Lizards and Centipedes? (Keaau: house, to live in, garden)

[dolph09]

Considering moving out to Hawaii, but I'm concerned about this problem.

I'm not scared but I don't want to go the islands to get away from it all, only to find myself being attacked by nasty pests all the time.

Any thoughts from those in the know?

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by dolph09

Considering moving out to Hawaii, but I'm concerned about this problem.

I'm not scared but I don't want to go the islands to get away from it all, only to find myself being attacked by nasty pests all the time.

Any thoughts from those in the know?

The lizards are outside, and about as aggressive as the GEICO gecko.

We've only had one or two centipedes get inside in twenty years.

Hank

[hotzcatz]

I dunno, we have lots of geckos inside the house but we encourage them since they eat mosquitoes and small cockroaches. The primary lizards of Hawaii are the house gecko, which is beloved by many and should never be hurt and the small black skinks which stay outside and are very shy. There are now Jackson's chameleons in Hawaii but they always stay outside and are very, very slow moving. They are really fun to look at since they sort of resemble some sort of small dinosaur. Hmm, come to think of it we now have two colors of house gecko. There is the brown one which we've always had and now a brighter green one. Personally, I prefer the brown ones, they blend in better. None of the lizards will attack your nor bite you. Hmm, well, if you pick up a Jackson's chameleon and he's really big and you stick your finger by his mouth and he's grumpy at you, perhaps he might bite, but I'm not sure if you would be overly damaged. But if you were bit by a Jackson's chameleon it would be your own fault anyway.

Now centipedes are an entirely different matter. Those can get up to eight inches long and pack a really nasty venomous bite or sting. It is something that hurts a lot and will stay sore for a week. It could be a serious bite if the victim were a very small child or small pet. Centipedes are hunters so they roam around looking for prey as opposed to the type of spider which make webs and stay put. I will see several centipedes a week but I'm out in the yard and garden a lot. I don't generally get bitten though, since after the first centipede bite you become very aware when messing about where centipedes might be lurking.

I notice you didn't mention cane spiders? They are huge (up to hand sized), fast and scary, but don't ever seem to bite people.

[Lemming95]

Thanks for giving me another spider to freak out about
I love geckos . I lived in the Philippines once and loved to see them run across the walls. I wish there was a cold climate gecko to take care of the spiders in my laundry room.

Centipedes sound nasty-and I would love to have a lot of plants around-what's the solution?

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

We have lots of plants around and I've only seen a couple of centipedes, and those were actually on the lanai. I always wear gloves when gardening so if the buggers are lurking under a rock where I can't see them, then at least I won't get bitten. We do have spiders that build very large intricate webs, and I've almost walked into them a couple of times.

You are not going to "get away from it all" in Hawaii. Since you've lived in the Philippines, you know that tropical climates come with their own set of creatures. Yes, you can definitely leave the hustle and bustle behind by moving to Hawaii, and the weather is just about perfect year-round. But if you want a place with no bugs and no lizards, then Hawaii isn't for you.

[KonaKat]

Originally Posted by Lemming95

Thanks for giving me another spider to freak out about
I love geckos . I lived in the Philippines once and loved to see them run across the walls. I wish there was a cold climate gecko to take care of the spiders in my laundry room.

Centipedes sound nasty-and I would love to have a lot of plants around-what's the solution?

Chickens.

[Jungjohann]

Boa constrictor.................

uuuurrrrpppp,,,, melekilikidakine..............

[OpenD]

I have a friend who has lived in Keaau for 25 years who said to me "If you can't deal with bugs and lizards, Hawai'i is not the place to be." She said that after we watched a cockroach the size of my thumb walk across the kitchen floor.

My first night ever in Hawai'i, I had dinner at The Kona Inn, and was amused to see three geckoes racing around on the wall over my table. (I think it may have been a mating contest) As has been mentioned, geckoes are harmless and eat pest bugs, so I like having them in the house. As I live in the rainforest, I also have a lot of small anole lizards that live in the underbrush. Iridescent red and green in color, with the males carrying a red throat sac they blow up, they range from an inch to maybe 8 inches in length and are totally harmless. They like to sun on the lanai, but are very timid. The neighbor's keiki call them "nippers" because they will nip if you catch them in your hand, but they can't even break the skin. I get a kick out of seeing maybe 20 of them come out to sun themselves on a cold morning. They play like monkeys, but disappear in a flash if startled.

Centipedes are nasty, and they like to live in the ginger roots that are a constant spreading nuisance in my area. So when I am ripping out wild ginger, I always wear heavy gloves and keep my pants tucked in my boots so they can't climb up my leg and bite. Keeping all vegetation cleared well away from the house and lanai helps a lot in keeping them out of the house.

Oh, yeah, and chickens. No kidding.

[tonesdef]

If you don't like bugs or cold blooded animals you should not move to any tropical area. Stay up north were the winter kills all of these pest. The tropics are filled with pest.

[PacificFlights]

Originally Posted by dolph09

I'm not scared but I don't want to go the islands to get away from it all, only to find myself being attacked by nasty pests all the time.

Any thoughts from those in the know?

Don't bother comming. many places you may never see a spider or centipede but they are there ad they may show up when you least expect it. The bigger thing I would worry about is the danger from getting hit by the Mini Coopers that fall from the skys. Hawaii roaches have been known to grab one off the street and when they realize its a mechnical thing and not a mate, they drop it. If your under it you may get hurt. Have we mentioned the cannibals?