How do people in the south deal with all those nasty bugs? (live, snakes)

[coldwine]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

The bugs that often freak out people the most are giant centipedes of the south and southwest of the Scolopendra genus (ie Scolopendra heros arizonensis). Those suckers can get to around 8-10" long. Other bugs that also freak people out are "tailless whipscorpions" and vinegaroons, but those are also harmless (unless you get the vinegaroon's defensive spray in your eyes--it burns like the devil).

While traveling by car to Los Angeles several years ago, friends wanted to see New Orleans, Texas, NM, etc.

Every motel we stayed at were typical southwestern style motels. While going out to buy a drink one night, one of those little bastards... vinegaroons, rather... charged me from the top of a cabinet. I screamed so loudly I woke the Mexican families beneath us and on either side, and the door hit me squarely in the back of the head when five burly guys charged it.

The same exact thing happened in Texas. And New Mexico. I've never in my life seen centipedes that size

Although to be fair to the south and southwest, as a student in low-rent areas of Chicago I've also had a sizable share of encounters with arachnids that led to screams... Which on many occasions led to my Puerto Rican landlords and their tenants/brothers breaking down my door.

... Do any other women have this problem, or is it just me?

[nightbird47]

I said a happy farewell to my apartment in socal a month ago. Outside there you saw no bugs, no weeds, and the grass hardly had a chance to grow. They sprayed so much that my dog was always on allergy meds. Inside the place the ants were everywhere, but they didn't care what was inside. Someone might find the termites that way.

Now here in Ok there are many bugs. I know what a black widow looks like (tons of them in California) and small messy brown spiders get dispatched) but there have been some totally unfamiliar and strangely beautiful spiders too who are perfectly welcome. The scorpians I've seen are all little. Haven't seen a trauntila but would love to.

I wish death to all flies and mosquitos. But screens and repellents will do. As far as I know the skeeters here don't carry west nile which is why I'm so paranoid about them (Riverside where I lived is one of the west nile areas).

Basically though, my cat has fun catching flies, keeps the resident crawling population down and my dog does not need to take allergy stuff all the time. I'd rather take bugs than a contaminted environment just to keep them away.

And while the city here is paranoid about grass growing, the weeds mow too.

[mackinac81]

I'd have a hard time living somewhere where I knew a scorpion/tarantula or some other horror movie creation was lurking about. Here in Michigan I still have never seen a cockroach in my life. I'd like to keep it that way.

[CMDallas]

Originally Posted by desert sun

tthe bugs are not that bad here in New Mexico but I do find alot of earwigs in my apartment and sometimes a rollie pollie here and there, they are harmless but I dont care I still dont like em in here.

there are brown recluse spiders in NM too and they may not kill you but they sure can do some damage to ya.

Another thing is the Child of the Earth bug, its the ugliest freaky looking thing Ive ever seen in person.

I found this in my apartment last week---

Those Proactiv creams?
Psh! Those don't work, why is it such a big deal if you find on of those in your home?
Nice pet scorpion btw...



I've never had problems with bugs, the Mice scare me more...
I actually never see scorpions. Even when I stay in the rural areas... It makes me mad(not like rargh! but...disappointed) cause I'm always looking for them. The only time i've found one was when one got stuck in an old light bulb and it was dead.
Snakes are too much of a problem, Mosquitoes I guess are but then it not something I go around thinking about on a daily basis and we get a break from them from late fall to early spring... In some areas they're not that bad cause there isn't too much water.
Cockroaches don't bother me too much, like Its nice not to have them but as long as you keep your place pretty clean with a few roach motels you should be ok... and if you see them you try to kill them, if you can...fast little buggers.
The spiders aren't that much of a nuisance, although you still have to be careful.

Bugs arn't something big here...although I hear out by CA in the Inland empire...I see these snake problems all over TV...

[nightbird47]

Originally Posted by CMDallas

Those Proactiv creams?
Psh! Those don't work, why is it such a big deal if you find on of those in your home?
Nice pet scorpion btw...



I've never had problems with bugs, the Mice scare me more...
I actually never see scorpions. Even when I stay in the rural areas... It makes me mad(not like rargh! but...disappointed) cause I'm always looking for them. The only time i've found one was when one got stuck in an old light bulb and it was dead.
Snakes are too much of a problem, Mosquitoes I guess are but then it not something I go around thinking about on a daily basis and we get a break from them from late fall to early spring... In some areas they're not that bad cause there isn't too much water.
Cockroaches don't bother me too much, like Its nice not to have them but as long as you keep your place pretty clean with a few roach motels you should be ok... and if you see them you try to kill them, if you can...fast little buggers.
The spiders aren't that much of a nuisance, although you still have to be careful.

Bugs arn't something big here...although I hear out by CA in the Inland empire...I see these snake problems all over TV...

The worse problem in the IE are mosquitos. Vector control flies over areas looking for uncared for swimming pools and ponds and is very strict about them being cleaned or drained. The reason is the west nile virus. It brought on a major bird kill about five years ago and has effects sometimes fatally both domestic animals and people. Not so many now but as more virilant strains of the virus are created it will be a worse problem.

This is why I'm giving the mosquitos here in Ok such attention (screens, repellent, etc) Just in case...

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by ogre

Maybe Steve-O can give the straight scoop on this, but if what I've heard is correct, you might want to be careful about killing roaches and scorpions in your house, at least about doing so by smashing them. You may just end up spreading roach eggs or little baby scorpions all over the house.

It might be true for cockroaches (I dont know much about them), but its completely untrue for scorpions because they give live birth. The babies ride around with mommy until they molt and then theyre on their own. Killing a pregnant scorpion kills the babies.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Colddiamond102

Eeek! I can handle them all right...with a rolled up newspaper for the bugs and a shovel to kill that snake....

Why kill? That snake is a harmless (and threatened) queen snake (Regina septemvittata). Killing something that is beneficial to mankind is ridiculous!

[David Alleyne]

Steve-O, I take it that was you in those scorpion pictures right? So do you have any animal videos on YouTube or something because that can get you noticed by Animal Planet or something in relation to animal handling. Good pictures by the way.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by BravoFan

Steve-O, I take it that was you in those scorpion pictures right? So do you have any animal videos on YouTube or something because that can get you noticed by Animal Planet or something in relation to animal handling. Good pictures by the way.

Thanks! But sorry, I dont have any vids on YouTube. I have a few little ones I made that are on Photobucket, thats it.

[John Shaft]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

It might be true for cockroaches (I dont know much about them), but its completely untrue for scorpions because they give live birth. The babies ride around with mommy until they molt and then theyre on their own. Killing a pregnant scorpion kills the babies.

I will admit it was pretty weird when I once smashed a scorpion and suddenly it looked like dirt was spreading everywhere from it...but it was really small scorpionlings.