Bugs

[serendipity12]

Originally Posted by st33lcas3

Recluse Spiders aren't poisonuos. They bite and will leave a nasty mark, but you won't die from one.
Recluse spiders aren't that common in this area anyway, it's their cousin the Hobo Spider that people confuse it for.
HOBO SPIDER WEB SITE

I live in Hockinson and my husband and I were both bite by brown recluse, very very nasty bite, very sick...they like very dark cool places, make sure you turn on a lite for 5 min or so before you enter a cool dark area, as in a attic or shed, as this is were we got bite...havent seen any in the house.

[Skytripper]

Definitely some Brown Recluse spiders around and they ARE poisonous, despite what some may think.....leave a very nasty bite that could be quite serious....especially to a small child or an elderly person. Haven't seen as many here as in Texas or even in Colorado....BUT...they are definitely here in western WA!
RACCOONS.......UNBELIEVABLE critters here in Washington to say the least!!!
HUGE and incredibly smart!
I have lived all over the lower 48 States except for New England and the Deep South.....and I am appalled at what I have seen here in Washington as far as 'coons go. They get big enough to throw a saddle on and ride off into the sunset. They TRULY ARE nature's little bandidos and WILL break into your house if given the opportunity to do so and raid your fridge! They WILL rob you blind here....and I'm NOT kidding!
Last winter....a family of raccoons decided to move in under my house that I had just rented...(a double-wide manufactured house)......I had NO idea what I was about to deal with!
They were successful at completely dislodging the heating ventilation under the house so they were keeping themselves nice and toasty warm as I was running the thermostat (electric heat)....constantly and NEVER noticing that the house was not nearly as warm as it SHOULD have been. I didn't know they had done this and for more than 2 months.....even though I could hear the little ****s every night under the house.....like conspiring some other plan to rob me blind!
Anyway......got a bill from the electric company for $ 800.00 and I'm in a 1500 sq. ft. house! NEVER run an electric furnace constantly!!!!
Those 'COONS......cost me dearly and it took up until just recently to square up from the damage they did under the house.....keeping themselves nice and warm all winter long at MY expense!
I WILL shoot 'em if I see them in my yard now and I already managed to get one relocated that was HUGE, growling and scratching all the way to its new home.
VERY SMART creatures they are.......actually avoided a baited trap and still got the bait without entering.
I know now that raccoons ARE definitely SMARTER than a LOT of people in this world and they can really **** me off!

[st33lcas3]

Originally Posted by serendipity12

I live in Hockinson and my husband and I were both bite by brown recluse, very very nasty bite, very sick...they like very dark cool places, make sure you turn on a lite for 5 min or so before you enter a cool dark area, as in a attic or shed, as this is were we got bite...havent seen any in the house.

When I say they aren't poisonous, I mean you won't die from a bite like you might with a black widow. They will leave a gnarly wound, you may get sick too, but very rarely do they ever cause death.
Venomous, yes. Poisonous, no.


Skytripper
For your raccoon problem, I suggest purchasing a paint ball gun. It's painful enough to teach them a lesson, but it won't kill them. I found one in my kitchen a few years ago (we left the door open one night). Screaming and stomping only pi**ed him off. I grabbed my paintball gun and hit him three times. He took off and never came back in the house.

[JTC]

I havent seen much bugs...i've seen a few spiders, but they were those small black ones. I assume most of the poisonous ones are out in the wooded areas

[orygun]

I had never seen these before but today I went into a hardware store and found hobo spider traps! Never heard of such a thing before. Another trap there included brown recluse to bait in.

[TribalCat]

It sounds weird living in Los Angeles, but we have raccoons and possums right here in our neighborhood. The big male raccoon spends part of his nights on our roof, he knocked a few shingles off and made himself a nice dry den, and he is HUGE and not afraid of me at all. Just the other night I saw a possum eating the peanuts we leave outside for the squirrels and birds. I guess it doesn't help that my mom leaves a dish of table scraps and cat food outside at night for our neighborhood feral cats (most of which we've caught, gotten fixed, and adopted out).

[LMB]

Anyone here ever been bitten by a yellow sac spider? I was bitten on the hand this evening in our backyard. At first I thought I'd been stung by a wasp--hurt like the dickens--but then my husband saw the small light tan colored spider on the fence rail where I'd just placed my hand. Very aggressive spider when threatened--even accidentally. I found it online, and although it is poisonous, the bite is not as serious as recluse or hobo. Different reactions are possible, but I'm hoping for none! Just when I'd gotten used to the idea that there aren't any dangerous insects around here!

Be careful out there folks.

Lynn

[dogmom]

Lynn..how is your hand...I hope you are doing ok....i am terribly allergic to bees and red ants..mosquito bites really cause a problem....I pretty much stay clear of any bugs now....

My son and his girlfriend caught a HUGE wolf spider the first night they were in their new townhouse east of Sacramento...they live next to vernal pools which of course are dry in the summer...that was the ugliest nastiest looking sucker I had ever seen....actually they caught 2. Man, we went through the house spraying and left a couple bombs in there. When I talk to them next I need to ask them if they have had any more of those....

We are selling our house and getting ready to move to western WA, Montesano/Elma/Shelton area...my cousin loves to pick berries and can't wait until I can pick berries with her. Well, she mentioned BEES and that did it. No berry picking for me...I will just enjoy what she can gather, I guess..

Barb

[LMB]

Barb, thanks for asking. So far, not too bad. I'll see what the next couple of days bring. I still have the scar on my ankle from a brown recluse bite five years ago in Orlando--and it didn't start getting bad for a few days. I hope never to deal with another recluse bite. It was horrible! It kept getting progressively worse over the course of two weeks and I ended up in a hospital in BC, Canada (while on a business trip). The doctors there were not familiar with a brown recluse bite, and could only compare it to a hobo spider bite. I'm sure this one isn't going to be that bad.

This isn't as "buggy" an area as Florida, but it's certainly not bugfree. However, it's wonderful to be outside and not to have to deal with mosquitoes or fire ants! Wolf spiders are quite ferocious looking, but supposedly they aren't dangerous. I don't want to get that close to find out!

We've been picking berries in our yard (apples, peaches and figs too!) and yes, bees are present. They haven't been aggressive, but if you are "terribly allergic" obviously you should steer clear of fruit trees, vines and flowers.

Good luck with your upcoming move. We're still recovering from our move in July. It was tough, but oh so worth it!

Lynn

[orygun]

Sac spiders can be nasty too though I think they rank low in their poison. I have heard spider bites can be "dry" as well, thus not producing a bad reaction. I remember squishing sac spiders in our home in Oregon and they were notorious for going SPLAT!