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Old 05-02-2012, 07:54 AM
 
Location: Phoenix, AZ
1,070 posts, read 2,936,815 times
Reputation: 1447

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponderosa View Post
I always scratch my head over posts like this. Where does the idea that the desert is overrun with bugs come from? The desert is a hot, dry and hostile environment where survival is difficult. There are fewer of everything, including bugs, than in more humid and temperate climates. The only thing that seems to flourish in huge numbers here is humans, and it is they and their activities that make life in Phoenix less enjoyable than it otherwise could be.
Well, if we're talking those kind of "bugs", then I would avoid Scottsdale at all costs.
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Old 05-02-2012, 08:02 AM
 
Location: LEAVING CD
22,974 posts, read 26,911,935 times
Reputation: 15644
My wife is not a big fan of bugs either. With that being said if you use bug control regularly they shouldn't be an issue. As for scorpions, remove their food source (bugs mostly) and you won't have much of an issue. If they don't have food they will find somewhere else to eat.
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Old 05-02-2012, 08:14 AM
 
Location: Gilbert - Val Vista Lakes
6,069 posts, read 14,744,914 times
Reputation: 3876
How would you like to find all these bats under your tile roof?

I don't know what state this video is from, but I was really surprised at the number of bats they found under the tiles.

Bat infestation on a roof...oh god no! - Video Fantastica!
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Old 05-02-2012, 09:06 AM
 
Location: Oxygen Ln. AZ
9,319 posts, read 18,705,272 times
Reputation: 5764
Florida has bugs. AZ has very few if you use a pest service.
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Old 05-02-2012, 10:41 AM
 
Location: Amongst the AZ Cactus
7,068 posts, read 6,436,494 times
Reputation: 7730
Quote:
Originally Posted by kona0727 View Post
Hi everyone,

Like the title says, I'm moving to Phoenix/Scottsdale area (have yet to find an apartment). I wouldn't say I'm terribly afraid, but I don't really care for cockroaches, scorpions, or any other bugs.

Coming from New England, so I wouldn't say I never see bugs, but I rarely see the things down there.

Any suggestions on apartment hunting and what to look for?

Having a sister who has chronic case of Lyme disease for 20+ years now that she aquired in New England/has damaged her health in so many ways, I would be much more concerned of ticks carrying Lyme disease and all the other co-infections they can carry compared to what I've seen living around the Phoenix valley over the years. Sometimes the tiny things we can't see/are hard to see are much more devastating to our health.

Here's a map showing tick infested areas:

American Lyme Disease Foundation

Just another perspective to perhaps consider.
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Old 05-02-2012, 03:00 PM
 
10,719 posts, read 20,244,888 times
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I think one of the strengths of living in the Valley is the lack of bugs. Perhaps some people experience scorpions depending upon where they live but the dry heat doesn't allow most bugs to survive thus you don't see the same incidence of bugs that you see in more humid areas.
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Old 05-02-2012, 03:16 PM
 
Location: Phoenix
7,108 posts, read 9,148,187 times
Reputation: 8284
Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Bill View Post
How would you like to find all these bats under your tile roof?

I don't know what state this video is from, but I was really surprised at the number of bats they found under the tiles.

Bat infestation on a roof...oh god no! - Video Fantastica!
If that tile will hold bats it will hold rodents. I always liked the look though. Never could afford it.
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Old 05-02-2012, 07:33 PM
 
Location: Arizona
1,665 posts, read 2,934,284 times
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There are far fewer bugs here than New England or Florida, I have lived in both and can say the desert climate, lack of standing water and rain keeps the bug population way down. I have only seen 3 scorpions in 6 years here.
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Old 05-03-2012, 12:26 AM
 
Location: 602/520
2,441 posts, read 6,990,475 times
Reputation: 1815
Quote:
Originally Posted by kona0727 View Post
Hi everyone,

Like the title says, I'm moving to Phoenix/Scottsdale area (have yet to find an apartment). I wouldn't say I'm terribly afraid, but I don't really care for cockroaches, scorpions, or any other bugs.

Coming from New England, so I wouldn't say I never see bugs, but I rarely see the things down there.

Any suggestions on apartment hunting and what to look for?
Regardless of where you live you will experience Palo Verde beetles during the summer. They're very large, flying black bugs that have a hard shell. They're extremely harmless, so you will be fine.

If you want to avoid scorpions, I would suggest NOT living on the outskirts or near any mountains. I am sure that the bugs and roaches are also slightly bigger issues in areas with irrigation and lawns. There are plenty of places in older, established parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Glendale where you should be okay.
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Old 05-03-2012, 01:22 PM
 
157 posts, read 451,995 times
Reputation: 149
Yeah, not sure where the idea that the desert is full of bugs came from. I'm from the Northeast also and bugs there were worse. Snakes and mosquitoes in every river, tree grove and pond. Giant grasshoppers every spring and those wooley worm things that make my skin crawl. Ugh.

We have scorpions and snakes out here I guess, but I've never seen either one in the six or so years I've been here. If you have roaches or flies, that sounds like a sanitation problem, not a desert problem. The only annoying bugs I get are those giant mosquito-looking things that arrive every spring and seem to love the light. Once they pass, its fine.
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