What is the insect situation in Prescott/PV (Flagstaff, Prescott Valley: new home, tile)

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Are scorpions prevalent?

I've seen a couple over the years. They typically hitch rides from the hotter areas in moving materials or construction lumber. They can't survive the cold, so they don't stay long.

[hellzbellz]

We've been in Prescott Valley since 1992 and have never seen a scorpion, no rattlers, and only one centipede. The bigger irritant is skunks and bird poop, especially pigeons.

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by hellzbellz

We've been in Prescott Valley since 1992 and have never seen a scorpion, no rattlers, and only one centipede. The bigger irritant is skunks and bird poop, especially pigeons.

I haven't seen a skunk in the ten years that we've been here (except for dead in the road). I've seen a few rattlers on trails. We saw a bobcat a couple of times - that was cool.

[PVAZno1]

Originally Posted by BriansPerspective

I haven't seen a skunk in the ten years that we've been here (except for dead in the road). I've seen a few rattlers on trails. We saw a bobcat a couple of times - that was cool.

Interesting. I have seen them. I have friends that have had to remove them from their property - in various areas of PV. Guess that is like me living in the valley for 25 years and never having a scorpion in any place that I live. Some people are just lucky

[infocyde]

Generally bugs aren't a problem here in the quad cities as the good people above have stated. Bugs and critters do vary a little bit in populations depending on where you live in the area. This is my experience where I live in between PV and Prescott. Mind you I walk through my neighborhood daily and hike around the area so I'm a little more aware of the bugs and critters than people who generally stay inside.

Skunks are around but they won't bother you unless you mess with them, though they aren't necessarily AFRAID of you either...in walking my dogs I've had to turn around and run from two of them who kept walking towards me (usually they see you and move off into the brush) because I didn't want to take a chance with getting sprayed if my dogs decided that the skunks were play things. Scorpions, I haven't seen any up here. I do see the spiders that look like scorpions just without a stinger on occasion (Sun Spiders?). Black Widows are here, again they generally are shy and will hide but I kill them anyway since they tend to be around the bottom of my house by my front door or where people walk by. Black Widows have been everywhere I've ever lived though including SoCal so they are nothing new to me. Interestingly I haven't seen as many spiders this year. Usually we have tons of jumping spiders (small ones, not like the inch sized ones I saw in Michigan), which don't bother me at all and I usually rescue them and kick their butts outside when I find them inside. I wonder if the early thaw then snow again killed a lot of them off this year. The big harmless grass spiders are doing OK this year somehow those one get into my house fairly frequently. Brown Recluse are here but I've never seen any of them. I'm careful though in lifting things outside. Instead of a lot of spiders this year there are more ants around than I've seen in a while. Mosquitoes are small and infrequent though they are here too (although around the lakes for a few weeks they can get bad during the summer). Centipedes, I see about two or three smaller ones a year. As to snakes, I've seen squished smaller ones on the road but I have yet to encounter any alive, and I don't believe any of the dead ones I saw were rattlers. I've heard that in Chino Valley in some places rattlers are around more frequently. Roaches, I've seen one in my house once and dispatched it. I was worried there might be more but that was it. If you go walking around downtown Prescott at night during the summer you will see a lot of them...but they are the big desert roaches that mostly stay outside.

Some of the bigger critters I encounter on my walks are deer. When they are around I'll bump into them several times a week, then they will go off somewhere for a few months and then later return. Javelina come through my neighborhood a few times a year but I've never had any problems with them other than being woken up when my dogs bark at them. I actually stumbled on a herd of them once with my dogs and was really nervous but I immediately backed away and they didn't mess with me. Pro tip though, if you have dogs don't go anywhere near javalina with them if you can avoid it. They will kill your dogs especially if they have young. But generally you give them space and they leave you alone...some people like to feed them but I wouldn't recommend that. Coyotes are around too and are pretty bold. I had one run by 20 feet in front of me in broad daylight. I grew up in areas where coyotes were common so they don't bother me. I know in Michigan where I was they viewed coyotes almost like wolves which was always amusing to me. Coyotes won't mess with you and will almost always run away from you. They will eat your cat or your small dog if they can get them at night...for that reason I make sure my cat is in at night.

So the critters are here, but bugs are no where as frequently encountered as they are say in Michigan. I wouldn't consider bugs an issue and the other wildlife I encounter I think is pretty cool to see. Again where I'm at is more rural, I'm sure if you live in a housing development or in the city the bugs and critters will be less but still around.

[IceCat]

Being from Minnesota flies and mosquitos will feel nonexistent.

The thing to worry about is Recluse Spders, very toxic flesh-eating bites. Mostly in woody places like Flagstaff. They are usually in boxes in a garage or wood piles. Trust be when I lived in Flagstaff and was bitten on the knee. I started treatment immediately and it tools months to get the toxin out of the wound and finally have it heal. The scar will always be there.

We are looking to move where there are Pines trees rather than cactus because elevation brings a different climate here.

Black Widow spiders are something to watch out for.

You will have not have scorpions in your house if house is elevated off ground and everything is sealed. Cats will eat scorpions. But they are in places that are hot. Not at elevation.

There are Tarantuallas all over Arizona but they don't bother people. I have seen a lot of them in Phoenix, Sedona and on the roads at night in Flagstaff. I don't know about Prescott as we don't live there. I assume the colder the less of them. People tell me they are beneficial. They are out at night here only.

You can use DE diatomaceous earth which is food grade, you can put it in horse food, etc. But do not breath it as it is small crush sea shells that
*will kill ALL insects who touch it.*
Harmless to birds, rabbits and such.

PLEASE do not use poisons. Our water table is in trouble and it will kills all the wild life and some people's animal companions will get ahold of the sick animals and they will die.

Diatomaceous Earth (food grade): Bug Killer You Can Eat!

Many of the wells in New River are going dry around us. I don't know about Prescott, but the water from the Colorado is being diverted to California and we are very short on water here.

In the warmer climates there are rattlesnakes, Sedona, Phoenix, Cottonwood, etc. That is the only thing you *really* have to worry about in AZ. The rattlesnakes are as mean as depicted on TV. You will not be able to feed birds if you are in warmer climates because the mice and such will attract snakes. If you have chickens, you will have snakes. You will need to be a the HIGHER elevations to avoid rattlesnakes. We saw them routinely in Sedona. There is no deterrant for rattlers exempt of other snakes that eat them. They cannot be poisoned. Some people claim they can put in snake proof fencing, but it is expensive. They will bite dogs and horses if the animal approaches them. A horse with a swelled nose from rattlers is live threatening if not treated. One of the reason I don't like the Valley is the rattlesnakes and hot nights during July and August.

We love the dry weather here in AZ because there are no insects to speak of, but the heat of the Valley is getting to be too much for us even though we are at 2200 feet 40 miles no of Phoenix.

Good luck.

[Propulser]

Originally Posted by IceCat

Being from Minnesota flies and mosquitos will feel nonexistent.

The thing to worry about is Recluse Spders, very toxic flesh-eating bites. Mostly in woody places like Flagstaff. They are usually in boxes in a garage or wood piles. Trust be when I lived in Flagstaff and was bitten on the knee. I started treatment immediately and it tools months to get the toxin out of the wound and finally have it heal. The scar will always be there.

We are looking to move where there are Pines trees rather than cactus because elevation brings a different climate here.

Black Widow spiders are something to watch out for.

You will have not have scorpions in your house if house is elevated off ground and everything is sealed. Cats will eat scorpions. But they are in places that are hot. Not at elevation.

There are Tarantuallas all over Arizona but they don't bother people. I have seen a lot of them in Phoenix, Sedona and on the roads at night in Flagstaff. I don't know about Prescott as we don't live there. I assume the colder the less of them. People tell me they are beneficial. They are out at night here only.

You can use DE diatomaceous earth which is food grade, you can put it in horse food, etc. But do not breath it as it is small crush sea shells that
*will kill ALL insects who touch it.*
Harmless to birds, rabbits and such.

PLEASE do not use poisons. Our water table is in trouble and it will kills all the wild life and some people's animal companions will get ahold of the sick animals and they will die.

Diatomaceous Earth (food grade): Bug Killer You Can Eat!

Many of the wells in New River are going dry around us. I don't know about Prescott, but the water from the Colorado is being diverted to California and we are very short on water here.

In the warmer climates there are rattlesnakes, Sedona, Phoenix, Cottonwood, etc. That is the only thing you *really* have to worry about in AZ. The rattlesnakes are as mean as depicted on TV. You will not be able to feed birds if you are in warmer climates because the mice and such will attract snakes. If you have chickens, you will have snakes. You will need to be a the HIGHER elevations to avoid rattlesnakes. We saw them routinely in Sedona. There is no deterrant for rattlers exempt of other snakes that eat them. They cannot be poisoned. Some people claim they can put in snake proof fencing, but it is expensive. They will bite dogs and horses if the animal approaches them. A horse with a swelled nose from rattlers is live threatening if not treated. One of the reason I don't like the Valley is the rattlesnakes and hot nights during July and August.

We love the dry weather here in AZ because there are no insects to speak of, but the heat of the Valley is getting to be too much for us even though we are at 2200 feet 40 miles no of Phoenix.

Good luck.

When you say "the Valley", are you referring to Prescott Valley, or the Phoenix Valley?

[BriansPerspective]

Originally Posted by Propulser

When you say "the Valley", are you referring to Prescott Valley, or the Phoenix Valley?

In AZ, 'The Valley' always means the Phoenix area - like, fer sher.

[infocyde]

I see Tarantuallas seasonally (some part of the summer?) here when the males are out looking for mates. They are big but don't hurt anything. I came up to one to move it and it was shaking in fear of me! Rarely I'll see some preying mantis and the stick mimic insects too. Occasional wasp and bumble bees are around otherwise I'd leave my back door open for my dogs to come and go.

Also on the list of critters I forgot is all sorts of birds (wood peckers, mega-crows/ravens, road runners, huge owls, hawks, and even a few bald eagles). I also see Lot's of rabbits and quail too daily during the non-Winter months.

[Propulser]

Originally Posted by BriansPerspective

In AZ, 'The Valley' always means the Phoenix area - like, fer sher.

Do they gag themselves with spoons, too?