What kind of bugs besides ticks do you have? (houses, transfer)

[twiggy]

I'm wondering what kind of pest control do you have to do and what for out there? I know the ticks carry lyme but what else do you have to worry about in your house? In AZ we have scorpions, roaches, ants, wasp, skeeters, black widows, and killer bee's to contend with. Rattle snakes and tarantulas in the outlying areas. What kind of bugs does everyone dread every year out there?

[twiggy]

I searched the threads for bugs but found nothing. If you can, just leave a link to a former discussion on the topic. Thanks

[eastcoastgrl]

As far as i can remember (it's been a while) we had ants, ticks, flies and mosquitos. Nothing too horrible

[takagi1901]

The positive side of living in Rhode Island- we have very little in terms of bugs.
We do not usually have deer ticks( the ones with Lyme disease) in our backyards, unless you live on 5+acres property abutting woods with deer in it. After walking on trails, strip your clothes off and check for ticks, they slow, and if you find them within 24 hours, they do not afflict harm.
We hardly have any mosquitoes on the coast, ocean breeze carries them away? You may see some right after sunset for a couple of hours, few days only, if it was rainy for a while. That is why, if you shop for houses, you notice, that we have a lot of open desks, patios and porches, very few are screened.
We have few yellow jackets, but they are not destructive or aggressive.
Northern Rhode Island may have 2 weeks black fly season in swampy areas, but I am not even sure, they have it.
Termites might be a problem for homeowners, but not if you keep your wooden structures off the ground, not nearly as bad as in southern states.
Carpenter bees may be a problem in old wooden structures, they do not eat wood, but damage it by making long nests inside the boards.
We do not have poisonous snakes, may be few deep in the woods? Not even sure, we have them

[twiggy]

This is a plus for me. It would be nice to look for a house and not worry about a scorpion infestation. My husband is transfering back east and we have a few choices. MA, RI, CT. Looking into all of them. Thanks.

[mr2448]

Originally Posted by twiggy

This is a plus for me. It would be nice to look for a house and not worry about a scorpion infestation. My husband is transfering back east and we have a few choices. MA, RI, CT. Looking into all of them. Thanks.

While much is made of ticks in this area, you need to be concerned with mosquitoes. The three states you have mentioned have had many deaths in the last 10 years due to Equine Encephalitis coming from mosquito bites. These states constantly check the mosquito popualtion for the desease. It also affects birds. Dead birds are also checked for cause of death. Massachusetts has been affected the most, but in any of these states there can be spraying to kill mosquitoes. Alerts are on all the media.

[twiggy]

Originally Posted by mr2448

While much is made of ticks in this area, you need to be concerned with mosquitoes. The three states you have mentioned have had many deaths in the last 10 years due to Equine Encephalitis coming from mosquito bites. These states constantly check the mosquito popualtion for the desease. It also affects birds. Dead birds are also checked for cause of death. Massachusetts has been affected the most, but in any of these states there can be spraying to kill mosquitoes. Alerts are on all the media.

Yes, unfortunately we too have suffered many deaths from this and west nile. People don't usually think of mosquitoes in Phoenix, but we have them, although they are smaller they still have all the same concerns. We have horses, birds, people who have all been infected yearly with both of these illnesses. They spray here as well in area's with high mosquito content. We also have to worry about the Hunta virus from the dear rat. It is deadly and spread by the rodent and small animal population. Ew, I'm creeping my self out just talking about it. lol Now they are talking about a Mexican beetle out here crossing the border into Arizona. It borrows into your brain. Yikes.

Oh, in the winter when there is snow, do you still have flies? I know this is a stupid sounding question but I heard they can't fly in the cold. We have them all year long. Please forgive my desert ignorance. lol In my climate everything is active all year long. Thanks

[Hollytree]

We've never had to treat our house for household bugs. The most I've seen come in is an ant and a small- non poisonous type- spider or two (could be my housekeeping).

Other than that , we try not to get bitten by mosquitoes in the summer, but we rarely see them in the city and we sit out on our front porch at night.

As the previous poster said, this is one of the more satisfying benefits of NOT living in a tropical climate...

[CoventryDude]

the onyl trouble we ahve are with yellow jackets (hornets) they love the little nooks and crannys on our pool.

We have rarely seen rattlesnakes (mostly in the woods in the northern part of the state). I live in a fairly rural area and have never seen a snake in my yard, and only non poisonous Garter Snakes elsewhere- very rarely, and mostly I see them in the road- one or two a year, max, and they are usually very small, like a foot long or less.

Insects- The aforementioned mosquitoes, rarely gnats. Gypsy moth caterpillars are the worst, they can eat a forest of leaves-you can actualy hear them chewing. That's pretty creepy.

Cockroaches are only found in the pigsty homes, it's rare to have them.

Our winters have a lot to do with keeping the bugs in check.

it will be nothing like what you are used to.

[skytrekker]

Actually Rhode Island has two poisonous snakes; The eastern timber rattler, which by its name means it will be found mostly in heavily wooded areas with rock outcroppings; and the Copperhead; Both snakes are found in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, extreme southern Vermont, southern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine.

Both snakes are timid- and try and avoid contact with humans. A bite from a copperhead may require a trip to a Doctor- a bite from a rattler a trip to the hospital. Snake bite from these two species is quite rare here.

Ticks are more common in places that abut heavily wooded and grassy areas that are overgrown. Mosquitoes can be prevalent in swampy wetland areas, or in areas with stagnant water. Flies near the coast can bite in the summer. Bees sadly to say are on the decline- since they are needed to pollinate. Wasps can be pests, and make nests around your home- but seldom attack or bite. Spiders are common but seldom bite.