Frogs, lizards, roaches (Houston: live, eat, spiders)

[ChocolateBabz]

First get a good quarterly pest control service. I use Hometeam and they treat anything that crops up between visits for free. I've only needed them once between visits in 8 years for ants. I had a couple of cockroaches come in from the attic and they went up and did whatever they did and I haven't seen another one.

Next go to Lowes and buy some ant killer granuals - if you start to see them outside feed them some, also some ant baits for corners in your house on outside walls. Also get some flying bug spray - if you see wasps starting to build a home spray that bad boy, I think they suggest twilight as they are dopier then - I go with a spray, run, return 15 mins later and knock down their home approach.

Lizards - to keep them out your home keep your windows and doors locked and sealed up - check the seals round your doors and windows, rips in outer shades. I have learned to appreciate the little critters as the eat the worse stuff. If all else fails get a cat - my two turn savage if they catch a lizard intruder.

Some bugs you just have to get used to - June bugs will dive bomb your windows when lights are on and effectively kill themselves, love bugs fly about fornicating for a while so get a swatter for when they are around. Daddy Long Legs are the work of the devil - (I keep forgetting what you guys call them) and you will need Chuck Norris (or in my case my husband) to come and karate kick them all to death before entering your home.

Welcome to Houston from a U.K. Expat.

[Watchful]

Sometimes the alligators will eat the frogs.

[nana053]

Please do NOT poison and kill the lizards. They are harmless and eat mosquitoes and other bugs. In many cultures, it is considered good luck to have lizards in your home especially in warm climates.

If you must drive them out use a home remedy that will not hurt them.

Lizards are repelled by the smell of eggs. After you use eggs, keep the shells and strew them around the house, especially near doors and windows.

Keep cloves of garlic near doors and windows to keep away the pests. You can also make a spray using garlic juice and water and spray it around the house. Lizards hate the smell.

Like garlic, lizards hate the pungent smell of onions as well. Hang them near doors or windows or place them in lizards’ hiding places. They will leave the house as they can’t stand the smell! Alternatively, make a mixture out of water and onion juice – spray this around the house to drive away lizards.

Mix water, ground black pepper and chili powder and shake well. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray the spicy water around the house. Lizards will be repelled by the spicy odor!

Naphthalene balls are good for keeping small bedbugs and pests away from our homes. Turns out they work on lizards as well – the pungent smell repels these slithery beings. Place them in cupboards and shelves to keep lizards away from the home permanently.

Lizards are very sensitive to temperature – they become immobile when they experience a sharp temperature change. When you see a lizard on the wall, immediately splash ice cold water on it – while it stays in shock you can collect it in a dust pan and throw it outside.

Birds are natural predators of lizards. Hang a few bird feathers around the house – lizards will be scared away, thinking there are birds in the area. You can even make attractive wall-hangings with the bird feathers for an added plus! A Bird feather is effectual remedy to get rid of house lizards. Peacock feathers are especially effective because peacocks eat lizards.

[JBAinTexas]

Oh, wow. I forgot about the lovebugs.

That is something I do NOT look forward to.

Many times I have had to get my car washed because of those.

Don't worry, they are harmless, but they are annoying. Be sure to stock up on windshield fluid when it's lovebugs time, and if you can, try to stop at gas stations to clean the windshield. They only come twice a year. I had to deal with it spring of 2017 driving from Huntsville to home in College Station at the time. The windshield would be caked with the splatters.

[LocalPlanner]

Don't know how you feel about rodents, but during winter cold snaps (cold by Houston standards), we've had mice and rats come into the house - they can gnaw their way in through fascia boards.

Also, if you have trees that are remotely mature, you will have squirrels in the yard. A lot. They can also work their way into your house, so keep watch around your roofline. (We currently have a squirrel condo in one of our live oaks out front, and it drops a bunch of trash with every storm. We're trying to come up with a way of removing it without using weapons that would annoy the neighbors. Maybe a power washer?)

There are some bugs you will have to learn to live with, in your house. The little jumping spiders, for example. They are harmless. Mosquito hawks will wait around your doors to fly in when you open them - also harmless, if rather annoying. A stray June bug or two.

Focus instead on the roaches and ants, they are the worst. Also never leave your doors open in the early morning or evening during warmer months - mosquitos will find their way in.

[elnina]

Pest control can do only so much. Some pests are hard to kill...

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It's the SOUTH. It's hot and humid, the Winter isn't really cold, and is short. Insects thrive here.
You should get familiar with poisonous spiders and snakes, for your own good.

Frogs and lizards are harmless and cute. Learn to love them

[jerbear30]

Frogs and lizards rarely enter the home, so you won't have to worry about them too much. In my experience, roaches come out the most when it's rainy and after you mow the lawn. You can spray the perimeter of your home with Raid, or do as the earlier poster said and do the insecticide granules. The roaches, while disgusting, are not like the roaches up north that come en masse--you'll see big roaches here but they're not a sign of an infestation. I just get a good book and remember to aim where the roach is headed, not where it is--they're surprisingly fast.

[txdemo]

I've been traumatized ever since I had a huge tree roach fly onto the back of my neck and crawl inside my shirt.

[jerbear30]

Oh, and also, I totally agree with nana on the lizards--how can you not love them?

[fnh]

Cats.

Actually, our house verges on a cat infestation.