Wyoming Bugs-and other creepy-crawlers??!! (Gillette, Buffalo: home, live, auction)

[Dinowy]

I've seen wolf spiders (usually big females) that if you include their legs they're about the size of the palm of my hand (and I've been told I have big hands - just short stubby fingers :P). That's up here around Sheridan.

[WyoNewk]

Originally Posted by REIRehabber

Ok. Is the consensus that there are some big freakin spiders in Wyoming? Cheyenne? Wolf spiders?Seem to be getting conflicting reports. Please help answer this question. Thank you

Nothing like what you see in, say Texas, where you see them crawling across the road as you drive down the interstate. And nothing like southern Oregon, where black widows infest everything. But neither is it like Alaska, where there are no spiders.

What's "big freakin"? I've seen plenty of them with leg spans of an inch in diameter but not many bigger than that.

[Happy in Wyoming]

Originally Posted by FiveHorses

I also understand the fleas and ticks are less of a problem above about 3000 ft. I can't remember where I heard or read that, so don't hold me to it - but if it is the case, it's a boon for pet owners.

There's not much flea activity in either Uinta or Park Counties, the two where I've lived. But there are plenty of ticks. I've actually encountered ticks when there was snow on the ground and after a hard freeze. I've had my dog pick up ticks in Colorado at an elevation above 9000. It's no boon, because we need to use Frontline for ticks.

Originally Posted by Froggie Legs

We have wood ticks in droves right now.. usually through June and mosquitoes in abundance due to the very wet climate in Minnesota. I actually didn't remember that many mosquitoes when I lived in Lander..not like here.

Thanks for the info and words of wisdom. I'm not a big fan of insects or arachnids in general. The wolf spiders here look like mini-tarantulas, but I think my cat would love miller hunting

Incidentally, if hiking in the mountains do locals carry a gun to shoot snakes with, just in case? Should a hiker carry a snake-bite kit?

I've never seen any big millers here. When I lived in Colorado, though, we had really big ones. I had a cat who liked to catch them. He ate a couple, and both times he promptly threw up.

Most locals carry guns everywhere. But the only reason anyone would have to kill a snake is for the sheer joy of watching an animal die. You can walk around a snake.

The last few days the mosquitoes have been terrible. But I only live about 200 yards from a river.

Originally Posted by Froggie Legs

I'm just wondering how bad are the miller moths in Wyoming? I know the year I lived there they seemed to be out in droves, but is this a yearly nuisance or is it worse some years than others? Are they the kind of moths that eat clothing/wool, or are they just a pesky flutterer?

There really don't seem to be many moths where I've lived in Wyoming.

[Elizabeth60]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Hobo Spiders. I moved to Lander last December, and my neighbors informed me about them just last night. I'm not scared of most critters, but these guys give me the shivers. They're dangerous.

[GilletteMommy]

I have only seen one wolf spider. I was on the floor in my garage and I thought it was one of the kids toy plastic spiders and went to pick it up. It moved and I high tailed it outta there! LOL

The mosquitos can be a bother, just wear bug spray. Horseflies seem to be the biggest pain in the neck for our household. They are big, and they bite! Keep the screens on your windows and you should be OK. I put out fly traps outside to try and help some.

We don't seem to ever find fleas on our dogs or cats. Not a one in the 6+ years I have lived in Wyoming.

I have never seen a cockroach here or any "****"ants which we used to get in CA. The only ants I have seen indoors are the occassional red ant (small) and it is usually just a lone ant that somehow found its way inside. Never a trail of them.

[BettyWY]

Yikes! What a thing to be talking about as I sit here alone in the dark!
We live in the area north of Cheyenne known on the map as "Ranchettes." We have millers that hang around the lights & try to get in, not a big problem, though. I grew up with them, and they don't bother me at all. The ants (big and black) were really bad; we had a mountainous ant hill out front! Bug killer took care of that. But I'll tell ya, there was this really creepy "thing" -I don't know if it was a spider or what. It was yellow and had legs like a spider. Yuck! I had lived in the Midwest and Alaska before moving here and had never ever seen a bug like that one! I have found that the mosquitos aren't too bad, unless you're in the tall grass.
This year has been kind of humid, so I think overall there has been more "bug activity."
I hope I never see a wolf spider -or a snake!

[Dinowy]

Originally Posted by GilletteMommy

We don't seem to ever find fleas on our dogs or cats. Not a one in the 6+ years I have lived in Wyoming.

Lived out in the country (not just a little ways either, a ranch where it was a 3 mile drive to our closest neighbor of any sort and mailbox) for 22 years before finally having to move into town here in just the last few months. Many animals over the years, too many cats to list and several dogs. Never a single flea in all their years either. I know they're here, the rabbits are always absolutely crawling with them, but never a single one on the pets. The biggest problem was always ticks, lots and lots of ticks if you're anywhere the grass is tall.

[MRVphotog]

In some summers some people had earwig problems in northwest Wyoming...they are a royal PITA.

[Cloudfish]

I was going to create a separate thread, but decided I'd just post here. The thread was going to ask for an identification of a "bug" -- but I researched before posting.

Over the years I've seen a particularly "creepy" bug during the summer in our hangar. It was rare to see them (except for this year, where I've seen them quite frequently.) After taking some closeup pictures and doing some research I found out that they are camel spiders/wind scorpions of the order Solifugae in the Arachnid class.

So there's another creepy crawler to add to the list. I doubt I'll have any takers, but if anyone's interested I can post photos....

[ElkHunter]

I'm not sure about the rest of the state, but this year, where I live, we have an over abundance of Grasshoppers.

Rode my 4 wheeler into town the other day (18 miles) and had to slow down cause I was getting pelted by the little buggers.