How are the BUGS? (Chattanooga, Oak Ridge: appointed, new house, camping)

[Brax]

One thing I have not thought about is the bugs. I know in the warmer climates, this becomes more of a problem. Here in Wisconsin, the cold winter causes a die off so they really aren't bad. I guess our biggest problem is the mosquitoes here. Some years you could lose a pint of blood being outside at dusk. Had a friend move to Texas and the bugs, mostly roaches, freaked her out. She spent weeks cleaning but with no improvement. It's just a part of life there and you just have exterminators come in on a regular basis.

I guess the one good thing here is that we don't have anything poisonous to worry about. How about TN, what are the little creators you have to look out for?

[mbmouse]

What part of the state are you referring too? TN is sorta like 3 states in 1. East, Middle and West, these also have 3 different climates and 2 time zones. So the bugs and weather patterns in West TN are not going to be the same in East TN.
I can only speak of East TN and the bugs are a non issue to me as nothing can be as bad as FL bugs in my opinion. We have an exterminator come out 2 times a year and we have no bugs in the house. I have yet to see a roach, not to say they aren't in TN, just not a big issue. Skeeters eat me alive if there is one within 5 miles of me. Sometimes in the summer at dusk I have some issues when I am outside with this, but some Off spray usually does the trick and we have a huge field out behind our house. Red ants drove me crazy in Fl, haven't come across a one here. We do see a lot of spiders and webs outside but we have yet to get bit by one in 10 years, so again, not much of an issue.
Hope that helps.

[Tamanddon]

Hi there,

I currently live in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. We moved from Pennsylvania, where we never saw the kind of bugs they have here. I don't want to scare you off, just trying to be honest. Because of the humidity, the roaches are prominent down here. They have big flying roaches. They are harmless, but if you are like me (terrified of them), it is not a good thing. If you maintain pest control, I think you will be fine. By the way, I lived in Texas for two years and never saw a roach, but I lived in Austin where it is not very humid like Houston and other areas. All that said, the people in Tennessee and Texas are great. Southern hospitality is so true! The sweet tea is also a wonderful invention! We are actually relocating back to Austin soon. Good luck to you!

[MomsTn]

There are a lot of mosquitoes in the summer in Wisconsin and Minnesota, although, last year, they weren't quite as prevalent in Minnesota.
It was kind of nice not going outside and being "eaten alive."

When we lived in Florida and moved, we brought back a little "gift."
A very very large cockroach, although, I think they call them something else, can't remember what it is, but, they don't call them cockroaches, they fly.
My sons were so excited about this huge bug, and they put it in a jar.
Didn't put any food in there, and it was in that jar for months. They finally, gave the bug to some kid interested in bugs... not sure of its fate after that.

I think the worst thing in Middle Tennessee would be the spiders, right?
Black Widows, and something with the word brown in the name.
Can't remember if there are snakes... but, I would figure there are.

Water Moccasins, and Rattlers?

[Cameron Cayman]

I live right on the border of Tennessee and Georgia. near Chattanooga, so I'll tell you what we've got around here.

1. Spiders. All kinds of spiders in different shapes and sizes. I find them all over the house, especially in the summer. I kill an average of three per day. My wife got bit a few years ago and got sick. It left a welt the size of a quarter on her arm that lasted for a few weeks. I spray the house constantly in the summer.

2. Lizards. Again, mostly in the spring, summer when it gets really hot and humid. You'll see these little things running across the garage floor or outside along the patio. Harmless

3. Mosquito. Just like everywhere else. Take the normal precautions.
4. Biting Flies. Yes, they look like "regular" flies, but they bite and sting. I can't stand these things.

5. All the other usual bugs are here as well. I'm sure I'm leaving some out, but, to me it's a lot like when I used to live in Fla.

6. Fire ants!!!! Be careful when mowing the yard. I ran over a fire ant hill by accident and, when the mower scattered them all over, it wasn't pretty. I ended up with bites all over my legs that stung like crap and itched for days.

Our "winters" (lol) are rarely, if ever, bad enough to kill off these things. We have generally three seasons around here. Summer, which is very, very hot and humid.....miserable, sticky, suffocating humdity with plenty of afternoon thunderstorms. Perfect environment for bugs!!

Then we have what I call fall/winter hybrid season. It gets mild but we do have some colder days. Our "cold" snaps don't last very long. I haven't seen any snow around here in 3 or 4 years. Then we have spring, which is usually warm, humid, and wet.

Yes, we do have snakes in our woods as well. But,hey, it's all good living here. Don't let bugs get you all disappointed in our nice area.

[Brax]

I guess I should have been more specific, I was asking about middle TN around the Cookeville area.

The bugs won't stop me, just wondering what I'm in for.

[akm4]

I live in Middle TN. I hear about brown recluses, but (luckily) have never seen one. Hello...they're reclusive!

Yes, there are snakes here, poisonous and not. Haven't seen them either here in the 'burbs where I live. I'm told you're most likely to see them along river and lake shorelines. This was a fear of mine before moving here, but it was for nothing. If you go out into more rural areas of Williamson County, snakes are much more prevalent. Will you be in a development or undeveloped area?

People in CA "warned" us about huge insects before we came here too. They didn't know what they were talking about. We have small kids, so we don't spray for bugs. No problem though, thank goodness. We usually get some ants around in the summer for a week or two, but a couple of ant bait discs solves the problem quickly.

Haven't seen a single cockroach or mouse.

Mosquitoes suck, but citronella sure helps.

Hope you find the perfect place. Best of luck!

[MomsTn]

Originally Posted by heatwave13

I live right on the border of Tennessee and Georgia. near Chattanooga, so I'll tell you what we've got around here.

6. Fire ants!!!! Be careful when mowing the yard. I ran over a fire ant hill by accident and, when the mower scattered them all over, it wasn't pretty. I ended up with bites all over my legs that stung like crap and itched for days.

Yep, I remember one time as a kid, I was about five and my brother was three. We were out Trick or Treating, and my brother decided that he was tired and sat down... right on top of a Fire ant hill....

Oh my goodness, that little boy was in pain.
My Mom had to strip him down and put him in the tub.
His little behind was just cherry red from all of the bites.
After that, he always watched where he sat his little bottom...

[BNB]

We were back this summer for two weeks....and were all over middle TN (including camping out at Dale Hollow Lake--near Cookeville) and during my first two days in Nashville, I got some small bites near my ankles and a couple of mosquito bites, but after that....I never got bit once by anything--I thought that was very cool!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Brax

I guess I should have been more specific, I was asking about middle TN around the Cookeville area.

The bugs won't stop me, just wondering what I'm in for.

I had friends who moved from Florida to Cookeville, and their house was infested with small roaches. However, they discovered that the roaches came with them from Florida. Whatever kinds of roaches they had apparently were indigenous to Florida, and the pest control people in Cookeville assured them that those roaches must've stowed away in their furniture. And if you've ever been to Florida, you would definitely not find that hard to believe. Interestingly, that house burned down while my friends were on vacation. They built a new house in Cookeville and bought all new furniture, and they never again had any roaches.

(And that, my friends, is another reason I don't like Florida... Anyone ever seen those hideous banana spiders they have in Florida? YECH!!!)

You asked about poisonous snakes. I learned in Boy Scouts that Tennessee has three kinds of poisonous snakes: rattlesnakes, cottonmouths (water moccasins), and copperheads. In all my years as a Boy Scout camping all over Tennessee, I never ran across a single poisonous snake. Garden snakes, yes, but they are perfectly harmless and eat field mice, so you actually want garden snakes around.

I've heard horror stories about flying roaches but have personally never seen one. The only bugs I've ever seen inside any of the five homes I've lived in here in Tennessee are spiders and crickets. I used to have mice in my cabin up in the mountains, but after plugging in a dozen electronic pest repellents, the mice disappeared. I think if you get your house sprayed every so often, you'll be fine.