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So i am a true valley girl from So Cal and i am not use to bugs. I've never had to deal with bugs in my house. My husband is going to be a drill instructor on PI and he has enlightened me on the massive 2" roaches. I saw the pictures online and nearly puked. You may all think im a wimp, but bugs seriously creep me out. Is there any way of keeping them out of my house such as exterminators? I would like to know all the info before i move to a state that i have never been to. any advice would be greatly appreciated.
What is PI? If you are at the coast you are going to have a wider variety of bugs to deal with. Since it doesn't freeze very hard in our state many of our bugs don't die in the winter like they do in Illinois where I came from. I am a bug wimp too and it is something you are just going to have to deal with (usually includes some high pitched screaming)...you can hire an exterminator but you are still going to have to deal with it when you go out.
What is PI? If you are at the coast you are going to have a wider variety of bugs to deal with. Since it doesn't freeze very hard in our state many of our bugs don't die in the winter like they do in Illinois where I came from. I am a bug wimp too and it is something you are just going to have to deal with (usually includes some high pitched screaming)...you can hire an exterminator but you are still going to have to deal with it when you go out.
i think the op is refering to pauleys island. we live in rural sc inland and the bugs aren't that bad here. they are probably worse in more populated & wet ares. you can have an exerminator spray every few months to keep them under control or you can buy stuff at the store and do it your self. the worst bugs we have to deal with are mosquitoes and fire ants.
We prefer to call them "Palmetto Bugs". Southern sensitivities, you know. Parris Island or Pawleys Island, if you don't like bugs, I suspect you're not going to be a happy camper. Generally speaking, ants are a bigger problem indoors than the palmetto bugs, but the latter draw more attention. A good exterminator can help, but keeping a very clean kitchen, ALL food containers tightly closed, etc, makes a big difference.
Outdoors in the Lowcountry is a different story, you're pretty much on your own. Mosquitoes (SC's state bird) have been known to grow large enough to carry away small children. No-see-um's are a real delight, particularly when you have a calm day in Spring near freshwater marshes. Oh yeah, you're okay with snakes, aren't ya'?
Seriously, SC's lowcountry is a magnificent place, though very different from SoCal. Just relax, go with the flow, and learn to enjoy all it has to offer. Sometimes, you just gotta take the bad with the good. Down here, the good is very, very good. Good Luck with your move.
To limit your encounters with bugs, get a house on as high a ground as possible and as far away from water sources as possible. This will not eliminate them, but will reduce the numbers. Also, if you spread boric acid around the outside of your house whenever it's dry, this will kill many Palmetto Bugs. Some will come into the house no matter what you do, however.
hey valleygirl, do your home work on the area you plan on moving to and come with an open mind and be willing to a certain amount of change and you will be fine. we did before moving here and it's worked out fine for us. SC is a very nice place with lot's of great people to be around. i have never lived any place where people are so friendly. since moving here dw and i have had conversations with more people we don't know at walmart than i would ever exspected. that's how nice everyone, well most everyone .
i think the op is refering to pauleys island. we live in rural sc inland and the bugs aren't that bad here. they are probably worse in more populated & wet ares. you can have an exerminator spray every few months to keep them under control or you can buy stuff at the store and do it your self. the worst bugs we have to deal with are mosquitoes and fire ants.
Pawleys is the one that came to mind but didn't know if there was another that would fit and that is why I threw in the coastal bit. When we go to the coast (Mauldin is Upstate) we do see different bugs there than we do at home and with 2 girls in the house there is lots of screaming going on. Ya just gotta put up with things you have little control over and bugs is one of those things. Hopefully living on the Atlantic will make up for that. It would for me.
Pawleys is the one that came to mind but didn't know if there was another that would fit and that is why I threw in the coastal bit. When we go to the coast (Mauldin is Upstate) we do see different bugs there than we do at home and with 2 girls in the house there is lots of screaming going on. Ya just gotta put up with things you have little control over and bugs is one of those things. Hopefully living on the Atlantic will make up for that. It would for me.
that's right if ya can't control em then exsterminate em.....lmao
If her husband is going to be a drill instructor, I'm sure she's referring to Parris Island, where the Marine Corps training base is located. I bet that is a very buggy area. Hopefully she won't actually be living on the island.
Parris Island, Marine Corps Recruit Depot for everywhere this side of the Mississippi.
Anyway...as to the bugs.
Yes they are big,yes they will get in your house but such is life here.
We call them Palmetto bugs to make you feel better.
Thank your husband for his service and YOU for putting up with being a military wife.
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Parris Island or Pawleys Island, if you don't like bugs, I suspect you're not going to be a happy camper. Generally speaking, ants are a bigger problem indoors than the palmetto bugs, but the latter draw more attention. A good exterminator can help, but keeping a very clean kitchen, ALL food containers tightly closed, etc, makes a big difference.
