Living in Florida & cockroaches

[JanetRose]

For anyone living in Florida, are cockroaches a big problem?

I've never seen them at any of the Disney resorts.

 

[phorsenuf]

For anyone living in Florida, are cockroaches a big problem?

Depends on which ones you are talking about. If you mean the big ones (palmetto bugs), not really. You won't have an infestation indoors like the little ones. They'll come in from outside, especially if it's been particularly rainy. If you mean the little gross ones that are usually associated with dirtiness, I have no idea. Never had to deal with them.

 

[BlovesC]

I've lived in FL for four years and I've honestly never seen one.

Now we DO have to deal with an infestation of tiny black ants every summer, though. We'll do a perimeter spray and put some traps on the window sills, and they're usually gone within a week after our first sighting.

We definitely see more frogs than bugs. Our back patio is like frog heaven.

 

[Aurora63]

I have a wonderful memory of when my ex boyfriend (who was from Europe) saw his first palmetto bug. The look of horror on his face was priceless!

The big ones are an occasional nuisance. Keep bug spray on hand and a big shoe. The spray only works to stun them, so you can then have time to get them with the shoe. Those suckers are fast!

And be prepared to hit them a few times. They don't normally go down on the first try.

Sorry! Hope it didn't scare you away! We don't get them that often!

 

[mhsjax]

They tend to stay outside, and really won't survive inside for long, according to my bug people. I have never seen one at a resort, but I have seen more than one in the Splash Mountain area at night. They tend to only come out at night and they love damp areas. They also love mulch and certain palm trees as in my Sago Palms. OH and they fly, so if you do it them with bug spray, really drown them. Man I hate those things.

 

[Feralpeg]

I've lived in Florida for nine years and have two palmetto bugs inside my house. They really aren't a big problem. I've seen a few in the garage, but they don't bother me and they don't come inside.

When I first moved into my home, the area behind my house was wooded. I noticed more bugs in the garage then. The big wolf spiders would make their way into the garage. Since then, the area behind me has been developed. I haven't seen one of those spiders in years.

To be truthful, I have an exterminator service that treats inside the house every six months and outside every three months. I have no problem with bugs other than an occasional ant. The bug problem in Florida is way over exaggerated.

 

[LisaR]

I've lived in Florida for nine years and have two palmetto bugs inside my house. They really aren't a big problem. I've seen a few in the garage, but they don't bother me and they don't come inside.

When I first moved into my home, the area behind my house was wooded. I noticed more bugs in the garage then. The big wolf spiders would make their way into the garage. Since then, the area behind me has been developed. I haven't seen one of those spiders in years.

To be truthful, I have an exterminator service that treats inside the house every six months and outside every three months. I have no problem with bugs other than an occasional ant. The bug problem in Florida is way over exaggerated.

We've been in FL for nine years and have seen exactly two, as well!

I don't think the bug problem is over exaggerated. I do believe if you do not have your home treated regularly down here, you would have a HUGE problem. When we lived up north, we never had pest control. When we had a rare problem with something, we would treat it and be done with it. In FL, I believe you have to be vigilant. If you wait until you have a problem here, it is too late. If you treat regularly, you shouldn't have an issue.

 

[NotUrsula]

In the subtropical South, if you don't treat your home systematically with chemicals, you will get bugs unless you take precautions.

First off, never leave a window or door open without a fine screen. Tiny critters will move in from outside if you leave an engraved invitation.

Second, NEVER leave any food debris in a kitchen sink overnight (if you have a disposal, run it to clear the trap) and make sure that the gaps around any pipes that lead indoors are fully sealed. Roaches are especially attracted to damp places where they can find food, so they breed in drains if you give them the opportunity to do so. It si a good habit to take all food garbage out of the house before you turn off the lights for the night.

It is best never to leave any kind of dry food stored in containers that are not airtight, and glass is preferable to plastic. This is not so much about roaches as it is about weevils; they can burrow through paper, plastic and foil.

As to tree roaches (aka palmetto bugs) outdoors, there is nothing you can really do to eliminate them unless you turn your home's surrounds into a desert somehow, or keep lights blazing brightly all night. They live in plant matter, especially damp plant matter, and that includes the crevices of all kinds of full-size trees.

Note that if you have cats, they will probably keep your home and much of the area around it clear of live tree roaches, because they like to hunt them. The downside of this is that many cats like to present the nasty little bug carcasses to their owners as gifts. (Nothing like finding a pile of dead roaches on your doorstep every morning.)

 

[mhfrau]

I live in South Florida, a mile inland, and have never had any sort of roaches or bug problems. We live on the third floor of a high rise building, and we leave our balcony french doors open frequently. The only issue we've ever had was the little lizards that are everywhere getting in the house. The crawl right up the side of the building. Right now, I know we have one living somewhere in our bedroom, which is fine by me, as long as it doesn't want to snuggle at night! I've always been surprised that we don't have issues since you can touch the palm trees from our balcony, and it just seems like creepy crawlies would come in from the trees.

 

[leebee]

One evening while visiting WDW, DD and I went to the Boardwalk. I think she was about 12 at the time. We parked in the Boardwalk Inn parking lot and accessed the Boardwalk via the hotel. Leaving the Boardwalk to return to our car, we were climbing the staircase outside the hotel- the one facing the Boardwalk itself, that leads up to the verandah and lobby of the hotel. DD saw what she thought was one of those cute little lizards, and bent over to get a good look. PALMETTO BUG! She shrieked and bounded up the stairs- where she promptly passed out cold! The lovely lobby staff at The Boardwalk Inn helped revive her and get her inside on to one of their couches. They brought her some apple juice and a brownie to help her feel better.

So, to paraphrase... Yes, Virginia, there ARE roaches at Disney World!

 

[low-key]

just a quick thought here, people from Fla are saying " I never seen a roach in my house", ok, but if people post here from Fla and there are roaches in there house they anit gonna post, what would they say "my house has roaches all over, ones on me right now"

 

[Cantw8]

They tend to stay outside, and really won't survive inside for long, according to my bug people. I have never seen one at a resort, but I have seen more than one in the Splash Mountain area at night. They tend to only come out at night and they love damp areas. They also love mulch and certain palm trees as in my Sago Palms. OH and they fly, so if you do it them with bug spray, really drown them. Man I hate those things.

what does this mean

 

[Robinrs]

just a quick thought here, people from Fla are saying " I never seen a roach in my house", ok, but if people post here from Fla and there are roaches in there house they anit gonna post, what would they say "my house has roaches all over, ones on me right now"

They exist in Georgia, too. I had a cat that would reach outside the window and BRING them into the house!!

 

[mhsjax]

what does this mean

Typo. It was supposed to say, if you do hit them with bug spray,. really drown them.

 

[cbg1027]

I've lived in Florida my whole life and I've seen the occasional roach in all the houses I've lived in. They best way to keep them under control is to keep a CLEAN house (especially in the kitchen!).

Keeping a clean kitchen is a huge component. I once went in to a rental property that had recently been vacated by college girls who were not good housekeepers. The kitchen was gross and when I opened the dishwasher....a bunch of roaches crawled out!!!!!

 

[MrsDuck]

I've lived in FL my whole life... I think I've many seen 10 or so cockroaches in the house in the past 20 or so years. Not a huge deal!

It's the lizards you gotta watch out for!

 

[Minnesota!]

Now, share about the snake and gator situation. How frequently are they spotted? DH REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLY wants to make the move. I, however, am a big chicken and I KNOW I would be constantly scared of the "possibility" of encountering a snake. They are my biggest fear.

I told him if he could find me a highrise where he could guarantee a snake would never get in my house, and I would never have to worry about sinkholes, I am in..