards we have down here who eat the bugs.

[tuscany609]

what ever happened to the lovebugs i havent seen any in over 16 yrs

[LongIslander]

Are the bugs any less of a problem more north? Say around the Daytona area? Or is it just the price you pay for living in paradise???