Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-06-2007, 10:44 AM
 
3,481 posts, read 9,376,478 times
Reputation: 2732

Advertisements

My major pest annoyances with living in central FL were fire ants and palmetto bugs. Fire ants probably won't bother you unless you walk outdoors barefoot. I learned the hard way that it feels like someone stubbing out a lit cigarette on your foot.

Palmetto bugs won't hurt you, but to be perfectly honest they are large flying roaches. That alone skeeved me out.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-06-2007, 10:47 AM
 
Location: Vero Beach, Fl
2,976 posts, read 13,336,596 times
Reputation: 2265
I live in Broward County who does an excellent job with mosquito control. And I have an exterminator who comes every two months. We seldom have a problem.

Of course, the first time a newcomer sees a Palmetto bug ... well you almost have to call 911 :-) But its really not that bad here.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-06-2007, 12:22 PM
 
Location: Finally made it to Florida and lovin' every minute!
22,677 posts, read 19,191,959 times
Reputation: 17596
I know what you mean. Our tenants called, all upset because they'd found 3 dead palmetto bugs in the house within a week. We had to call in a terminator guy to appease them. :-}
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-06-2007, 07:29 PM
 
Location: West Central Florida
278 posts, read 800,560 times
Reputation: 136
Thanks, rperreta, I've heard about those mosquito traps. I may just have to go get one when rainy season starts!!!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-06-2007, 07:37 PM
 
3 posts, read 20,566 times
Reputation: 10
Hi all
I just moved here from Colorado- and my dogs are itching to death. My poor Collie has bald spots from scratching so much! Any suggestions?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-06-2007, 08:10 PM
 
Location: Living in Paradise
5,701 posts, read 24,092,754 times
Reputation: 3064
The ones that really are a pain are the love bugs.

http://cricket.biol.sc.edu/love2.jpg (broken link)

These lovable little dipterans (they aren't actually "bugs" despite their common name) spend 5-7 months of their lives as larvae in the leaf litter. The adults emerge synchronously twice a year (April-May and September - October) and can form large swarms that cloud the air. Many people don't realize that these flies are actually invaders from Central America and have been working their way northward along the coast. They have been spotted as far north as Wilmington, NC.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-06-2007, 08:11 PM
 
Location: SE Florida
9,367 posts, read 25,131,120 times
Reputation: 9449
Quote:
Originally Posted by charmed1 View Post
Hi all
I just moved here from Colorado- and my dogs are itching to death. My poor Collie has bald spots from scratching so much! Any suggestions?
I'm assuming it's fleas? If so, Advantag or Frontline. I've lived here all my life and someplaces that I lived in had very bad flea probs, some didn't. I use Frontline on my dog for a couple months in a row and then stop for a while, but many use it every month.

Heartworm is bad in Florida, not sure how it was in Colorado, but there is a monthly chew for that, as well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-06-2007, 08:13 PM
 
Location: SE Florida
9,367 posts, read 25,131,120 times
Reputation: 9449
Quote:
Originally Posted by sunrico90 View Post
The ones that really are a pain are the love bugs.

http://cricket.biol.sc.edu/love2.jpg (broken link)

These lovable little dipterans (they aren't actually "bugs" despite their common name) spend 5-7 months of their lives as larvae in the leaf litter. The adults emerge synchronously twice a year (April-May and September - October) and can form large swarms that cloud the air. Many people don't realize that these flies are actually invaders from Central America and have been working their way northward along the coast. They have been spotted as far north as Wilmington, NC.
Invaders from Central America...and you can see that they are breeding so that they can stay in this country..... take it to the immigration forum, please!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-06-2007, 08:18 PM
 
Location: Spots Wyoming
18,700 posts, read 41,886,322 times
Reputation: 2147483647
Quote:
Originally Posted by charmed1 View Post
Hi all
I just moved here from Colorado- and my dogs are itching to death. My poor Collie has bald spots from scratching so much! Any suggestions?
A while back I moved from Wyoming to Tampa and brought my dog along. Had the same problem. Tried everything they had in the pet store. Nothing helped. Finally when I took her into the vet for shots, I asked him. The vets down there have a really good stuff and I can't remember the name of it. Worked like a champ. Little tubes that you apply a drop by the tail, and then a drop about every 4 or 5 inches going right up the spine. Excellent, within a month her hair had filled in nicely.

Sand Fleas is the problem. Most times, you can't even see them. But that stuff works.

Just stop at a vets office and ask what they recommend. They'll fix you up and they won't charge you for a visit unless you bring the dogs. haha
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-06-2007, 09:09 PM
 
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
381 posts, read 1,680,149 times
Reputation: 220
As far as roaches go, I guess it depends on 1) where you're at in Florida, 2) the weather, 3) what kind of plants are near your house (whether they're yours or your neighbor's), and 4) the use of insecticides.

My mother says that when she first moved into our house, the wall in the carport was completely covered with roaches. We haven't experienced that since, however, because of the more frequent use of products such as Raid. Also, there was a pretty good freeze a couple of years later which wiped a lot of them out.

However, there are many plants and trees which are a haven for these roaches to nest in. Our neighbor planted particular palm tree (the name escapes me) several years ago, and because we had the same one for many years, we happened to know that it was a favorite home for roaches.

Now, these roaches are not small, mind you. They are usually between 1 and 3 inches long, and many of them fly. But, if you keep your home (especially the kitchen) very clean, inspect your house for possible points of entry, place Combat roach baits in the areas you see them most often, and disrupt and places they might be nesting outside, I think you will be able to handle it. We have found that for the stray roach you may see crawling in your kitchen a mixture of Dawn dish detergent and water (2+ tablespoons per 16 ounces) in a spray bottle will kill them quite effectively.

PS: Regarding fleas, Advantage works the best. We started using it on our 3 cats several years ago, and after awhile we didn't even have to use it anymore. We are now flea free .
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top