How big of a problem are bugs? (Tampa: apartments, hotels)

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by HWTechGuy

My only gripe is the mosquitoes. My monthly exterminator visit seems to handle everything else. I'm getting ready to stock up on citronella.

Haven't noticed any skeeters yet. When do you find that they show up? Are you coastal or more inland?

My theory is the constant sea breeze we have helps keep some of the lighter flying bugs away.

[overit2]

Loving the thread, always wondered about it, but being in GA we have SO many bugs and mosquitoes and roaches and the flying ones and ants also..SPIDERS...and yes small scorpions, I always check shoes. My son was 2 (years ago) and got bit by one on his foot.

OK, the following stories are absolutely true, but if you are faint hearted, skip this post LOL

FIrst of all, spiders love me but the feeling is not mutual. I got a spider bite living in S. American on my shoulder when I was 14-STILL have the scar. ANother time, I was around 20- and felt something crawling on my butt cheek at night...I smacked at it, turned the light on and it was a spider, didn't bite thank god, but it was disgusting.

OH, then there was the time at age 6 I sat on a red ant pile..that was nice, I STILL remember it PFFT

THen I move to GA, and there are TONS OF horrible fuzzy spiders, brown, black, big, small....in my garage about a decade ago-I see a disgusting big very fuzzy spider. I go for the raid and shoe...I spray it first -the fuzzy spider was not fuzzy...it was a momma spider with THOUSANDS of baby spiders on it's back that went crawling everywhere FAST. I couldn't spray fast enough. I had nightmares for weeks. I still shudder.

THEN came the brown recluse chapter. I had had my roof replaced after some storms-I guess all that working on the roof got the spiders to come down. I saw at least 5 in the following days. AGAIN, I was sleeping and felt something crawling on my arm, swiped at it, turned on the light...big a** brown recluse. I didn't sleep again that night.

We finally have somewhat erradicated and formed a good barrier for MOST bugs, but it took dilligence, and consistency with sprays in/out and even all the yard permiter and lawns. We have lots of trees and flowers, plants, bushes, roses, etc...last summer we had a problem with fleas that took months to get under control. I have an outside cat and inside dog...it was hell but we have for NOW won the bug battle. Still mosquitoes on some nights, and surely to get worse but we have pretty decorative citronella torches and candles around, so screw the mosquitoes too! lol

[HWTechGuy]

Originally Posted by PriusH8r

Haven't noticed any skeeters yet. When do you find that they show up? Are you coastal or more inland?

My theory is the constant sea breeze we have helps keep some of the lighter flying bugs away.

I'm 5 miles +/- from the Gulf. I notice that if I make the mistake of going outside in the yard after dinner I'll get eaten alive. It really gave me a whole new appreciation for my screened lanai. I'd expect them to get in there, but I don't get bit out there at all.

[Maggi07]

For over two years we had a pest guy come and spray the house every month. We still saw a few roaches or palmettos. When the rainy season began it was more than a few. Before that guy, we rarely saw anything.

We went back to spraying with termidor ourselves and there are no more bugs.

In our last house, we had a few wolf spiders, and a huntsman in the garage that the kids named Sally. lol Including the legs, it was as big as my entire hand. We could never catch it until we were moving out and the cleaning lady found it and killed it. The kids were sad. Silly kids.

[Pragmaticus]

Originally Posted by Maggi07

For over two years we had a pest guy come and spray the house every month. We still saw a few roaches or palmettos. When the rainy season began it was more than a few. Before that guy, we rarely saw anything.

We went back to spraying with termidor ourselves and there are no more bugs.

In our last house, we had a few wolf spiders, and a huntsman in the garage that the kids named Sally. lol Including the legs, it was as big as my entire hand. We could never catch it until we were moving out and the cleaning lady found it and killed it. The kids were sad. Silly kids.

May be the guy was spraying bug eggs?

[Pragmaticus]

Originally Posted by Not_liking_FL

Yes, they are a huge problem. They take a lot of elbow grease to remove because they turn into concrete the second they hit your car.

Yep. Had to wash my car again after spending quite a bit of time in washing/waxing and all that the previous week. They are not easy to remove once dry. This happened a week or so ago while driving on I-75. Don't see much where I live now though.

[Maggi07]

Originally Posted by MeInDenudinFL

May be the guy was spraying bug eggs?

Maybe so! LOL

After the first year we started joking that he was spraying water. Maybe he was. Who knows.

[druthb00]

Originally Posted by Maggi07

For over two years we had a pest guy come and spray the house every month. We still saw a few roaches or palmettos. When the rainy season began it was more than a few. Before that guy, we rarely saw anything.

We went back to spraying with termidor ourselves and there are no more bugs.

In our last house, we had a few wolf spiders, and a huntsman in the garage that the kids named Sally. lol Including the legs, it was as big as my entire hand. We could never catch it until we were moving out and the cleaning lady found it and killed it. The kids were sad. Silly kids.

We had a giant palmetto in the garage I named Billy the Kid....why? I don't know. It took us 3 months to get him, but he's dead now

[BBI]

The bugs aren't that bad here in St. Pete. Some thoughts:

1. The roaches come inside looking for water, and it's worse in dry season than rainy season. We do have a bug guy, but still have to clean up the dead ones, and we'll have to dispose of a a slow, dying roach now and then. (If we snooze on the bug guy, we see fewer roaches because they're good at hiding, but the ones you do see are super-fast and creepy...) A cat would probably help, but no sense replacing one pest with another...

2. Mosquitoes are worse here than anywhere else I've lived on the east coast, but it's mostly just a problem at dusk (like up north), and tolerable. Friends from Minnesota report the mosquitoes are exponentially worse there than here, so I guess it depends on what you're used to.

3. This is flea central. Frontline doesn't work; the dogs get a pill that makes them toxic. Unexpected pet cost, I guess. And you still need to dip them after a trip to the dog park or dog beach since so many people don't know about or won't pay for the pill.

4. Love-bugs are a complete non-issue in town. They were annoying when we lived at the beach. Seemed to really go after the color white for some reason.

5. On the plus side, there is zero risk of hitting a deer, or most other large pests, with my car.

[ghostrider7811]

Originally Posted by ghostrider7811

Bugs, I have lived here in FL for over 30 years, I am sure the bugs are much worse than what is being reported here.

This is a Joke...