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Old 10-14-2008, 01:36 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,237 posts, read 35,424,886 times
Reputation: 8572

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The skeeters are very location dependent. I see one or two a week in my backyard during the 'bad' season, but I have a friend who has hordes of them (hundreds a night) during the same time and lives 4 or 5 miles away. They are right next to a portion of the greenbelt, whereas we are on a rocky hill. But they CAN be horrendous and they CAN be almost nonexistent. Hard to tell when you buy a house in the winter, though...maybe should be on a disclosure form .
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Old 10-14-2008, 08:09 PM
 
109 posts, read 291,219 times
Reputation: 179
I am continually amazed when people say things like "I've only seen one scorpion and I've lived here 20 years" or that they've only seen a couple mosquitos. We have had at least 15 scorpions this summer and it's that way every summer. Our house is 5 years old and in a subdivision. We have a nice big backyard but are eaten alive when we go out so we barely ever get to enjoy the outdoors because of the horrible bugs! Add me to the hater crowd. I am counting the days until I can move back home (CO.) Of course it was never my choice to move here anyway. My parents dragged me down here when I was in high school.
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Old 10-14-2008, 08:17 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,182,148 times
Reputation: 24736
Maybe it's that I've never lived in a new subdivision (newest house I've lived in in Austin was built in 1959), so I haven't lived anywhere that was (newly) invading their territory. I understand the problem is worse in relatively new construction, for that reason.
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Old 10-14-2008, 08:40 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX!!!!
3,757 posts, read 9,024,574 times
Reputation: 1762
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady View Post
Maybe it's that I've never lived in a new subdivision (newest house I've lived in in Austin was built in 1959), so I haven't lived anywhere that was (newly) invading their territory. I understand the problem is worse in relatively new construction, for that reason.
Oh yah, when we moved into our new house in Circle C back in 1999, we found forty scorpions between the months of April and October. It was enough to drive us out. If we ever get back to Austin, we will not move into a house that is newer than 10 years old.
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Old 10-15-2008, 03:56 PM
 
7,987 posts, read 10,326,019 times
Reputation: 14999
I can't believe that there are actually some of you that think Houston is cleaner. Do you realize that Houston was recently rated the 4th most polluted city in the US? I'm not even a huge fan of Austin, but c'mon, people.
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Old 10-15-2008, 07:03 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
39 posts, read 268,092 times
Reputation: 25
Default the Fire Ants!!

I find it interesting that no one has mentioned the fire ants. I thought I had researched every possible pro and con before moving here, but never came across the evil ants. The first week we were here we were invaded by the lovely little creatures. I was stung by one on the hand and it hurt...very, very badly. Now we have a nice steady flow of them coming in to the house daily and it is very frustrating. We took out one hill, but now they are coming from somewhere else. I wouldn't say it is an Austin deal breaker, but it is definitely an unforeseen problem.
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Old 10-15-2008, 07:24 PM
 
Location: Austin, Texas
729 posts, read 2,058,722 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grailmaiden View Post
I find it interesting that no one has mentioned the fire ants. I thought I had researched every possible pro and con before moving here, but never came across the evil ants. The first week we were here we were invaded by the lovely little creatures. I was stung by one on the hand and it hurt...very, very badly. Now we have a nice steady flow of them coming in to the house daily and it is very frustrating. We took out one hill, but now they are coming from somewhere else. I wouldn't say it is an Austin deal breaker, but it is definitely an unforeseen problem.

I pay $100.00 a year to keep them off my yard (front and back). I have three kids that love to be outside. Now I dont have to worry about those little buggers too much. It is money well spent!!!

Last edited by Smooth from ELP; 10-15-2008 at 07:36 PM..
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Old 10-15-2008, 07:30 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,182,148 times
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The fire ants are coming into your house? Wow, I've never had that problem. Had them in the yard, in the pasture, etc., but not in the house.

If you don't want to use poison, boiling water in the mound is a good way to get rid of them - at least make them move on. But don't just pour the boiling water on the mound, it won't get all the way down. Take a hollow metal pole about an inch in diameter, flatten one side slightly (make sure it's not sealed on that end), pound it flat side down into the mound, run away and wait until all the ants have settled down (this WILL cause an uproar, but it's temporary). Then put a funnel in the top of the pole and pour boiling water down through it. This will get down to where the queen is.

This is useful if you only have a couple of mounds. Don't know what you'd do inside the house; as I said, that's a new one for me.
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Old 10-16-2008, 04:20 PM
 
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
5,429 posts, read 14,780,327 times
Reputation: 3672
Quote:
Originally Posted by mm57553 View Post
I can't believe that there are actually some of you that think Houston is cleaner. Do you realize that Houston was recently rated the 4th most polluted city in the US? I'm not even a huge fan of Austin, but c'mon, people.
In my experience, as far as mowing, graffitti, and generally being tidy and well-kept, Houston is cleaner. And most of the pollution problems are on the industrial east side, where you won't find the most desirable real estate either.
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Old 10-16-2008, 04:23 PM
 
Location: The land of sugar... previously Houston and Austin
5,429 posts, read 14,780,327 times
Reputation: 3672
Quote:
Originally Posted by short&portly View Post
6. 'Tude & The Clicks: Oh, the tude. *sigh* The attitude from most Austinites (whether or not they're true locals, I've no idea) are "I'm cooler than thou will ever be." That gets so old! I've come across so many pretentious, pompous, higher-than-thou people that it's disheartening. Most have the, "O, you don't shop at thrift stores; wear skinny jeans, screen-printed tees, chucks; see various rock bands every night; drink your liver to cirrhosis, or smoke your lungs to emphysema, then you must NOT be cool like moi." *Pssht* Puh-leeze.

It's very cliquish....to the extent that I feel like most of them still think they're in a very large high school. You cannot hang out with us unless you are abc, or wear xyz, or do 123.

8. Peter Pan Syndrome: (see #6) Most Austinites don't want to grow up. (I don't either folks, but aging is inevitable). If I hear one more person in their 30s/40s/50s say "dude" and speak like they are a teen, I will scream. I've come across so many people that act cool (i.e., cool "speak," cool clothes, cool hair, cool scenery)....after a while, it must be so embarrassing to be surrounded by kids young enough to be your daughter/son.
At least I'm not the only one who noticed that... and I'm from a big city! So you can imagine...
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