Snakes, Scorpions, Lizards...HALP! (West, Earth: live, garden, move)

[Minz]

I am going to have creepy crawlies in my dreams from reading this post.

I lived in SA 30+ years and saw a scorpion or snake...thank goodness! I guess the water roaches are inevitable w/ the humidity...but I usually let my cats chase them and roaches usually die of exhaustion....or I finally got brave and started smashing them myself. My technique was to get a shoe and wrap scot towels around it so nothing gets on the shoe.

I kind of feel bad for the poster who now wants to move out of SA. Chances are the bugs (except water roaches and ants) will move on eventually. Just remember you are bigger than them!! I don't blame you for being freaked out...but if that is your only reason for wanting to move...I would say to try to hang in there...you'll probably find this all funny years down the road.

[Minz]

Originally Posted by Minz

I am going to have creepy crawlies in my dreams from reading this post.

I lived in SA 30+ years and saw a scorpion or snake...thank goodness! I guess the water roaches are inevitable w/ the humidity...but I usually let my cats chase them and roaches usually die of exhaustion....or I finally got brave and started smashing them myself. My technique was to get a shoe and wrap scot towels around it so nothing gets on the shoe.

I kind of feel bad for the poster who now wants to move out of SA. Chances are the bugs (except water roaches and ants) will move on eventually. Just remember you are bigger than them!! I don't blame you for being freaked out...but if that is your only reason for wanting to move...I would say to try to hang in there...you'll probably find this all funny years down the road.

Ok, I'm a nerd...I meant to say I NEVER saw a scorpion or snake!

And the geckos are cute, awesome little creatures!! When I came across one indoors I would simply find a nice place outside and relocate the little critter.

[CreekKnoll]

When i first had my house built, I had 3 scorpions in the first year (when there was tons of undeveloped land behind me, but developed since). Yesterday, I had a scorpion at my front door, inside the house. WTF, i read this thread and you guys jinx me!

[wCat]

Originally Posted by Minz

Ok, I'm a nerd...I meant to say I NEVER saw a scorpion or snake!

And the geckos are cute, awesome little creatures!! When I came across one indoors I would simply find a nice place outside and relocate the little critter.

Hi Minz! Hope your move went well! We miss you in SA!

I'm with you on the gekkos being kinda cute. We used to see a lot of the green lizards in the yard.....the ones that turn brown to match their surroundings. I always thought they were chameleons, but someone corrected me. Now I see more of the little beige kind.....my son calls them "nekkid gekkos" and adds a strong Texas twang when he says it. (not sure why but it's funny)

[jules07]

What are those things called? Those were also a rude awakening when we first moved to TX! They look so soft and pretty, but dang! Reach under a lawn chair to move it, or around the fence gate to open it, and bam! What a sting.

For a really creepy experience, go to the whatsthatbug website. Eek! I googled centipedes to post a nice creepy picture of those lovely beasts and found that. Hours of "entertainment"! LOL!

[CreekKnoll]

Originally Posted by jules07

What are those things called? Those were also a rude awakening when we first moved to TX! They look so soft and pretty, but dang! Reach under a lawn chair to move it, or around the fence gate to open it, and bam! What a sting.

For a really creepy experience, go to the whatsthatbug website. Eek! I googled centipedes to post a nice creepy picture of those lovely beasts and found that. Hours of "entertainment"! LOL!

You had centipedes?

[Minz]

Originally Posted by wCat

Hi Minz! Hope your move went well! We miss you in SA!

I'm with you on the gekkos being kinda cute. We used to see a lot of the green lizards in the yard.....the ones that turn brown to match their surroundings. I always thought they were chameleons, but someone corrected me. Now I see more of the little beige kind.....my son calls them "nekkid gekkos" and adds a strong Texas twang when he says it. (not sure why but it's funny)

Hi Wcat,

Yes...my move went well! I love it out here! I miss things about SA so it's nice to visit this forum! I hope you house situation is going well!

[Eily71]

Originally Posted by jules07

What are those things called? Those were also a rude awakening when we first moved to TX! They look so soft and pretty, but dang! Reach under a lawn chair to move it, or around the fence gate to open it, and bam! What a sting.

For a really creepy experience, go to the whatsthatbug website. Eek! I googled centipedes to post a nice creepy picture of those lovely beasts and found that. Hours of "entertainment"! LOL!

Do the caterpillers look like this ? http://hortipm.tamu.edu/pestprofiles...g/asp/asp.html

We always called them asps...and they do have a painful sting. I treat my (occasional) stings the same way I treat stings from Portuguese Man O'War at the beach...a paste of meat tenderizer, let set and scrape off gently with a credit card to remove the stingers left behind. There is a website that gives other remedies http://www.bugsinthenews.com/puss_ca...encounters.htm

These critters live in trees, such as oaks and I have gone years without even seeing any only to put my hand in the wrong place.

[jules07]

That's what everybody calls them at least, but they don't look like the one's on the link. They're much prettier. But they do sting! Thanks for the remedy advice! My 7 year old seems to get stung several times while they're out. We have *tons* of oak trees in our neighborhood and the area between us and Sea World is heavily wooded, so that would explain why we have so many (and may explain why we have so many critters when most folks who live in the city don't).

And centipedes - oh boy, DID we have them! I think the longest one we had was at least 8-10 inches long. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but it was huge! We used to catch them with these long bar-b-que tongs and put them in large mason jars. The kids just *loved* freaking out their friends from the city with them. That house was northwest of Poteet, extremely sandy, and we had tons of centipedes and scorpions (I say "tons", probably had 8-12 centipedes in the house during the 3ish years we lived there; scorpions were probably 2-3 times a month. To me that's tons! ) However, in that house we never had the big water bug/roaches. Never even saw them outside. We then lived in a different house northeast of Poteet and seldom saw a scorpion, never a centipede, but many water bugs. Had the house exterminated regularly and it helped. Always knew when our spraying was due when the buggers started emerging again! Yuck!

[lisa360]

I have been lurking for several weeks on this site. We are planning a move next year, and it has been really informative really all of the great insights here.

But I was just wondering-- does everyone spray their houses with pesticides to keep these critters at bay?? Are there alternatives that actually work but don't involve chemicals? I am really leary of using pesticides at all- but especially inside the house.


Going back to lurking-- thanks!