Common BUGS of the DC area??? (Washington: 2009, apartment complex, leasing agent)

[Shananagans]

I know DC has a big bed bug problem but what other bug are common that a Californian may not know about??

Today i had a run in with a flying beetle thing in my apartment, didnt get a good look at it but it seem about a 1/4"-1/2" mostly black with some read on its neck area, THEN i found a black bug about 1/4" with a 3 part shell (kind of like a more fortified rolly polly) and in between each shell segment was fait horizontal yellow line.... WTF? my apt has a roach problem already not what is trying to attack me??

[juniperbleu]

I don't know what those are, but most of the bugs I've seen around here are cicadas (they're starting to die, thankfully), crickets, thousand-leggers (don't know any more technical term than that), roaches, water bugs, and mosquitos. Lots of mosquitos. The thousand-leggers are the ones that freaked my roommate out since she'd never seen them before. Water bugs look like huge black roaches, and if you try to hit them (and miss), they'll run towards you which freaks me out.

[chrisherbert]

I wouldn't say that DC has a big bed bug problem. I've heard a few people complain about them but it's pretty rare (and honestly I think some people are just imagining them...it's some kind of strange version of hypochondria).

[B4U]

LOL! I thought the OP meant the electronic kind.

[cdmurphy]

Camel crickets! I'd never seen them until I moved here. They won't hurt you but they jump so high... and they're really gross if you squish them. They seem to like basements.

[chrisherbert]

Yeah, camel crickets (I grew up calling them "cave crickets") are really gross. When I lived in Arlington I'd see them pretty often but I haven't seen a single one in DC-proper.

[DCguy03]

Originally Posted by chrisherbert

I wouldn't say that DC has a big bed bug problem. I've heard a few people complain about them but it's pretty rare (and honestly I think some people are just imagining them...it's some kind of strange version of hypochondria).

Bed bugs are actually becoming a severe and widespread problem in DC and in NoVA as well. And they are the worst type of bugs to get - by far.

Bed bugs in Washington, D.C.? Yes! And growing in number daily.

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=36746

[cool rob]

Silver Fish, (I think someone called them thousand leggers earlier ) seem to be a big issue, I wish I knew how to get rid of them myself.

Also roaches (if not the worst, damn near the worst), and for some odd reason I witnessed a large amount of flys this year

[prairiestate]

Is it possible to rent an apartment in the DC area without bedbugs?

[DCguy03]

Yes -- these are a few of the strategies that I'd recommend - having rented several apartments in my day:

1) When you are touring apartments, specifically ask the leasing agent if there have been any cases of bedbugs in the apartment building within the last two years. Of course a verbal statement would be hard to prove down the road, but many of them will be honest. And you'll know to stay away if they skirt the question or hesitate to give you a clear answer.

2) Visually inspect the apartment around the baseboards, floors, windows, doors, under cabinets, etc. to make sure that there are absolutely no cracks or gaps of even a tiny size. Especially in older buildings, bed bugs (and other pests) spread quickly if there are cracks/holes/shoddily sealed installations in the walls.

3) Ask city-data folks about the apartment building, as chances are someone here knows someone who lives in/near that location.

4) Also take a look at some of the online ratings of the apartment complex. Start w/ a google search for the name of the apartment + the word "reviews." You've got to take those reviews with a grain of salt, but if you start to see a pattern (i.e. multiple people echoing the same concerns about bedbugs/other bugs), then that should raise a red flag.