Should I worry about bugs and snakes? (Ross: dorms, scorpions)

[luksky]

Don't let 'em fool ya. I have been stung twice this week by scorpions creeping into my bed while I slept. The fire ants here hurt worse just in case that makes you feel any better. :-)

[texastrigirl]

Worry? No! Be aware of the possibility you might have a sighting? Yes! Never plop your feet in your shoes without shaking them out first. I saw snakes more than scorpions or tarantulas. Non-poisonous mostly. Though I did see both scorpions and tarantulas...never in my house if that makes you feel better!

[capcat]

Depending on where you live, I still think you'll find it tame here. I'd have to be phobic to worry about something like that, unless I lived in an area where I'd have reason to suspect it.

[doctorjef]

In a total of 22 years living in Austin at different times, I only ever encountered one or two scorpions out in an area that at that time was a new housing development, maybe one grass snake ever (despite spending a lot of time outdoors). Big waterbug type roaches are potentially a bigger problem, but can be greatly mitigated by keeping your kitchen tidy and a possible one-time extermination if you have the real, smaller classic cockroaches. Every few years there are big outbreaks of crickets that in parts of the suburbs especially seem to litter certain areas of shopping centers, getting crushed underfoot -- very gross! Also once every several years there is a big infestation of little worm-like caterpillars that infest trees in the springtime, covering their trunks and potentially climbing up and devouring folliage -- they absolutely require spraying, but this is only a very occasional event, thank God. I agree about the ubiquity of wildlife in Austin -- even in highly urbanised areas you will encounter possums, racoons (a bit scary, I think), armadillos, and in certain neighborhoods deer. Mosquitos are probably the biggest problem, realistically. Oh, and fire ants, which can make a mess of your lawn and require one form of treatment or another if they start building mounds in your lawn. I really don't think creepy crawlies are much of a problem in Austin. From reading the NC forum it seems they have it much worse in that part of the country.

[hoffdano]

After ten+ years in our house - I still find 5-10 scorpions a year in our house. We have had two in the last three months. I have no idea where they come from and how they get in the house.

My best story (true) is a scorpion was in a short sleeve shirt in the armpit area. I put the shirt on and felt several sharp pains - at first I thought it was a wood splinter. But then the fire....I ripped the shirt off and threw it on the floor and a scorpion crawled out. So I ended up with five stings in my armpit.

The scorpion did not live a happy lfe.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

After ten+ years in our house - I still find 5-10 scorpions a year in our house. We have had two in the last three months. I have no idea where they come from and how they get in the house.

My best story (true) is a scorpion was in a short sleeve shirt in the armpit area. I put the shirt on and felt several sharp pains - at first I thought it was a wood splinter. But then the fire....I ripped the shirt off and threw it on the floor and a scorpion crawled out. So I ended up with five stings in my armpit.

The scorpion did not live a happy lfe.

Was the shirt hanging up when the scorpion crawled in? Does this mean I have to start shaking out my hanging clothes as well Oh I hate scorpions....

[CarnivalGal]

I am in Steiner Ranch. Not a new house or new part of the development (15 years-old). On a greenbelt. We see scorpions in the house about 2-3 times a month. I was bitten in my sleep by one about a month ago. There is currently one trapped in one of our light fixtures, but it's still alive, so I'm waiting for it to perish before removing him. We saw a really big rat snake in our front yard on Saturday. They are harmless, but we see them all the time - once in the garage, but every other time in the yard. We have seen 2 coral snakes in our neighbor's front yard - they are poisonous. We have never seen a rattlesnake but know 2 people (one being another neighbor) who's dogs have been bitten - both while they were in their backyard. We see a tarantula every year or so, mercifully, they have all been outside. We also get the occaissional huge, nasty tree roach in the house - of all the creepy things around here, these freak me out the most. I have never seen a centipede, and I hope I never do.

So, yes, we do have bugs and snakes. And, yes, you may very well see them. However, I will say that a lot depends on where you live. I lived in NW Hills before moving here and never saw any bugs or snakes there, although we did have coyotes walking through our yard, but that's another post. Likewise, I have a friend who lives in Dripping Springs and sees way more creepy things than I do.

[doctorjef]

The poster in Spicewood who finds 10 to 12 scorpions in her house per year may be reflecting the situation in less built-up areas (Spicewood is outside of Austin), where creatures of all types tend to be significantly more numerous. It may also reflect the reality that the Austin area has lots of micro-environments that are somewhat differently populated by different insects, reptiles and mammals. There's just no predicting in advance what you're going to have, especially if you're unfamiliar with Austin. IME cockroaches are most prevalent in Central Austin (maybe East Austin too, but I don't have personal experience of living in that area). As I mentioned earlier, I only ever sighted a scorpion or two when first living in a new section of Shady Hollow back in the mid-'80s -- the area had been mixed scrub before being developed -- basically typical Central TX ranchland. Possums may be encountered almost anywhere; deer primarily in West Austin, espcially around the Westlake and Bee Cave Rd area. Racoons seem to populate South Central Austin -- I had them both in the area off Manchaca Rd between Ben White and S. Lamar, and in Barton Hills. I only encountered urban armadillos when living at the Manchaca Rd location. So it's really very diverse but also location-specific to some degree.

[TexasGirl@Heart]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

Every few years there are big outbreaks of crickets that in parts of the suburbs especially seem to litter certain areas of shopping centers, getting crushed underfoot -- very gross!

I was down visiting when that occurred. I remember shopping at San Marco's outlets and having to step on them to get inside the stores---VERY GROSS, INDEED!!

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

Was the shirt hanging up when the scorpion crawled in? Does this mean I have to start shaking out my hanging clothes as well Oh I hate scorpions....

Yes! The shirt was hanging in my closet.

For the previous post about Spicewood - I live near Lake Travis on two acres. So yes - my experiences are probably not typical of someone living in a more urban-like Austin setting.

When I lived in Lakeway we still saw scorpions regularly - although they became less frequent over time.