Any laws, rules, etc. a newbie in Madison should know??? (Fitchburg: construction, live)

[ranger17]

for bug spray--unfortunately deet is really the only proven way to go. If used wisely it can be put on children; there are many other products out there that seem like a good idea, but the object is to not get bit and many of those alternative methods do not work with the skeeters get thick. Now if you are out in the open during the day, and there is a breeze, you'll be fine. But once the sun drops ( try mowing your yard in the eve with no spray on ) or if you are hiking in the woods..... you'll wish you had the can of "deep woods off" handy...

good luck on your move, and enjoy the new digs!

[rekuci]

i think a big source of urban mosquitos, not near any immediate swampy or lake area, is clogged gutters. they're not just near water, they're everywhere. in all wooded areas, they wait on the ground and swarm you - keep moving! and yeah dusk is really bad, but they'll find you during the day too. my second theory is more spurious and involves spontaneous generation from dirt.

i'm kinda glad that madison is so cold that in summer you need a jacket on lots of summer evenings. hooded jacket and then you only have to fend them off your hands and face.

as an outdoorsy person, the level of mosquitos was number one shock to me moving here from the east coast, and it ain't exactly mosquito-free there (like i consider the west). on the bright side, indeed lots of happy bats and hummingbirds. a bat flapping around our bedroom one morning too...

[annkathryn]

Wisconsin loves punishing people, so make sure you know all this.

[annkathryn]

You'll also have to put up with the lovely people of Wisconsin who TAILGATE YOU WHEN YOU DRIVE. They get off on this! The rudeness will wear you down after awhile, then you'll think about moving away, trust me.

[mommyntheoc]

LMAO! Umm...I'm moving from the "Land O' Tailgating" so I think we'll be fine :-) In the week we were there, not a single person was rude to us on the road in Madison...not one! And we drove day and night in circle around every part of the city, about 14 hours per day, the whole time...even in the snow, they were fine. Each person carries with them their experiences which shape their perspective on life, being from southern CA...Madison is my idea of Heaven! minus the mosquitoes :-p

RubyBlaise is the brand of bug off I use...it worked in the swamps of Mexico where yellow fever is spread by mosquitoes. Our family doesn't use any synthetics so DEET is probably off our list...I'm very happy to hear the summer evenings are cool enough for a sweater. How is the humidity?

BATS? Oh I love bats! Bats are the nocturnal equivalent of a bumble bee, they actually pollinate more crops than bees do! And they are also the closest mammal to humans...if you look at a bat skeleton, it is identical to a human with some elongated bones! They even nurse their young like humans! I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE a bat house in my yard...does anyone have one of these to say whether it makes a difference at your house?

Originally Posted by annkathryn

You'll also have to put up with the lovely people of Wisconsin who TAILGATE YOU WHEN YOU DRIVE. They get off on this! The rudeness will wear you down after awhile, then you'll think about moving away, trust me.

[mommyntheoc]

1 more q...

Do Madisonians hate Californians?

I'm dreading people asking us where we moved from, because I assume everyone who is sane in this world hates the Californians as much as I do! LOL This was definitely the case when I moved to Boise. If this is the case in Madison, any suggestions on how to preface that so people won't label and judge us as one of these snobby nuts in CA in the first 10 seconds of meeting? The only reason we were here was for my hubby to finish his PhD...he is from TX, I was born in IL but have been in CA since I was small, until the move to ID, and then back to CA b/c the hubby had school. Suggestions, please??

[JBoughton]

No, unless California is a town in Illinois....

When you get to WI, you might hear someone called a "FIB" before too long. Might even be able to figure out what it means....

[RemiJP]

No, my boyfriend is from Tahoe and I don't think he's been judged negatively. He faced far more judgment when we lived in Boston! I think Madison residents are so used to people moving to town to go to UW that where you are from doesn't seem to matter. I also find driving here to be a heavenly experience! Though, honestly we see very little need to drive anywhere since the bus system is better in many ways than other public transit systems and we bike or walk most of the time.

[Megan1967]

I agree. Madison has so many people from so many places moving here that no stereo types of CA residents has been formed by most people.

I was considering moving to Austin and I know they have a universal dislike for Californians, but I think a lot of that has to do with people from CA driving up the cost of housing as well as the tendency to compare Austin negatively to where they came from.

[mommyntheoc]

I'm glad I won't be judged unfairly off the bat from being from here...I certainly walk the other way when I find someone from "THE OC"...I'm good with just about anyone but those who think this planet was put here just for them to do as they please, which I can confidently say sums up Orange County perfectly.

What does FIB mean? I can guess the F...lol...acronyms are so tricky because they can mean so many things! Fun Illinois Bunch? lol

Why doesn't WI like IL? IL worships CA...I know that from my many visits (and I still don't get the draw to fame, fortune, and selfishness).

Do mosquito zappers work around the yard?