A Primer on Bugs--pictures if you have them (Miami, Palmetto: apartment, condo)

[phoenixxphyre]

While I'm not the biggest pansy that ever was, and have tried to learn not to freak out about spiders, etc. (though I do still worry about them biting I try to tell myself "They're keeping out worse bugs"), I haven't dealt with a lot of bugs in OH, so I'm slightly freaked out by the number of bug comments I see in here. So I figured I'd start this thread and see if some of you long-time Floridians can give us newbies an introduction to the bugs we're likely to encounter, and how worried we really need to be about them.

From what I understand, there are those palmetto bugs (shudder-so gross looking), lots of spiders, noseeums (little gnats that bite if I understand correctly?), and the typical summer mosquitoes. Anything you can add about where you're most likely to see different bugs, what the best way is to deal with them, how to recognize them, etc. would be helpful. While I'm going to get squicked out if there are pictures, I'm sure that would probably help.

[edit-ah, didn't realize I was in the Miami forum...am I missing how to delete a thread or do I just have to see if someone moves it to the general Florida forum?]

[chisoxfan]

Our main bugaboo (no pun intended) in our house is very small ants. We've had some luck with liquid ant baits. They take a few days to work but have proved reasonably effective.

One thing to watch out for is Africanized bees. We've had a few attacks in Broward and Palm Beach counties the past few months. The good news is they probably won't bother you unless you bother them first. We own two very small, inquisitive dogs (papillon and long-coat chihuahua), and it's necessary to check our backyard to make sure there aren't any beehives. Haven't found anything yet.

Some of the lizards also may take some getting used to. It's not unusual to see iguanas crossing the street here, and we have a lot of curly-tailed brown lizards (some up to 6-8 inches long) in our yard. The lizards eat the insects, so I kind of like having them around.

[urbandeco]

Honestly the bug problem is not that bad here. Yes, Palmetto bugs are seriously gross but you will not have them in your house if it is treated. Make sure the place has been exterminated and you will never see one!

[Chelito23]

MMM I think Palmetto bugs aka giant roaches are inevitable. You will see them any and everywhere even with treatment. You can be the cleanest person in the cleanest of places...and they are still there. Some places are worse than others...and you have to be clean always...and learn to never leave anything opened in shelves (like cereal). I lived in an apartment compelx here and they constantly fumigated and I was clean...but yes there were still roaches.

Once in a blue moon I have one in my house now. It is inevitable with all the moisture and humidity and vegetation in South Florida. Just don't kill the lizards, they actually eat the roaches. Those ants are annoying too. Other than that...bug wise there isn't too much. Not too many spiders here either...but the mosquitos are annoying.

[phoenixxphyre]

Thanks for the advice Chelito...see, I'm used to living in OH where you might get ants if you leave cereal open in a cupboard near the floor, etc. but wouldn't have thought about not leaving it open on any shelf. I have some plastic containers though; just have to get used to using those

I actually kind of liked the lizards when I was down in FL. They were everywhere lol. I'll have to ask my former neighbor (who I went down to see once in the winter) what it was she did--there was something she'd spray and it'd kind of freeze it, and then she'd stick it outside and after a couple minutes it'd run away. I don't think I could bring myself to kill one anyhow--bugs on the other hand...

[doggiebus]

The palmetto bug aka roaches love to hide in the mulch outside or understuff outside. We haven't had a problem with them inside the house. But I stacked some stepping stones outside a year ago, and moved them last weekend only one roach under the stones.

We do have a huge lizzard issue lately, my dogs love to chase them sometimes they catch them, ughhhh. At least they are not those black eel like lizards, yuck. We don't have a spider issue, they say if their food source isn't around (ants) you will not have them. When we had fire ant piles in the yard thats when we would have the spiders, we got rid of the ants, so no spiders to. The noseums usually stay near the coast, so as long as you are a few miles inland you shouldn't have a problem with them. Oh in summer there are these nat sworms, ughhh. The middle of the state has love bug season, when I would drive to college, they would get all over my car as I went through the center of the state on the turnpike. Then there are the mosquitos, last year they were not to bad, but this year i think is going to be different. We didn't get that cold this winter, so I think we may have more than usual beacuse many probably survived the warm winter this year. They feed at dusk and dawn, so if you go outside during these hours just wear long pants/sleeves and/or repelent to protect your self, they carry west nile.

And then there are the iguanas, they eat certain plants. Some neighborhoods in Miami-Dade County and Monroe county are having problems with them, as there are so many. I once saw one at an outdoor mall in Miami sunning itself on the rocks next to the waterfalls. It was probably about 3.5 feet nose to tail.

[JSnFla]

i agree, the bug problem is not that bad in ft lauderdale area. palmettos are inevittable and gross and can fly but u can prevent them from getting in your apt. small ants can also become a problem in some places. the iguanas are all around and are pretty cool. i had a problem with rats when i lived on the intracoastal but thats always an issue near water. i have had no issues with mosquitos either. west coast of florida, in my experience, has much worse issues with bugs and the alligators are everywhere over on the west coast.

[Dro420]

Ah, those Palmetto Bugs are disgusting. You'll find them everywhere, especially when it gets hot out in the summer. They're attracted by the temperature in the house, so get that bug spray ready!

[Chelito23]

I forgot....a couple of times each year, on those still, cloudy days after rains...these gnat like black bugs come out and are everywhere. All they do is land on you to die. The land on your face hair skin....and are more of an annoyance and don't last long...but will make you head indoors ASAP!

[CiXeL]

living in south florida is getting used to the constant feeling of small ants walking on your skin. you constantly feel something and look and see a small sugar ant.

then there are fire ants as well
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...54713310&hl=en

they can infest your pantry and molding especially if youre in a multi unit building with people who take less care of the place than you do.
we make sure our place is immaculate and so far have been able to keep the roaches out even when we had a few get in from outside since they hadnt installed the weatherproofing yet.

we've had huntsmen spiders outside the house and in our last condo had one inside that i tore the bedroom apart with a pair of tonga to kill and then used hotshot spider spray.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Huntsman_spider.jpg

during the summer we get these iridescent spiders that we sometimes find on the vertical blinds by the back sliding glass door. ive sealed up every hole i can think of but somehow they still get in. theyre big black and hairy but supposedly wont bite unless you squeezed them in your hand and came across a website that said you can even train them to hop hand to hand.
we've seen all three kinds
http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/regal_jumping_spider.htm (broken link)

you generally only find noseeums on the gulf coast of florida and in the keys around sunset.

so far we havent had mosquitos bad this year but '05 it was really bad.

we get these harmless green mosquito looking gnats that land on the glass back door and bushes but are harmless other than landing all over you when watering your plants.

there are very large paper wasps that make nests various places but dont seem to bother you much. i did have one land on my shirt though and my girlfriend cuddled up with me on the couch and then said THERES A GIANT WASP ON YOUR SHIRT! and lept back. i went outside and let it flew away.

ive had a gecko in the pantry. kinda funny and had to take everything out to catch it because they run so damn fast.

you also get giant colorful grasshoppers (lubbers theyre known as locally) or bufos (giant cane toads) hopping around your backyard. the toads are fun to play with but theyre poisenous to dogs and can kill them if the dog tries to bite it. they secrete a poison from glands by their eyes that if the dog gets it in their mouth will poison them. if you catch it in time though you can hose out the dog's mouth.

lots of dragon flies of every color of the rainbow
http://flickr.com/photos/94556645@N0...7600017096196/

if you have a lake in the back some places have ducks, geese, cormorants or anhingas which are cool to watch.

occasionally you may see a deerfly or horsefly but those are mostly out in the everglades in the summer. there are 2 inch wide horseflies out in the everglades in the summer that land all over your car trying to suck the blood out of your car which they think is a large warm beast exhaling lots of co2.
http://flickr.com/photos/94556645@N0...7600052940534/

noseeums take about a day and a half to kick in and then you get little red dots. theyre basically micro mosquitos. you can see pics of them online. theyre about the size of a period.

you may see hairy caterpillars on plants. dont touch them they will sting.
same applies if you see a flourescent orange bug on your plants. theyre orange assasin bugs and have a very painful bite which so far i have not been subjected to yet.

you may be bit by deerflies around mangrove areas in the summer. i usually dont feel them. i just notice my leg itches and scratch it to notice im bleeding a little.

there are giant water bugs.
http://eny3005.ifas.ufl.edu/lab1/Hemiptera/Belostomatid.htm (broken link)
theyre large and they fly. we see them on the ground at gas stations off us-1 at the end of the turnpike sometimes. othertimes in applebees parkinglot.
they bite, theyre strong, and theyre creepy, dont touch.

iguanas and most lizards are mostly harmless. most frogs or toads are fearless enough you can actually pet them. theres an iguana at robert is here in florida city in his yard that people pet.

honestly i hate fire ants the most of all the bugs here. i also seem to find myself standing in a pile with 7 ants stinging me or watering too close to a mound and them coming over to sting me since im wearing sandals and standing a few feet away.

the more you are in the city the less bugs you have to deal with but just generally expect that ants are a part of life here. especially the tiny little sugar ants and fire ants.