moving to boerne and scared of the critters (Helotes, Howe: new house, scorpion)

[bayareamom]

Hi!

We are moving from Northern California to Boerne in August. We just bought a house on some property there and after our purchase, the seller's realtor really "let loose" about all the things that we'll find lurking around (this was in response to my innocent little 3 year old picking up bugs he apparently wasn't supposed to be touching?!)

He went on about the red wasps, the centipedes and my most favorite, the scorpions!! Oh my gosh....I wanted to turn and run. I have a new baby, as well as a toddler and I cannot keep these horrible thoughts of scorpions climbing into the crib and my curious little boy being covered in chiggers, scorpion and brown recluse outside on his "adventures" How in the world am I going to make it? I will be afraid to put shoes on, use towels out of the linen closet, etc. The realtor even offered his wife's latest discovery.....a scorpion in between the pillow and pillow case. Have I made a terrible mistake? Anyone's knowledge and/or advice would me so appreciated! Here I took great pride in nurturing a little guy to love nature and not be afraid of everything and a few days ago (while out in TX to sign docs) all he heard was "don't touch this and don't touch that....that will bite you!"

What am I going to do?? Incidentally, the home is 3 years old and on 10 acres (if that makes any difference).

Thanks so much!!

[sapphire]

Sell and head for Alaska! The critters don't like the cold much......

I've lived here for 22 years and have seen a total of ONE scorpion, and it was dead because my husband and sons put it in a Ziploc bag and stuck it in the freezer . (I don't remember the details of that episode.)

Seriously, I think you and your children are going to be just fine.

[nrlatsha]

Two words...

Orkin Man

or Astro turf.

Me, I go with the orkin man. I remember my first fire ant episode. I'm from PA, so I was in the yard in my new house, in my bare feet. I stepped in something (I know what it is now!) and I remember seeing some ants start crawling up my leg, I figured I could just kick them off. Well, it took a couple of seconds, and then I felt one bite. I guess that was the lead ant telling all the others to bite at will. So it was a short ow, followed by ow, expletive, expletive, expletive...

[BrennanKG]

We've been here (Helotes/SA) since September and I've seen nothing unusual other than the occasional red wasp. My 5 year old daughter LOVES bugs, collects beetles, rolly-pollies(woodlice), and millipedes out of the backyard on a daily basis, and I've yet to see a centipede, scorpion, or potentially harmful spider outside the exhibits in the Witte museum.


B.

[jules07]

Hi Bayareamom, sorry but I gotta agree somewhat with the seller's Realtor. We have good friends who live in Boerne (although they live on about 40 acreas, and quite aways outside of town). They battle fire ants constantly, always have problems with them in the garden. They also frequently have scorpions in the house. My daughter spent many a night there only to find a scorpion playing dollhouse with them. ugh. I don't believe that they've ever had centipedes, tho, but that doesn't guarantee that other houses in Boerne might. When we moved to acreage in Texas, I had these idyllic visions of my then 5 years old daughter running down the little hill to the tank (small pond), barefoot and in a sundress, hair flowing in the wind. Ha, silly me! Soon realized that out in the country the kids would be in long pants and boots when outside! However, you will be fine! You just learn to live the way life out in the country is lived. (Or you do like us, and after 5 years of it, move back into the city!! )

Things you can do; yes, shake shoes out before putting them on, shake towels before drying off, same thing when taking sheets/blankets out of closets, "look before you leap" (step), put steel wool in the weep holes if your home is a rock or brick exterior (which I'd imagine it is), get an inside cat (we are fostering a beautiful, loving calico stray if you need one!! LOL!). And Yes, you must teach your little ones that there are some things in nature that will hurt them! Learn what fire ant mounds look like, and teach the kids to avoid them! (One of our little ones toddled into a fire ant mound when we first moved to Tx, and his little hand was covered with little white blisters from the stings. Not fun.) Now for the good news, I had two babies in our house in the country, and never was there a scorpion in the crib!

As a former Californian, I can definately tell you that life in the country in Texas is quite different, and takes some getting used to. Some people love it. It's truly just learning to adapt to a new way of life. Good luck to you!

[wCat]

I wish I could tell you that you won't find them, but if you have 10 acres, you'll be sharing it with all kinds of wildlife, good and not so good. I've been in SA/TX since 1964 and saw my first scorpion 8 years ago. I lived on 20 acres with horse stables....so we saw it all. I felt exactly like you and walked on top of furniture when I could because the landlord had carpeted the house in a color that matches local scorpions. I would have traded for a cockroach any day! But....I had 4 kitties....and they got good at mousing ANYTHING....plus we had strays outside that kept other things away. It wasn't too long before I relaxed about it.

When you get here....go straight to Cavenders and get those babies some authentic cowboys boots! That's what they are made for!

Also....get your house and ATTIC treated and do what makes you and your babies feel protected. Keep in mind, exterminators WANT you to be afraid of everything, but if it gives you peace of mind, do it!

A few tips...keeps wood piles, pots, leaves and anything that will make a nice nest for critters far away from your house. And....this sounds crazy, but our early German immigrants learned that if you paint the eaves up under your roof line a light blue (exact color is not important) that it somehow fools wasps into thinking it's "sky". It's not foolproof, but does discourage them from nesting in the eaves around the house. (If you don't believe me, check out the houses in King William and look at the color on the ceiling under front porches or verandas....they are all blue! )

[jules07]

Originally Posted by wCat

nice nest for critters far away from your house. And....this sounds crazy, but our early German immigrants learned that if you paint the eaves up under your roof line a light blue (exact color is not important) that it somehow fools wasps into thinking it's "sky". It's not foolproof, but does discourage them from nesting in the eaves around the house. (If you don't believe me, check out the houses in King William and look at the color on the ceiling under front porches or verandas....they are all blue! )

That's fabulous!! I didn't know that! (wCat, you always have the best tidbits!!) It's interesting, our house in the country had blue "ceilings" and eaves on the front porch and kinda beige/light brown on the back. Always had more problems with wasps nests on the back and thought it was just the location...but now I wonder?????

[1soccermickey]

Fist of all Welcome to south Texas! I have lived in Boerne for over 15 years and I absolutly love it! I have never been bitten by a brown recluse or scorpian. I won't deny that you will come across all of the critters the relator mentioned, but it doesn't have to prevent your children from enjoying nature.

My advice would be to educate yourself and your family about which bugs (and snakes) to avoid and which ones are okay to investigate close up. Also know what to do if bitten or stung...just in case. Be sure to get your house sprayed regularly. Invest in some good child safe bug spray to be used often especially in summer (Off works great for keeping chiggers at bay). There are also things you can do in your yard to lessen the chances of meeting up with unwanted pests, such as using ant bait and other bug sprays. And if you have or are planning to have any playground type stuff for the kids be sure to check it regularly in the summer for wasps.

My brother has caught and kept several tarantulas and scorpians and I have to tell you that when they are behind an enclosed glass barrier they are fascinating to watch! When we were little we had quite a collection of animal bones, shedded snake skins, antlers and turkey feathers and we quite enjoyed collecting them. And one time after a camping trip my Mother discovered a centipede in my brother's pocket while doing the wash. Come to find out he thought it was a fake bug so he just stuck it in his pocket!! He was about six or seven at the time and the bug was dead so no harm done!!

I love learning about and watching the wildlife! Over the years we have had fawns, Jack Rabbits, turkeys, red tailed hawks, lots of birds and many other things born in our yard! Watching the animals and critters just never gets old to me!

So yes there are some critter to avoid in Texas, but I garuntee there are many many more critters to enjoy!

Blessings on your move and your new home!

[chetw1976]

so what are chiggers just wanting to know?

[wCat]

Originally Posted by chetw1976

so what are chiggers just wanting to know?

LOL! Chiggars are little itty bitty teeny red bugs that are parasitic. They bite and itch like crazy! The bad thing is you don't usually see them until you feel them!