Bug Situation in Denver (house, neighborhood, scorpion)

[2008user]

Hey Denverites,
I am a Californian who has had a dream of moving to the Denver area for years. It has been one of my favorites for years because of the location, seasonal weather, and mountain scenery. I am huge fan of playing in the snow, but not driving it.

So I am wondering, what are the bugs like in the Denver area, specifically in the summer? I took at a look of all the places I've wanted to visit and live (Arizona, Idaho, and Dallas, Texas) and these places are full of bugs. How is the bug situation in general in the Denver area for a Californian?

I am talking as a perspective of someone from SoCal, like OC and San Diego, and in these areas, there not many bugs, just the usual ones in very small populations. What are the bugs in Denver like? Do things like fire ants exist, cockroaches (esp. Palmetto Bugs), ear wigs, spiders, snakes, mosquitos exist? I'm talking about the city, not in the parts in mountains, plains. What are they like?

Any answers would be appreciated.
Thank you

[davebarnes]

Bugs are illegal in The Socialist Paradise of the City & County of Denver.
Snakes are not bugs. Snakes are our friends as they keep the rat population in check.

[Chloe333]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Bugs are illegal in The Socialist Paradise of the City & County of Denver.

Well the house centipede is alive and well in your city and your suburbs. These are hairy amoeba- like, large bacteria looking bugs. I had them mainly showing up in my bathroom areas and basement!

https://blog.oup.com/2011/09/centipede/

[TCHP]

Something I don't think a lot of Californians know is that their state government has insect eradication programs that they have been perfecting since WW2 that encompass 90% of the most densely populated areas of the state along with great amounts of agricultural areas. It creates this perception that CA is relatively bug free. Urban CO will have a pretty wide variety of insect life, but the seasonal temp variations and freeze cycles tend to keep them all relatively small.

[bluescreen73]

We don't have fire ants, but we do have everything else. The bug situation isn't too bad. Lots of spiders, wasps, and ants, but only one venomous spider (black widow). Overall dryness and cold winters keep the variety of bugs down.

[Ruby Hill]

It's so dry here we get a lot fewer bugs than more humid places. Also the cold winters keep away some of the bugs. No fire ants. If you have pets, fleas aren't much of an issue. If your pet does happen to pick them up they can be easily gotten rid of (the fleas not the pet). We do have some mosquitos but not nearly in the quantity you'd find in humid areas. Personally I've never seen a cockroach or palmetto bug. Colorado is not within the brown recluse range. They might occassionally get transported here by accident in someone's luggage or a box of merchandise but they don't thrive here. The only spider we have that's venomous enough to cause serious harm is the black widow. But they try their best to avoid humans & will only bite if they feel threatened, & even then don't always inject venom. The spider I see most often is the wolf spider. I've caught many with my hands to relocate them outside & have never been bitten. I've never once seen a scorpion & I've lived here several decades. As far as snakes, I believe the only highly venomous ones we have are rattlers. I've never seen one. We do have garter snakes but they're cute & completely harmless to humans. So to sum up, this is a great place to live if you're not a big fan of bugs, not to mention we have gorgeous scenery & a strong economy, so I think you should move here

[Gorges]

We've lived in the southeast Denver suburbs for 5 years and the only crawling insects I've seen in our detached house are spiders, and that's mainly when the temps get very hot. Not even interesting spiders, just the same basic black 1" diameter. Never had ants. We get flies and miller moths if the door is left open. No mosquitoes in my area. No rodents ever in the house or garage, but we don't live near open areas. Some people in our neighborhood have had snakes in their garage, but I've never seen one anywhere since we've been here.

[iSudo]

In all of my time I've lived on the Front Range, I've seen one black widow, one alleged hobo spider, and some non-poisonous snakes as far as the "scary" ones are concerned. Bull snakes and garter snakes are common where I live off a greenbelt. My spouse inadvertently hopped over a rattle snake on a hike in Roxborough State Park last summer. I hear they're common in communities closer to the foothills. In the south and southwest, I've heard that there may be tarantulas and scorpions. The rest of the insects are probably similar to what you'd find in much of the rest of the US. Not many mosquitoes, unless you're near a body of water.

[Chloe333]

Originally Posted by Gorges

Not even interesting spiders, just the same basic black 1" diameter. .

In addition to the house centipede, I had these too. I know exactly what you are talking about. They would always be found dead and shriveled up in the seam between the carpet and the wall in the basement, and I would have to vacuum them up every few months.

I really only dealt with these generic black spiders and the house centipede when I lived in the area. I might have seen a black widow or two in the garage from time to time. I encountered two snakes-long, thick, tan/brown, scary- during my time there as well on local walking trails.

That's about it.

[xz2y]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Bugs are illegal in The Socialist Paradise of the City & County of Denver.
Snakes are not bugs. Snakes are our friends as they keep the rat population in check.

Rats?????????