Question about bugs in people's homes (Phoenix, Tucson: 2015, houses, crawl space)

[Jasonsilva]

Me and my girlfriend are very interested in relocating from Sacramento, CA to Arizona. The one thing holding us back from moving are the bugs that are particularly scary for us being in our home such as black widows, tarantulas, scorpions, rattlesnakes, bed bugs; things like that...

How often do you guys see these types of bugs inside your homes?
We know we'll see them around Arizona outside but we're more worried about how often we would end up seeing them in our home.

[thedirtman]

We moved from Modesto to Flagstaff in 1993. What I remember most is not missing the fleas and mosquitoes, so overall I see insects as less of a nuisance here.

The pests you encounter will vary depending on whether you move to the desert, the scrub, or the forest. Phoenix and Yuma are desert, of course, so you might see scorpions, but some living in the desert report never having seen one. Black widow spiders I recall being numerous in crawl spaces beneath homes. Not so much elsewhere. Tarantulas are mostly just fun, but don't bother them. If you see them in the home sweep them outside.

In Prescott and Flagstaff the pests are raccoons and coyotes. Pets have to be kept inside at night. Pets can go missing overnight, or might create substantial vet bills. Deer might like whatever garden you grow, but you won't see them unless you go out at night.

Snakes are a problem for ranchers and hikers. Walk slowly away.

I wouldn't let insects affect your decision, but personally I prefer the set in Arizona.

[rocvc2015]

Moved here 20 years ago from the East. We have a monthly exterminator who sprays outside and in with a pet safe spray. My wife has been impressed by the number of small insects we still see depending on the season. We had scorpions in the house before the exterminator. Had a tarantula recently in the family room but they do not bite.
Have had multiple rattlesnakes in the back yard and on the patio, usually in the late summer/fall during migration season. Longest one was about 4 feet. Have to be careful with the dogs. Have not found snake training helps. Luckily the Fire Dept will come and take the snakes away.
Outside we see and hear Coyotes frequently. They have not been aggressive. Javelinas tear up the yard during the summer and fall. We have a neighborhood bobcat who is seen 4-5x/year. The owls and hawks can be a problem if you have a small dog.
Overall the wildlife is more interesting than dangerous though you have to be careful and use common sense. We live in Carefree.

[hikernut]

The only one from your list we’ve had inside are scorpions. The people we bought the house from didn’t seem to care about them. I could find one in the house practically any day if I looked. Now we get 1-2 inside each year. I spray outside and hunt them with a black light at night, about once a week during the warm months.

I’ve seen a couple of black widows outside, but not in our house.

We live in Gilbert.

[In2itive_1]

Originally Posted by rocvc2015

Moved here 20 years ago from the East. We have a monthly exterminator who sprays outside and in with a pet safe spray. My wife has been impressed by the number of small insects we still see depending on the season. We had scorpions in the house before the exterminator. Had a tarantula recently in the family room but they do not bite.
Have had multiple rattlesnakes in the back yard and on the patio, usually in the late summer/fall during migration season. Longest one was about 4 feet. Have to be careful with the dogs. Have not found snake training helps. Luckily the Fire Dept will come and take the snakes away.
Outside we see and hear Coyotes frequently. They have not been aggressive. Javelinas tear up the yard during the summer and fall. We have a neighborhood bobcat who is seen 4-5x/year. The owls and hawks can be a problem if you have a small dog.
Overall the wildlife is more interesting than dangerous though you have to be careful and use common sense. We live in Carefree.

And yet, it doesn't sound too carefree...

[JGMotorsport64]

I’m in Tempe

We have stray cats, outdoor roaches, and urban campers primarily over here

[grmi66]

Just depends, used to live near downtown Phoenix and never saw anything other than the occasional cockroach.

Now I live in suburban Tucson and inside my house I get about 2-3 scorpions a year and can go out in the yard with a black light and catch 5-6 at a time. My next door neighbor goes out with his black light and catches two dozen. It's hit or miss with scorpions, but it isn't a big enough issue that I worry about it.

Personally do a ton of off trail, back country hiking and bushwhacking all over snake thick southern Arizona and in the wild snakes are no bother. They rattle, you back up and they slither away. My closest call with a snake was while doing some landscaping and I hit one with my lopers while trimming bushes next to my front door. He was ticked off about it and took a lunge at me. According to an ER doctor I chatted with later, most snake bites are at people's houses, on the hand because they stuck their hand under a bush while gardening or landscaping. Again, snakes are there but I might see them 1-2 times a year at the house and without issue.

Biggest issue at my house are javelina. Have a large pack that lives in my subdivision and they love to tip over garbage cans.

[wit-nit]

Been here 60 years, seen 1 scorpion 50 years ago, no bug problems. But we do see coyotes, rabbits, lizards, birds and an occasional jack-a-lope screaming down the street.

[YAZ]

Heh. The typical rattlesnake victim is male, under 30, and drunk.
We live in Phoenix and get a couple of widows every year, some big momma roaches during the monsoon, and once in a while some aggressive honey bees.

Porch pirates and the occasional zombie are our biggest concerns.

[waltcolorado]

Western Az desert by the Colorado river. Two scorpions in the house in 13 years.

The main and really important thing to worry about here are Termites. Im estimating at least half the homeowner friends I have had to get their house treated at some point.