Seeking Mosquito+pest advice from Kamaʻāina (Kihei, Lahaina: for sale, rent)

[AlohaAndy]

Aloha happy people from Hawaii

I had a question that I was curious about concerning Mosquitos and other pests in Hawaii

I am not a Hawaii resident yet but in my heart it is my favorite place. I have visited many times and although I normally would be BAIT for Mosquitos, I never had a problem in Hawaii, anywhere. Not Maui, not Oahu, not the Big Island....but sometimes I see criticisms written that Mosquitos are in force and a scourge and it leaves me worried because I HATE Mosquitos.

My question is about where local residents would identify there is a Mosquito presence, or otherwise areas to AVOID with respect to property purchase / future permanent long term residence. Where would you NOT buy a home if you were very concerned about Mosquito presence or other undesirables such as Cane Spiders and Centipedes? Would you only find these in Mauka regions or otherwise heavily forested areas? I feel like the tradewinds are a boon to stopping Mosquitos, no?

I have never seen a cane spider in HI, but have seen them live in Australia.
I have never seen a centipede except for in the stairwell once at Diamond Head.

Are any of these pests likely to be encountered in West Maui, Kihei or the east side of Oahu? What about near Kona on the Big Island?

Thank you very much for your advice!

Aloha

[prospectheightsresident]

If you can buy on a higher floor in a high rise, you won't have any issue with mosquitoes. That's all I got.

[whtviper1]

Mosquitos breed in standing water - therefore the windward side will be more prone to mosquitos on each island.

Although I probably have, I don't recall ever being bit by a mosquito on Oahu, including several years on the Windward side.

Did encounter several centipedes on East Oahu - they also like damp areas.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by prospectheightsresident

If you can buy on a higher floor in a high rise, you won't have any issue with mosquitoes. That's all I got.

Centipedes and roaches don't mind high floors at all - to mitigate, the property should have good pest control measures - and hopefully clean neighbors

[Futuremauian]

Areas that are shady with pockets of standing water will have them. In West Maui, around the trees at the Civic Center; public parks; along the drainage ditches, etc.. They are present but if you avoid these areas in the early morning and at dusk you will probably have few encounters. The resorts have ongoing pest management so they are generally not an issue there.

The Rain Forest has mosquitos in abundance. Most of the popular stops and hikes along the road to Hana have them and they are active all day. I would expect few in Kihei since it is warmer and drier.

Centipedes can be just about anywhere but they are rare. Feral chickens eat them keeping their numbers down. I've lived in Maui for more than 6 years and have seen 5 or 6 in that time.

Cane spiders are also rare. They aren't aggressive and they eat roaches so I tend to ignore them.

YMMV

Added: I just toured a house for sale that is adjacent to a stream, AKA drainage ditch. The owner admitted that mosquitos keep them off of their patio in the evening.

[AlohaAndy]

Wow, thanks for the replies! I have stayed in West Maui between Lahaina and Kapalua multiple times and never had an issue with mosquitos. I wonder if the resort and their caretaking action was there reason? Strangely I don't remember mosquitos on Kauai either, even while hiking the canyons there.

I currently live in Austin and it's quite the shock from where I was coming from, San Jose CA. San Jose has absolutely NO issues with mosquitos and the weather is extremely amazing and consistent. Austin is ... it kinda sucks actually. It's NEVER "just right" here and as you pointed out, in the shade or when the sun is going down is when the mosquitos mobilize IN FORCE. Using the patio is basically impossible unless you cover in spray or have a treatment system installed.

I could NEVER live that way in Hawaii, hence the question. So far it seems like Kihei is the biggest win for weather and bugs. Are they of concern Upcountry Maui / up the Mountain?

Thanks again for your expertise all!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

We live on 2/3 of an acre of heavily vegetated land in rural Ka’u On the Big Island. We have mosquitoes galore, plus centipedes, cane spiders, crab spiders, bees, wasps, and other assorted things that bite or sting. Usually, unless something gets into the house, we don’t spray for pests. I do spray myself when I go out to work in the yard, as I am a mosquito magnet.

When I go to Kona or the resort areas, I don’t have a problem with bugs.

[hotzcatz]

If you find a spot that you really like but has mosquitoes, there's ways to mitigate them. A hedge of citronella plant does wonders for keeping them away and it makes a nice low hedge. Some friends of mine near Southpoint have a 'water feature' which is a half keg of water near their front door with a little fountain and mosquito fish in it. The mosquitoes are drawn to the water, they lay their eggs in it and the fish eat the eggs. No more mosquitoes.


Having access to tradewinds also cuts down on the presence of mosquitoes.


In any case, rent in the area you're interested in living for six months to a year and then you'll be able to find a much nicer house when you're living nearby than trying to do it long distance.

[rya96797]

Try calling kamaaina termite and pest control. They'll take care of your house, business, or night club!

[rya96797]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Mosquitos breed in standing water - therefore the windward side will be more prone to mosquitos on each island.

Although I probably have, I don't recall ever being bit by a mosquito on Oahu, including several years on the Windward side.

Did encounter several centipedes on East Oahu - they also like damp areas.

It's WEIRD how mosquitoes seem to mostly be non-existent on oahu nowadays.