How are the bugs in SA? (Converse: apartment, renting, condo)

[LindaGrace]

We live inside the loop in an established neighborhood (our house was built in 1959) and we have no issues with bugs in the house. To keep it that way, we have a quarterly service setup with a pest control company.

[Mom2Feebs]

We have quarterly pest control as well. It's very effective, it keeps them away really, except for those last couple of weeks before it's time to spray again. We always know to be more careful when it's time to spray. They were out here spraying the first week of April, so we'll be diligent toward the end of June.

A lot of our problem, quite honestly, is the construction around us. It disrupts their habitat and they go off in search of new places to live. The other problem is, they are definitely looking for water, so if you have water bowls outside for pets, etc...take them up at night and dry them out. The drought has not helped one bit with that problem. Also, make sure you have good weatherstripping on your doors, holes sealed, and check around your pipes under sinks, etc...stuff gaps with steel wool.

We've put on a new door with new weatherstripping on our back door to the patio and we are hoping we've stopped them from coming in that way.

[rynetwo]

Originally Posted by lady katie

Honestly, I'm way more afraid of the roaches then the scorpions. Sure, every place has bugs, but we definitely do not have large bugs in our houses here. We have lady bugs LOL. Hardly terrifying or gross! I'm trying to find a balance between bugs and a more mild climate. I'm starting to look into Virginia. Sounds like they get some roaches, but probably nothing like you guys see. They seem to get a tiny bit of snow in the winters, which I could live with if it keeps bugs that are the size of small birds out of my house hehehe Thank you all for your help!!

I can guarantee you the VA has was more pest than San Antonio.

[bianca324]

I have had issues with ants in the bathroom and am always told...they come in for the cold weather/warm weather. We remodeled the bathroom and got a new tub and lo n behold there was an ant hill that we destroyed underneath the tub. However, they appear to be back now. In all of the houses I have lived in the past few years, I always notice little black ants in the bathroom.

[prim8]

Ants are tough, chances are, for every 1 you see there are hundreds you don't. Unless you can access their nest directly, and sometimes even if you can, it's best to put out bait. Just make sure there are no little ones, or furry friends that can get to the bait or they may get sick.

As far as roaches, I don't think I've seen one since we've gotten here 3 years ago. I've seen ants, toads, 4 scorpions, mosquitoes galore, flies, and various other critters, but no roaches.

The large roaches that people are talking about, usually prefer to be outside, so I don't really consider them a household pest.

[LakeLifePA]

Roaches are too scared to live in San Antonio due to the Black Widows, Fire Ants, and Scorpions.

[walt151]

boric acid/dough bait eliminates roaches..

[TXsurburbanmom]

I've lived in SA off and on for about 30 years (that's how long I was in SA not alive) and I've had 5 scorpions total in my homes. Seen a few outside when I lived backed up to part of McAllister Park. Roaches are a pain and creepy- look like Palmetto bugs but less likely to fly than in Houston. I've had 5 or 6 in my house in the last few years but we don't use pest control just hubby with his spray. I live far north in the rocky hills so I should be seeing lots of creepy crawlers- sheesh, we have a darn chupacabra in the green belt and still aren't over infested with buggies. I'm really paranoid, like I was from up north rather than multi- generation Texan, and I'm surviving it. Not to say some areas don't see more. I live in a well established area in a newer home (15 years) so it's sealed well and there's no new construction to send anything inside. If I were to wander in the ditch I'm sure I'd see plenty but it's not a done deal that you will be overrun.

For reference, our tenants in NC have found black widows, brown recluse and a rattlesnake near or under the house. I had a centipede inside when I was there. Thank goodness I'm back where they build on slabs. I was creeped out by that crawl space. Anyway, VA is awful close to NC.

[elnina]

Hey, don't complain:
Chicago Tops List of Most Pest-Ridden Cities - US News
Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C. round out the top 5.

You can't have it all: the weather, low cost of living, jobs ... and no bugs
You can control most of them with a proper Pest Control care.

[mojosalsa]

We are in the far west side of town, between 410 and 1604 off of Marbach. The subdivision was started about 2001, so the houses are about that old. They have a zero lot line, so the houses are super close together.

We haven't seen any air force roaches around our house. But I have seen toads, tiny snakes (probably garter) and my bf swears he saw a baby rattlesnake outside once, but the neighbor killed it. There are tons of roly polys and fire ants. The biggest thing that disturbs me here are the June bugs. They show up around March and don't leave till the end of summer. I hate them. They are attracted to our porch light and when I'm walking (RUNNING) in the house after dark they sometimes get stuck in my hair I hate them so much.

They normally start to disappear (or get eaten) once the toads show up, but my toady friends are either late or have moved away.

The other night I heard creepy things banging on the front door. I worked up the nerve to go and look.
It was a June bug apocalypse!

Thankfully, there are no critters in the house, save for an occasional roly poly which I can totally deal with. My bf sprays Ortho home defense around the foundation and windows 2 -3 times a year and that's been all we have needed.

Now in my childhood home, on the SE side of town around Highland Hills, we had a HUGE roach problem. It was probably due to the age of the house and the foliage all around. The house also had some issues with staying sealed up. If yall have ever seen the cockroach episode of the X-Files, War of the Coprophages, it was kinda like that.