Bugs?! (Tampa: apartment, condo, house)

[klore]

Hello. I am considering moving to the Tampa area. I've always heard that there are a ton of bugs in Florida. Does the Tampa area have a lot of roaches, spiders, snakes, etc.? Are they worse near the water or inland? Thanks!

[hashbrown]

Bugs, in Florida? Where?

[ERH]

All you need is a good exterminator to stay ahead of the inside bugs. The skeeters, though, they will tote you off if you don't keep yourself DEETed during the wee hours/dawn/early morning and dusk/nighttime hours. Best to stay wherever you are!

[bobandsherry]

LOL - everyone who's from here seems to feel they live in a jungle swamp (and maybe some do live in a swamp). I moved to the area a year ago from Chicago. During that time I've not found any more or bigger bugs than I saw up north. I guess it depends on where you live down here but mosquitoes aren't a problem in my neighborhood, def no worse than I had up north. There are a lot of gecko's though, something I didn't have up north

BTW, here's a past thread with info - Bugs, Bugs, More Bugs.

[OSUbrew]

I've been down here about 4 years now. Granted I live in an apartment where they keep up with the grounds, but I used to see way bigger spiders up in Ohio than I've ever seen down here. Maybe the lizards eat them all. I've seen a few snakes, never in my place. You'll see some roaches here and there, usually the "Australian" type around here. It's really not that bad, but it would probably be worse if I was at a house at ground level. I like the little lizards running around all over.

[engineman]

I spray the interior perimeter of my condo apartment once a month, which pretty well handles it.

If you see any lizards around, don't molest them, they eat bugs big time.

[rvais]

Drain flyes are a huge pain I have to keep my drains plugged

[pepsik]

Guys! I live in Tampa. Where can i find any insects - mantis, bugs, dragonflies, cicadas, grasshoppers etc. I'm seriously! I thought there must have been lots of any insects in that sort of climate! But even in preserve i didn`t find anyone but the spider on trees! It looks very odd! I`ve been travelling in many places over the world and used to see many different species of insects (even in much more chill climate). I`ve loved mantis since i was young and look forward to meet it in order to refresh my memory)

to OP - if you see any insect you have to let me know!) I`ve just got back from Honeymoon isl. (natural park close to Tampa). People told me there must have been smalls flyes that bite and do hurt. NOTHING even after sundown.

[TampaPam]

Originally Posted by pepsik

Guys! I live in Tampa. Where can i find any insects - mantis, bugs, dragonflies, cicadas, grasshoppers etc. I'm seriously! I thought there must have been lots of any insects in that sort of climate! But even in preserve i didn`t find anyone but the spider on trees! It looks very odd! I`ve been travelling in many places over the world and used to see many different species of insects (even in much more chill climate). I`ve loved mantis since i was young and look forward to meet it in order to refresh my memory)

to OP - if you see any insect you have to let me know!) I`ve just got back from Honeymoon isl. (natural park close to Tampa). People told me there must have been smalls flyes that bite and do hurt. NOTHING even after sundown.

Pepsik, you must have Citronella in your blood! Come to my house...my lanai is COVERED with those horny black/red 'love bugs'! They are everywhere! Next month, my fence out front will be lined with the little black crickets that grown into those humongous 4" brown/red/yellow grasshoppers. My dogs like to eat those.
And even now, all I have to do is step outside and mosquitos are all over me like bees on pollen! By mid-summer, I look like I have chicken pox from all the red bite marks all over me.

Crazy thing is here in Pasco county, they spray for the mosquitos on a weekly basis. Seems to me it does nothing but put toxins in our environment because it sure hasn't stopped me from getting eaten alive.

I want to get a transfusion of your blood so the bugs leave me alone! :-)

[bobandsherry]

Originally Posted by TampaPam

Pepsik, you must have Citronella in your blood! Come to my house...my lanai is COVERED with those horny black/red 'love bugs'! They are everywhere! Next month, my fence out front will be lined with the little black crickets that grown into those humongous 4" brown/red/yellow grasshoppers. My dogs like to eat those.
And even now, all I have to do is step outside and mosquitos are all over me like bees on pollen! By mid-summer, I look like I have chicken pox from all the red bite marks all over me.

Crazy thing is here in Pasco county, they spray for the mosquitos on a weekly basis. Seems to me it does nothing but put toxins in our environment because it sure hasn't stopped me from getting eaten alive.

I want to get a transfusion of your blood so the bugs leave me alone! :-)

Sounds like you need to complain to the county. Here in south Hillsborough no real issues. I was sitting outside the past few nights on my front porch and had no problems. Walking every night after dark and no mosquitos. Saw nothing like you describe for huge crickets and grasshoppers. We do have several gecko's who hang out on our pool screen, so perhaps they are doing a really good job with bugs