Moving to Orlando area...Palmetto bugs

[Photoguy]

Didn't know where to post this...

Okay how bad is it? For those of you that live there year round how unbearable is it? My brother just moved to Florida last July and is trying to convince me to move there as well. But I'm finding out he's neglected to tell me about the negatives. I'm a clean person and I keep a clean house, but I'm hearing with palmetto bugs that doesn't really matter a whole lot. I've read horror stories about people waking up with them in their bed, stepping on them in the middle of the night, etc. Is it common to have them in your home? I just don't know that I could handle giant cockroaches skittering about in my house. Bugs are just not my thing. Thanks everyone!

 

[LivingtheWDWdream]

Our apartment complex gives us access to pest control whenever we feel we need it and we have them spray once every other month or so just to ensure that we don't see any but if we see some come in between visits then we will call for a visit for the companies next visit (they are on property every week but only go to the units on the list that requested service). That said we have seen very few by having them spray on this schedule and usually see an influx if its rained a lot. Like right now its rained for a few days in the row so its possible to see one come in trying to avoid weather outdoors.

We do keep all our food that gets opened (cereal, pasta, rice, flour, sugar, coffee) in containers that have lids. Trash gets taken out once a day or every other day just to keep temptation away. We keep counter services clean at all times. We don't leave dirty dishes in the sink even during the day we put them in the dishwasher then run it when full.

So as long as you keep your place clean, keep things that would tempt them put away and stored properly, and find a reputable pest control company (if you own or rent a private home) or find an apartment complex that offers it for its renters free or for a small fee then you will be fine.

Every area of the country has something they deal with field mice, scorpions, snakes, spiders, palmetto bugs, so if your going to base it on what might possible get inside your home, I'd go with bugs that you can easily spray for, only crunch (compare to some you'd need traps or long poles to remove) if you squish them with a shoe and can take preventative steps to avoid having them over things that are to me much harder to or to me are gross to try to get rid of.

 

[Art 1]

Nothing to be concerned about.

 

[etruelove]

The easiest and cheapest way to rid the majority of Palmetto Bugs (roaches) is to spray the outside of the home along ground, and around the openings (think blood on doors at passover). Trim bushes that touch the house, and get the Combat gel and place one dot under each electrical plate, tv plate, data plate in the house and on back of electronics (they love warm spots) as well as on cabinet doors .

Sounds like a lot, but after getting a professional quote you will be willing to do this. Remember that the poisoned bugs should be left to disappear, not thrown away. They eat their dead and this is just as effective to kill the nest.

On rainy days, some times a few will find their way into the house. Determine the path and respray the path. Everything can be purchased at wal-mart, home depot, lowes, etc..

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Didn't know where to post this...

Okay how bad is it? For those of you that live there year round how unbearable is it? My brother just moved to Florida last July and is trying to convince me to move there as well. But I'm finding out he's neglected to tell me about the negatives. I'm a clean person and I keep a clean house, but I'm hearing with palmetto bugs that doesn't really matter a whole lot. I've read horror stories about people waking up with them in their bed, stepping on them in the middle of the night, etc. Is it common to have them in your home? I just don't know that I could handle giant cockroaches skittering about in my house. Bugs are just not my thing. Thanks everyone!

I am with you. I hate cockroaches, esp. GIANT ones. "shudders"

 

[Southernmiss]

Our apartment complex gives us access to pest control whenever we feel we need it and we have them spray once every other month or so just to ensure that we don't see any but if we see some come in between visits then we will call for a visit for the companies next visit (they are on property every week but only go to the units on the list that requested service). That said we have seen very few by having them spray on this schedule and usually see an influx if its rained a lot. Like right now its rained for a few days in the row so its possible to see one come in trying to avoid weather outdoors.

We do keep all our food that gets opened (cereal, pasta, rice, flour, sugar, coffee) in containers that have lids. Trash gets taken out once a day or every other day just to keep temptation away. We keep counter services clean at all times. We don't leave dirty dishes in the sink even during the day we put them in the dishwasher then run it when full.

So as long as you keep your place clean, keep things that would tempt them put away and stored properly, and find a reputable pest control company (if you own or rent a private home) or find an apartment complex that offers it for its renters free or for a small fee then you will be fine.

Every area of the country has something they deal with field mice, scorpions, snakes, spiders, palmetto bugs, so if your going to base it on what might possible get inside your home, I'd go with bugs that you can easily spray for, only crunch (compare to some you'd need traps or long poles to remove) if you squish them with a shoe and can take preventative steps to avoid having them over things that are to me much harder to or to me are gross to try to get rid of.

This. Sightings of cockroaches are not a daily occurance if you are basically clean and spray the house. Dh does ours about every 3 or 4 months with spray we buy at Wal-Mart Lowes or home depot. We rarely see a bug in the house and we have lots of trees (They tend to live in trees and woodsy areas.) Usually when we see a bug it's because it's time to spray again.

 

[Photoguy]

Thanks everyone. We get the occasional housefly or spider here in Illinois, so I don't mind a bug every couple months, but just not 2 or 3 times a day in my home. I didn't want of these big things making it's way into my house and I don't see it and it breeds and now I'm infested. I just couldn't cope with that. I also don't want to have to be constantly cleaning. My place here in Illinois is clean, but it's not a daily ritual for me. Is once a week usually enough? (minus keeping food particles off the stove and wiping down the countertops) I guess I don't want my life to be about having to constantly clean and fighting the encroaching jungle. I was looking to move to Florida to be near my brother, hang out at Disney and Universal, etc. I had hopes of buying a place with some acreage and a horse barn, but now I'm thinking I'd be in a bug induced straightjacket if I did that. LOL! The pest companies...do they use a pet friendly spray? I have two cats.

 

[Southernmiss]

Thanks everyone. We get the occasional housefly or spider here in Illinois, so I don't mind a bug every couple months, but just not 2 or 3 times a day in my home. I didn't want of these big things making it's way into my house and I don't see it and it breeds and now I'm infested. I just couldn't cope with that. I also don't want to have to be constantly cleaning. My place here in Illinois is clean, but it's not a daily ritual for me. Is once a week usually enough? (minus keeping food particles off the stove and wiping down the countertops) I guess I don't want my life to be about having to constantly clean and fighting the encroaching jungle. I was looking to move to Florida to be near my brother, hang out at Disney and Universal, etc. I had hopes of buying a place with some acreage and a horse barn, but now I'm thinking I'd be in a bug induced straightjacket if I did that. LOL! The pest companies...do they use a pet friendly spray? I have two cats.

I think you would be fine with your plan even with some acreage and a horse barn. Yes there are pet friendly sprays.

 

[mhsjax]

While cleanliness is always a VERY good thing, Palmetto bugs aren't there because of the dirt, those are German Cockroaches. I have a hatred of them, like nothing else. I have asked numerous bug people and they all give me the same answer.

These are outside bugs, they actually don't survive inside for long. However, in Florida we do have them and they will fly, yes fly in very quickly. Had a long talk with my bug person not too long ago, she shares my hatred of them.

Also they LOVE LOVE LOVE moisture. One thing people do here is mulch, WRONG. They love that stuff, wood plus moisture= Roaches. Avoid this stuff at all costs. Keep wet towels picked up, food, etc. and get a good bug man or woman to spray. Anyone that tells you that they can get "rid" of them is lying, they can only be controlled. They have been around forever and they will probably be the last surviving living thing.

Also you don't see them very often during the day, I saw one outside in the middle of the day, was told that is because he was sick and starving.

Don't ever leave your doors open at night, they will run in. They also love grills.

Ok, enough I am totally creeped out right now, oh yeah it is pouring rain, this also brings them out for the next few days.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Florida, HATE HATE HATE roaches, I still wouldn't live anywhere else. come on down, you will be fine.

 

[tony111]

Those bugs are the least of your worries. Have you seen the size of that mouse in the Magic Kingdom?

 

[pookybean]

I agree with everything everyone else has already said.

Aside from that, I had a hard time separating palmetto bug and cockroach in my mind. I am originally from Boston and there they were roaches. The "dirty" ones and "clean" people didn't have them in their homes. I went to SC for an internship one summer and the palmetto bugs were everywhere in our apartment. I couldn't take it because I am clean and we don't have bugs.

Fast forward many years and I live in Philadelphia where on occasion we will see BOTH of them! The traditional small "dirty" cockroaches and the big palmetto bugs (that we call waterbugs). The palmetto bugs I will see in the basement if it has been really wet, and sometimes they will come up to the kitchen sink if things have been left in there overnight or the counter was left wet.

Long story short, "dirty" cockroaches are fast! They will run and you can hardly catch them to kill. The waterbugs are slow and you can crush them pretty easily. So....if after you take all the precautions if you still see one you can smush it before it gets away and you don't have to worry as much that they are going away to infest your house.

Hope this maybe alleviates your worries a little. Despite my episode in SC, I would move to FL in a HEARTBEAT if given the chance


Edit...ah yes, I forgot the flying componant to the palmetto bug, so maybe they are not exactly the same as the waterbug I see in Philly, but the size is close enough!

 

[NotUrsula]

Not all American Brown Cockroaches (aka Palmetto Bugs) can fly; only some of them can. As a kid we never had the flying kind near our home, but there were plenty at school several miles away.

If they get inside the house, they will usually try to leave rather quickly if it is bright and dry, as they crave darkness and moisture. You will most commonly see them indoors near kitchen sink drains; they will crawl up the drain if there is any food left in the sink -- disgusting soggy food bits are nirvana to them. The best thing you can do is always keep some borax powder near the sink and put some of it in the drain every night to make it inhospitable.

Mostly they live in trees, and you can guess why they love palmettos; they stay wet on the inside and have lots of dark crevices between the fronds. Foundation plantings are NOT a good idea in semitropical environments for this reason; they keep the ground near the house damp, and if there is an opening in your home they can migrate right from the plants to find it.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

I moved to SWF from NJ two years ago. Florida has a lot of bugs, spiders, and snakes. I was fearful that at every turn there would be bugs too. We bought a house, and we hire a pesto control company to spray. They come 6 times a year and spray outside the home, and they do spray inside twice a year. The products they use are pet friendly. The inside spray does smell, but it dissipates in about 2 hours. We don't have a problem with bugs inside, and if you spray yourself or use someone you will be okay. If you don't, then you will have problems.

Also, there are so many types of ants in florida too, so keeping your property clean and spray if nessessary helps too.

Best of luck with your decision. As with anywhere, there are positives and negatives.

 

[lorimay]

I have been in my home for 15 years, we bought it brand new.
I have never had one of those big critters in my home thank God.
But those damn sugar ants are a pain in the butt.
As soon as it rains, they make an appearance.

Just spray the inside and outside before you move in and continue monthly spraying you will be fine.

 

[FLCyndi]

If we see one in the house we throw it out. The skinks love to eat them.

 

[PeterPanic]

Those bugs are the least of your worries. Have you seen the size of that mouse in the Magic Kingdom?

Mice??? Have you seen the size of that cricket?

 

[palmtreegirl]

We've never had a problem with them.

 

[SandrA9810]

Growing up in Miami, we usually found one or two palmetto bugs in/near the kitchen area a few times a year. Not anything excessive, but they're less disgusting than those german roaches. I never encountered those till I moved to Orlando. Some apartment complexes are really good about spraying the grounds, but near impossible to control once they're inside. If one person sprayed, they'd just move to the next apartment for the time being. Every one needs to treat at the same time to have any effects or else they just run through the walls to a safe place.

There are plenty of good apartment places (if you plan to live in one). Then there's some dousies like any other place. There's an apartment rating site, its a good start to find out if there's a roach problem there. Florida just doesn't have a strong enough winter to kill off pesky bugs once a year. So you have to be on guard all year round.

German roaches also love warm areas. They love outlets and can crawl through the little slats. Take off all the plates, and pour a powder poison like borax in the box. There's gel stuff, but it usually becomes ineffective after about 3-4 months.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

Palmetto bugs aren't just in Florida. When we would visit my in-laws in Dallas, they were crawling all over the bathroom walls at night. DFIL always insisted they didn't exist. When I told my sister in law she said (with a strong southern drawl) "that's not a roach, that's a water bug!". That's the family joke now, whenever we see a huge roach, don't worry, it's not a roach...it's a "water bug".

 

[SLK1]

I've lived in Orlando for almost 20 years and came here, like you, thinking I would be most certainly eaten by a bug. Not so. Are there bugs? YES. Is there pest control? YES.

Quality of life here FAR outweighs any concerns you might have about bugs.