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Hey everyone,
My family and I are moving to the Raleigh area very soon. I was extremely excited about this until I came across an article that says black widows, brown recluse and fire ants are very prevelant in the state. I am from MI and dont have these problems, our worse problem (and it is a bad one, in my opinion) is are dreadful weather (3 months of ridicolous hot weather and 9 months of bleak, gray, freezing upredictable weather). We are still moving to NC in March, however I am now terrified about the poisonous spiders and snakes and ants. I have 2 children 2 and 3 years old, respectively. Has anyone had any problems in the Raleigh area with these pests? Do these spiders really live in your homes and fire ants in the grass? My husband and I were in Raleigh a couple of weeks ago house hunting and the realtor mentioned nothing of this. (marketing startegy?) We must have been in and around 20 or so homes/yards and nothing was mentioned to us.
Can a native of this beautiful area please shed some realistic light on my concerns? I know I am a "Yankee", but I am wanting to be a southerner with all my heart.
Kim
Hey everyone,
My family and I are moving to the Raleigh area very soon. I was extremely excited about this until I came across an article that says black widows, brown recluse and fire ants are very prevelant in the state. I am from MI and dont have these problems, our worse problem (and it is a bad one, in my opinion) is are dreadful weather (3 months of ridicolous hot weather and 9 months of bleak, gray, freezing upredictable weather). We are still moving to NC in March, however I am now terrified about the poisonous spiders and snakes and ants. I have 2 children 2 and 3 years old, respectively. Has anyone had any problems in the Raleigh area with these pests? Do these spiders really live in your homes and fire ants in the grass? My husband and I were in Raleigh a couple of weeks ago house hunting and the realtor mentioned nothing of this. (marketing startegy?) We must have been in and around 20 or so homes/yards and nothing was mentioned to us.
Can a native of this beautiful area please shed some realistic light on my concerns? I know I am a "Yankee", but I am wanting to be a southerner with all my heart.
Kim
Yes, we have snakes and spiders down here...and you have then in Michigan. (My daughter goes to summer camp in Northern Michigan each year....I should let her tell the story of the rattlesnake that invaded their cabin while they were at rest period).
But honestly, with a little common sense, the spiders, snakes, ants and other buggies are no worse, and in many cases better, then up North.
We've made sure our daughter knows the different types of each to watch out for and to avoid, but honestly in over 3 years down here, including many days around Falls Lake playing in the woods, the only time she's seen any of them is in Michigan.
Kim, I've never lived in Raleigh - but I have lived in Atlanta and other places that have scary bugs. My observations/advice:
1. Fire ants: You'll learn, very quickly, to recognise their habitats - and either avoid them or get rid of them. Chances are, you'll be able to teach your children what they look like - and teach them to stay away. They do "hitch-hike" on socks and the like, but for the most part, they stay put. Oh, and note re "hitch-hike": If you're a "cold-footed" person like I am, just be sure to shake off your socks before you take them off at night. If you don't, you might end up stepping on one (or two, or 20) - and although it's not very pleasant at all (unless you like limbs swelling up - goshdarn their little painless bites result in big-time painful swelling), it's not something I think is an experience worth having.
2. Brown recluse: NOTE: I do not advise this, but...One day, while living in the Vancouver metro of BC, I had one "adopt" me. I let him crawl all over me and made sure to stay calm and not get upset. Eventually, he got bored and just walked away. If you do ever encounter a BR in your environs (or, worse yet, on you), just stay calm and help him/her find his/her way away. They don't want to be anywhere near you as much as you don't want to be anywhere near them.
3. Black widows: I grew up in a place that was known for Black widows. They tended to hang out in the "colder places" of the house - so I just stayed out of those places. I don't honestly know what I would have done had one decided to "adopt" me, but I lived - and had the great opportunity to see them live - something not a lot of people can say.
"Bugs" are no reason to avoid NC. Bugs happen everywhere.
Dont worry at all. If your moving then be happy with that. Look at all the positives of moving, you must be moving for a good reason huh?
And like others said bugs are everywhere, here in Las Vegas i hear all these crazy stories from the pest control guys about the damage a spider can do, heck i had scorpions , black widows , ants and more in and on my property but in reality your at a much, much higher risk of getting hurt in a car crash then bit by one of those bugs.
Good luck
Quote:
Originally Posted by KimfromMI
Hey everyone,
My family and I are moving to the Raleigh area very soon. I was extremely excited about this until I came across an article that says black widows, brown recluse and fire ants are very prevelant in the state. I am from MI and dont have these problems, our worse problem (and it is a bad one, in my opinion) is are dreadful weather (3 months of ridicolous hot weather and 9 months of bleak, gray, freezing upredictable weather). We are still moving to NC in March, however I am now terrified about the poisonous spiders and snakes and ants. I have 2 children 2 and 3 years old, respectively. Has anyone had any problems in the Raleigh area with these pests? Do these spiders really live in your homes and fire ants in the grass? My husband and I were in Raleigh a couple of weeks ago house hunting and the realtor mentioned nothing of this. (marketing startegy?) We must have been in and around 20 or so homes/yards and nothing was mentioned to us.
Can a native of this beautiful area please shed some realistic light on my concerns? I know I am a "Yankee", but I am wanting to be a southerner with all my heart.
Kim
Hi everyone who replied to my post. I would like to thank you for your advice. I know we have bugs here in MI too, I searched the net and we just didnt seem to have the BR widow or fire ants (not to say that we couldnt, but I just never have seen/heard about it here). I guess when I look at the facts, millions live in the south and w/these bugs and have a normal life. I guess I have a real fear for bugs and my 2 curious boys who love to learn by experience instead of my advice sometimes.
I am very excited about moving and thank you so much for replying.
Kim
We have BR spiders and fire ants in TX -- very common in the Dallas area. BR spiders hang-out in the hidden, dark areas...I've only seen a few in my lifetime. I would suggest being able to identify them and distinguish them from other spiders. I love to garden and work in the yard, and I have had no problems w/ these or similar creatures.
As far as fire ants, they are a pain, but you can easily spot their mounds and treat them. You don't have to poison the entire yard anymore, either. There are some organic treatments now that are safe to use around kids & pets (I have a little girl and another kiddo on the way...so this is a big concern). In fact, I use organic insect treatments at the house, too, and really never have any problems.
These creatures are just things to be aware of -- but it's not a big deal IMO. You get used to it and rarely think of it until you see something that sparks a thought.
We relocated to NC from MI, and I have yet to see any of these pests besides fire ants. We spray for insects and I believe that this has helped keep our house bug free. As for snakes, I believe that if you don't go out into the wooded areas you are fine. I have a big fear of snakes and I have a dog that I was sure would be eaten by a big, bad snake, but has not happened. I have educated myself on the things to be on the watch for (of course if I came across any snake all reasoning would be gone), and keep an eye out for them, so far nothing! Welcome, and believe me you will like the winters in NC far better than MI!
Fire ants have spread like CRAZY around here. I was driving on US-64 towards Pittsboro, and you can see fire and mounds along the side of the road (spread out every 5-10 feet or so) nearly the entire stretch.
I have them in my yard too. I keep treating the mounds, they die off for a couple of months, and then come right back.
Also, you need to be careful because they have entrances to their 'hive' not marked by the clearly visible mounds. I learned that the hard way. I was weeding my garden, holding myself up with my hand against the ground. I felt something on my hand, looked down, and noticed my hand was covered with ants . And the closest mound was about 30 feet away. Anyway...got 6 painful stings from that.
OK, so if you can't totally avoid getting stung by fire ant(s)...what do you do if that happens? How do you treat it?
Well...if you're me, you run around the house hysterically.
I treated it with Caladryl, pretty much like any other type of sting.
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forget the bugs
. And the closest mound was about 30 feet away. Anyway...got 6 painful stings from that.
