How big is the insect/pest problem in Amherst/Northampton? (Boston: crimes, home)

[maruto]

Is the pest problem major? Are there a lot of (poisonous) spiders, snakes, bats, wasps, hornets, dragonflies, killer bees, fire ants, flying roaches or other major pests?

[miu]

Since when are dragonflies a pest?

[GreenMachine]

Originally Posted by maruto

Is the pest problem major? Are there a lot of (poisonous) spiders, snakes, bats, wasps, hornets, dragonflies, killer bees, fire ants, flying roaches or other major pests?

What a weird question. Where are you moving from and why are you obsessing on this sort of thing?

Greenie

[airedaly]

How sad to be afraid of everything. You are eliminating every geographic area that has bugs, storms, earthquakes, bats, etc., because they are all too scary. Is there a place on planet earth that has none of these things? I doubt it. People go to college to learn how to live as adults. Normal adults are not afraid of every living thing.

It's amazing that many people live well into their 80s and 90s, never having died from a bat bite or bug bite or falling into a sinkhole. I actually know people who go camping!! and suffer bug bites, burns, scrapes and poison ivy, and they continue to venture into the wilderness year after year. My daughter, a college student, went to Africa last year and returned home safe and healthy.

This is a ridiculous question. Amherst and Northampton are beautiful towns, very safe and great places to go to college. But who knows? You could walk in front of a bus one day and............................

[maruto]

Originally Posted by airedaly

How sad to be afraid of everything. You are eliminating every geographic area that has bugs, storms, earthquakes, bats, etc., because they are all too scary. Is there a place on planet earth that has none of these things? I doubt it. People go to college to learn how to live as adults. Normal adults are not afraid of every living thing.

It's amazing that many people live well into their 80s and 90s, never having died from a bat bite or bug bite or falling into a sinkhole. I actually know people who go camping!! and suffer bug bites, burns, scrapes and poison ivy, and they continue to venture into the wilderness year after year. My daughter, a college student, went to Africa last year and returned home safe and healthy.

This is a ridiculous question. Amherst and Northampton are beautiful towns, very safe and great places to go to college. But who knows? You could walk in front of a bus one day and............................

Yes, you're right. In fact, why do we even have forums on where people live?
Why do people even ask questions on these forums? Why are there magazines that even concern themselves with the issue? Why should anyone even be concerned with where they move? Anywhere is fine. After all any place has something to offer? Boston or Peru, there is no difference at all.

Also, thank you for taking the time to read actually my posts all the way through. Apparently, I myself don't want to go several places because of the weather and such. This makes perfect sense because where I live there are no storms or natural pests. In fact, we don't even have weather or animals here. So, naturally the reason I asked this question is because, having no experience with any of these things, I must be basing my decisions to go to places solely on these criteria. There was no possible way that I was just curious because obviously I'm afraid of curiosity because kills animals...possibly even people!

This is why I didn't watch South Park today. It's not because of the 'scary' foul mouthed kids... No, because it's "preachy and up its *** in morals".
Oh yeah, I'm too scared to curse!

Oh no a bus!!!!! And a stray cat!!!!!! Blast urban civiliz......

[ogre]

Um, in answer to your original question, it's not extraordinarily buggy around Amherst/Norhtampton. There may be some mosquitoes, but this doesn't seem to be as bad as it is in eastern MA, at least not in these two towns, which don't have a lot of swampy areas or lakes immediately close by.

The surrounding area is largely rural, and there's a problem with black flies in late spring and early summer, if you get well back into the woods. Their bite smarts a little. You'd need bug repellent if you were out in the sticks, but they're not much of a problem in town.

I believe most of the Northeast has some issues with deer ticks and Lyme disease, which deer ticks carry. Again, you want bug repellent if you're going to be outside in grass or weeds. Deer ticks can turn up in town on lawns as well, so you'd need to check carefully for their presence on your skin after walking around barefoot in the yard.

No killer bees--they haven't gotten nearly that far north or east. Some regular European and American bees and wasps around here and there, but no more than anywhere else as far as I know.

When I lived in Amherst, I did hear occasional talk about timber rattlers in some wooded areas in the vicinity. No serious snake trouble right in town, though. Also, though I'm no expert, what I've heard about timber rattlers is that they form dens, so they tend to be concentrated in certain areas, meaning that even if you go for a hike across the countryside or through the woods they're nothing to be concerned about as long as you're not in an area known to be infested.

[GreenMachine]

Originally Posted by airedaly

How sad to be afraid of everything. You are eliminating every geographic area that has bugs, storms, earthquakes, bats, etc., because they are all too scary. Is there a place on planet earth that has none of these things? I doubt it. People go to college to learn how to live as adults. Normal adults are not afraid of every living thing.

It's amazing that many people live well into their 80s and 90s, never having died from a bat bite or bug bite or falling into a sinkhole. I actually know people who go camping!! and suffer bug bites, burns, scrapes and poison ivy, and they continue to venture into the wilderness year after year. My daughter, a college student, went to Africa last year and returned home safe and healthy.

This is a ridiculous question. Amherst and Northampton are beautiful towns, very safe and great places to go to college. But who knows? You could walk in front of a bus one day and............................

Good point. Apparently the OP is looking for a place to go to college. He/she has also has also posted threads in the Chicago and Austin forums inquiring about "Snakes, Spiders, Killer Bees, Mice, Rats, locusts, frogs (other Poisonous animals or pests)" as well as violence and natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes and such.

[miu]

Originally Posted by maruto

This makes perfect sense because where I live there are no storms or natural pests. In fact, we don't even have weather or animals here.

maruto - Where are you living now that has no storms or natural pests?

Anyway, I love seeing dragonflies around my yard. They don't bite or sting, and in fact they catch and eat mosquitoes.

[GreenMachine]

Originally Posted by miu

maruto - Where are you living now that has no storms or natural pests?

Anyway, I love seeing dragonflies around my yard. They don't bite or sting, and in fact they catch and eat mosquitoes.

Chicago...

[miu]

Originally Posted by GreenMachine

Chicago...

I suppose living in a major city, one is fairly immune from storms and natural pests, except for pigeons pooping and the occasional cockroach. But then again, one would have to worry about crimes committed by delinquent homo sapiens, attacks by aggressive dogs in the rough sections of town, or fast cars while crossing the streets.