Hawaiian Insects: Are they really that bad? (tenants, to live)

[tortoise31]

Originally Posted by PacificFlights

Not to take this off-track, but a sort time back we picked up some military equipment in Hilo to take to CA. Before departure, the inspector arrived as usual and asked if the equipment was checked for insects, frogs, plants, etc. We gave him the forms from the Army. As he was leaving, he turned and asked if we saw any snails. Snails? I asked how would we see snails? He responded, if you trip over a large rock, you found one. So what's the story with snails on the Big Island (or was he joking with me)?

I saw the biggest land snail.. looking at a house 2 days ago..check it out.. everything in Hawaii grows HUGE!!

[Naturen]

Originally Posted by thrillobyte

Reminds me of the story (true) of the Israeli wife who got a fright from a BIG cockroach in the house. She swatted it with a slipper, scooped it up and threw it into the toilet. When she saw it was still alive struggling to get out she emptied half a can of Raid into the bowl. Don't ask me why she didn't flush. Anyway, the husband comes home, has to use the toilet. He throws his lighted cigarette into the bowl while he's sitting on it and what do you think! BOOM! He goes flying off the toilet, his bottom and privates are burned raw. When the paramedics carrying him down the steps on a gurney ask him what happened, he tells them and they start laughing so hard they drop the poor guy. Whether he slid to the bottom of the stairway strapped to the gurney I don't know but this made headlines around the world.

Get Out

[thrillobyte]

Originally Posted by mogon

Well......

snopes.com: Toilet Explosion

Well, just goes to show you that there's a sucker born every minute. At this minute the honors belong to me.

[jqp07]

Everywhere I've been in Hawai'i, there have been ants, roaches, geckos and spiders. When I visited the mainland for the first time (up north), I was amazed that they were so rarely encountered inside the home. Really with roaches, if you want them to stay outside your walls, you have to do a really thorough job. Once you see one inside, you've pretty much lost the battle. With newly constructed buildings, you can try to put up a fight.

As for geckos and spiders, they are really your friends. They help to fend off pretty much every invader.

For centipedes, frogs, mantis (manti?), it really depends where you live. Since Hawai'i has countless micro-climates, you can find a comfortable living space for just about any creature. Over the years I've hit centipedes with shovels (split, scoop, and sling), chased frogs and moths, watched mantis and snails, and have had a chance to interact with many of the island's smaller denizens.

They're pretty much all-pervasive. It's just a matter of whether or not you see them. At work (got hit in the back by a flying B-52 at work in a downtown office building), school (anyone else remember playing with pill-bugs and bees?), home, everywhere.

[kawika52]

Well Ive seen los of Geckos everywhere when visiting Hawaii which I guess is kinda good since they eat bugs. Seen lots of Roaches too. Only one centipede in all my times there. How big are the Cane Spiders? Are they native to Hawaii or imports? For about 15 years I had a Mexican Red Leg Tarantula. She was large enought to eat mice but it was pretty gross so mostly I just fed her big grasshoppers, caterpillars etc... At least there arent many dangerous animals in Hawaii, I guess wild pigs can get mean. They havent found the Brown Tree Snake from Guam there yet have they? Here in Michigan weve got wolves, a few cougars and even reports of wolverine the last couple years.

[Balad1]

As most know very few of the mentioned insects or others are native and were introduced. Being sub-tropical they all breed like crazy.

No brown tree snakes yet...

[leilaniguy]

Originally Posted by tortoise31

I saw the biggest land snail.. looking at a house 2 days ago..check it out.. everything in Hawaii grows HUGE!!

That looks like a giant African land snail (a young, small one at that!) Be careful not to touch these, they carry potentially deadly parasites.

[tortoise31]

Originally Posted by leilaniguy

That looks like a giant African land snail (a young, small one at that!) Be careful not to touch these, they carry potetially deadly parasites.

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
There were a lot of them around too. I believe that it what they are.. but the parasitic infection is self limiting..

Division of Parasitic Diseases - Angiostrongylus Infection Fact Sheet

[Ody]

Originally Posted by mogon

Well......

snopes.com: Toilet Explosion

MOGON // aka S Holms

[nwcountrygal]

Hawaii Health Guide - Rat Lungworm Parasite causes coma on Big Island

Here is a link for the Afriacan snail parasite also. Last winter it was written about in papers also I remember after I had picked one up first time seeing. Every was urged in Hilo/Puna to wash produce well due to a few cases of very sick people.

http://www.tammyyee.com/tt-pulelehua.html I saw these thinking they were monarch butterflys. Kamehameha butterflys

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparkyleigh/303958434/ Lots of these by the house. Love them most are the clear winged. First time I saw one in Montana two years ago - thought I was taken a photo of the smallest hummingbird. Haha turned out to be a moth!

The question I have what is the big black round almost the size of a golf ball bug clear wings that buzz's. Saw it mostly in Kona but did see in Puna once. Told it doesn't sting. Never saw it land. Any idea it is so big!