Bugs in Jacksonville (Orlando, Palmetto, Neptune Beach: landscaping, house, organic)

[jessemh431]

Are there a lot of bugs in Jax. I hate all types of bugs, especially cockroaches, anything similar to a bee, mosquitoes, and i have arachnaphobia. would i have a problem with the bugs if I moved to the Jacksonville/Atlantic/Neptune Beach area?

[riveree]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

Are there a lot of bugs in Jax. I hate all types of bugs, especially cockroaches, anything similar to a bee, mosquitoes, and i have arachnaphobia. would i have a problem with the bugs if I moved to the Jacksonville/Atlantic/Neptune Beach area?

You're in trouble Jesse - this is Bug Heaven !

You can generally keep them out of the house, but once you step outside - look out!

The humid climate here breeds all forms of life - it is 'teeming out of the ground', as my husband likes to say .

We do have cockroaches/Palmetto bugs, bees, wasps, BIG spiders (Banana spiders and Wolf spiders), mosquitos, scorpions (not deadly), June bugs, spittlebugs, lovebugs, etc.

The best thing you can do is to keep your own personal ecosystem in check.....meaning, DON'T spray the life out of your lawn, go organic, encourage the GOOD bugs so they'll eat the others, and learn about the bugs - it will ease the ickiness factor .

[Stonewall17]

Originally Posted by riveree

We do have cockroaches/Palmetto bugs, bees, wasps, BIG spiders (Banana spiders and Wolf spiders), mosquitos, scorpions (not deadly), June bugs, spittlebugs, lovebugs, etc.

Oh no, it's not that bad!!! Think you are scaring the daylight out of jessemh431. I've been living here for over a year and the worst I've seen are those copulating lovebugs in Spring and Fall. (By the way, I thought all scorpions were deadly).

Treat your lawn regularly and learn to love those tiny frogs and lizards ... believe me, they are harmless. Earwigs everywhere ... that's my biggest problem. If you know of a sure way to get rid of earwigs, please pass it on.

[mawipafl]

Scaring jessemh431 no, but being absolutely truthful - oh yeah. I live in an established neighborhood (built in 1999) - one of the cookie cutter type. I have a small backyard and there is a narrow stand of trees between us and the golf course's driving range. We have the typical landscaping of yews, palm trees, swamp myrtle, azaleas, and the beds are covered in red mulch. A number of doors down there is a retention pond, but no water truly nearby. Because the AC is running, our windows are shut as are the doors (except when going in and out of course). We've been here since the end of June. Inside the house, aside from the many little spiders and earwigs, I've had a palmetto bug, a scorpion, a centipede, and some sort of beetle. None of them bothered me and I just dispatched them outside. Outside the house, just one snake, a bunch of wasps and bees, earwigs, and some other little crawling bugs that the anoles scoop up like candy. And there must be something yummy for dragonflies because there sure are a ton of them zooming about everywhere.

As Riveree said, heat and humidity are heaven for insects and they flourish very well here.

[Karla with a K]

Stonewall17
earwigs are a "good bug" their favorite food is chinch bugs which is a "bad bug"
Do you have any brown patches in your lawn? if so the appearance of earwigs may indicate a chinch problem

[titaniummd]

The one set of bugs that are a nuisance to me are the love bugs. I spoke to many people who said there is nothing that can be done to get rid of them. Are they the state bird?

[jessemh431]

Originally Posted by titaniummd

The one set of bugs that are a nuisance to me are the love bugs. I spoke to many people who said there is nothing that can be done to get rid of them. Are they the state bird?

what exactly is that?

[Karla with a K]

jesse
here is a link that will tell you all about love bugs

lovebug - Plecia nearctica Hardy

[GOODTOGO]

Residing in SW Orlando, I thought we were the only ones to get the LOVE BUGs..didin't realize they frequent JAX also. They are not prevalent in South Florida only north. They were here in May and it was a bad crop of them for about 5 weeks. They normally return in Sept. I saw 2 the other day. They are harmless, just lovin on each other. But, they are a major nuisuance to human's not to mention the clean up after they are left for dead.

[AceHigh]

There are bugs everywhere?