San Antonio snakes, spiders, weather? (Houston, Austin: new home, scorpion, construction)

[jassy2]

How bad are the snakes and spiders in San Antonio? Does it snow? Which is more humid San Antonio or Austin?

[ravensday]

I have lived here for 1 1/2 years and I have yet to see a snake (thank God), I dont recall seeing any spiders, It dont snow, yet we did have a hellva ice storm this past winter, and its hot as hello here. The humidity is not as bad as Costal GA (where I came from). The mosquitos are large enough to carry off a human child. I understand that there are scorpians and mountian lions in Bexar Co. But havent seen them either.

[wCat]

Austin is a short hour away and the humidity is relatively the same.

We have snakes and spiders.....but they prefer to live in less "people" populated areas. This is not the wild west anymore.

[San Antonio newbie]

We just moved here from Ca. So far I have had one scorpion in the house last week....Yikes! I am not a happy camper..!
Also I just saw a snake in the front yard today, thin green, the color of the grass...Is it poisonious? Also lots of spiders come in at night and are black, but not black widows. We also have alot of wasps around making mud houses around the eaves YUCK! Anyone know what the green snake is. I lived in Az a couple of years and never had a scorpion in the house ! I am not looking forward to this summer and the heat and humidity....is it really as awful as everyone says... ?

[Bo]

Originally Posted by San Antonio newbie

We just moved here from Ca. So far I have had one scorpion in the house last week....Yikes! I am not a happy camper..!

Sign up for an exterminator ASAP and get a perimeter treatment. That will help. If you live in an area where there is new construction, the disruption to their habitat causes the scorps to look for a new place to live. Once the construction ends, they'll settle down and stay put.

Also lots of spiders come in at night and are black, but not black widows.

Between this and the scorpion, it sounds like your home is not as tight as it should be. Have the exterminator do an inspection and show you where the bugs are getting in. Sealing up their points of entry will help reduce the number of bugs in your home.

We also have alot of wasps around making mud houses around the eaves YUCK!

Wasps are good because they eat the caterpillars that destroy foliage on the trees. You should leave the wasp homes alone or you'll be exchanging one problem for another.

I lived in Az a couple of years and never had a scorpion in the house !

The good news here is that scorpions here are much less venomous than the ones in the Southwest. They're also smaller, which enables them to enter the house through smaller openings. Seal off those openings!

I am not looking forward to this summer and the heat and humidity....is it really as awful as everyone says... ?

The usual daily high in the summer is 95. The usual daily low is 75. There are plenty of hours in the typical morning that are closer to 75. If the 95 degree temps worry you, plan to limit your time outside between 3 and 6 PM in the summer.

[wCat]

And don't worry about that little green snake. Just a garden variety. They would rather run than attack, but if by chance you are bitten, they are not poisonous.

Ditto on the scorpions here vs the desert SW! Yikes! I lived in Texas 35 years before I saw my first scorpion. Once you get settled in and your yard treated, they will find a new home. Keep wood piles and rocks/bricks/stones away from the perimeter of the house too.

Also....scorpions are more active in the Spring and Fall when the weather is mild. They tend to go dormant in the Summer and Winter.

[TX_AGGIE13]

Well, I have seen snakes, scorpions, wasps, and all in San Antonio, but sometimes things seem worse than they are. I killed 8 scorpions last summer and found that they like hiding in damp areas (ie: under logs after rain, anything on the ground that a bug would get under so watch before grabbing under stuff). Also I have a pool that the scorpions will fall into when walking toward them. I learned that even after being dead if you step on one it will still sting you so don't do that even on the bottom of the water filled pool...lol. Snakes get in the skimmer baskets so don't grab a handfull of leaves without brushing them around for snakes first. Also areas out here on the land with cactus seem to have more snakes because the snakes sink their fangs into the cactus and suck out the water in the heat. Wasps and mosquitos are a pain in the you know what anywhere in Texas it seems but as for wasps I agree with what was said above, just keep a can of the strong high pressured stuff if you get anafalactic shock...lol. Oh, and the mosquitos are nothing here in comparison to East Texas so consider yourself lucky. There is much less greenery so snakes, mosquitos, and other creepy crawlers are less than could be for sure. Don't get your hopes up for snow because even if you witness it as all of us have who've been here long enough it's nothing to write home about. On the other hand don't be supprised if it snows in August, or May...lol. It snowed about 3 inches on my East Texas ranch Easter before last, and was 85+ only a week before that. Humidity isn't too bad either here in San Antonio as far as im concerned. I guess it all depends on what your comparing it to though. It's not dry like Vegas, or Phoenix, but not even close to as bad as Houston, or Jacksonville, FL. where I have lived before. You sweat in your home with the AC on in those places.