TERRIFIED!! Do palmetto bugs bite?

[bangzoom6877]

How big are these things at most? I have had huge (or at least what we call huge in NY) waterbugs (American roaches) in my basement, usually every spring. These things can be like 2 inches or so in length for the really big ones. I found one in my kitchen sink a couple of months ago and totally freaked out. But I have yet to see one fly! That's the part that scares me most I think...one flying out at me into my face or something fresky like that!

So how big? 3, 4 inches? Hopefully not!!

-Bonnie

 

[Disney1976]

How big are these things at most? I have had huge (or at least what we call huge in NY) waterbugs (American roaches) in my basement, usually every spring. These things can be like 2 inches or so in length for the really big ones. I found one in my kitchen sink a couple of months ago and totally freaked out. But I have yet to see one fly! That's the part that scares me most I think...one flying out at me into my face or something fresky like that!

So how big? 3, 4 inches? Hopefully not!!

-Bonnie

A Palmetto bug IS an American cockroach, it just sounds more southern, lol. Yea, they can get to be a couple of inches in length -don't think I've ever seen one bigger than that.

Now, the wolf spiders you might see out here can be huge -as big as your hand, and covered in "fur" like a wolf. Icky, I know, but completely harmless towards humans, and as a bonus, they eat Palmetto bugs.

 

[Daydreamer64]

yuck!

Living in Georgia for 20 years now, we have had our share of P bugs get into our house.

My DH comes home from work at 11pm. They are usually near the door. He tries to race them to get in - he rings the door bell, I turn on the light so he can shoo the ones he sees away, and then we make sure to be no where near the door as he is coming in like a linebacker to get the door closed fast.

He knows if he lets one in, there WILL be an all night search- I can't stand the things. He is usually makes it but once a month or so they get in.

I am always paranoid that they will set up housekeeping and infest my home. If I even think that one got in, I HAVE to hunt it down- those suckers don't die easily-= they are crunchy and just refuse to die quietly.

I swear they know it's over and do their best to fly and run away. I have one weapon- the air conditioner, they don't run too fast if they are cold- I set that air to 60, if I have to, to slow them down so I can get them.

I heard one time that roaches, among other bugs, can crawl into your ear.

We have seen them a time or two at WDW.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Ooh, those spiders sound nasty but if they are harmless to people that is not as bad I suppose. They sound like tarantulas though!

My mom's friend saw a palmetto in Florida once back in the '80s. She thought it was a bird!

Man am I frightened of these things, especially since we have an outdoor entrance to our room.

Do they tend to be around more at night than during the day though? We will be having early nights since we have little kids, so I am hoping not to see any!

-Bonnie

 

[antree]

You are FREAKIN me OUT!!! We are going in July and I have seen these things in August and Oct. For days I have been talking about this scared to death of seeing them again. I HATE ROACHES!

As I am reading this post I am screaming and my brother and son are laughing telling me to stop reading, but I can't I need to know what these things do.

Now I am going to have nightmares, See what I do for Disney.

 

[bangzoom6877]

You are FREAKIN me OUT!!! We are going in July and I have seen these things in August and Oct. For days I have been talking about this scared to death of seeing them again. I HATE ROACHES!

As I am reading this post I am screaming and my brother and son are laughing telling me to stop reading, but I can't I need to know what these things do.

Now I am going to have nightmares, See what I do for Disney.

LOL, I have nightmares about these things too! We're having a heat wave right now in NY, and I have been seeing those creepy crawly things with a lot of legs (centipedes), ourside, in the house, etc. They come out when the heat is intense and humidity is high, so it has not been fun. But these things are TINY compared to a palmetto!

I'm afraid if I see one I will freak out and make my sons scared of bugs. I would prefer for them to grow up without my fear of insects. I don't knwo what it is about roaches and huge bugs...even if I know they are not going to hurt me, I am still afraid of them. I see one of those centipedes in my house and I call downstairs to DH for him to come up and get rid of it...for some reason I can't do it myself unless I absolutely have no other choice (i.e., DH is not home and I am the only adult in the house). Bees scare me too, because they sting. Terrified of them!!

Again, I don't know what it is about these things...they are really harmless to people if you see one, but I totally FREAK OUT!! Unfortunately I can't afford to stay in a deluxe resort for an indoor corridor!

-Bonnie

 

[Disney1976]

Ah...we also have Asian cockroaches out here. They aren't filth breeding either, but they fly -in huge swarms! They're pretty rare though, usually for whatever reason you tend to only see them around new construction. When I worked customer service years ago for a pest control company that serviced a brand new development that was still undergoing construction. You should have heard some of the calls from homeowners FREAKED OUT about these huge swarms of hundreds of cockroachs flying past their windows.

As for the pp who asked about when you might see Palmetto bugs -if you see them at all, I've seen them at all different times, from early morning to late at night. Doesn't seem to make a difference.

 

[Hoodie]

Ooh, those spiders sound nasty but if they are harmless to people that is not as bad I suppose. They sound like tarantulas though!

My mom's friend saw a palmetto in Florida once back in the '80s. She thought it was a bird!

Man am I frightened of these things, especially since we have an outdoor entrance to our room.

Do they tend to be around more at night than during the day though? We will be having early nights since we have little kids, so I am hoping not to see any!

-Bonnie

Do NOT try to squish a wolf spider if it looks fuzzy. My friend (lives in Florida) did that once - the fuzz is actually baby spiders. Wolf spiders carry their young on their legs and back - which look like hair.

As my friend learned, you may get momma, but you'll also get hundreds of baby spiders running all over.

Palmetto bugs are gross, but not harmful. I'm more creeped out by the spider!

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

Okay, I feel a little better now (not too freaked out about the other bugs, don't worry!).

Does charcoal repel these nasty critters? Glad to hear they can't fly for long distances though! My my my, this is why I don't live in the south! I always say in the winter, we have to move someplace warm, until I see a bug when the weather gets warm!

Anyhow, should I bring charcoal to put under the bed or something?

-Bonnie

I can just imagine it now - walking through the airport with a leaky bag of charcoal in tow!!! Think of all the funny looks you will get!! I say don't worry about it, bugs happen!! I remember reading somewhere that you EAT either 7 or 11 spiders a year.... one palmedo bug won't kill ya!

 

[santa's surpriz]

Keep in mind that if you are from the northern states roaches and roach like bugs are a result if filth. In the south they are result of water and humidity. They are disgusting, but just a part of the south. Also you never have just one of these things, they can make themselves paper thin and get anywhere. I used to live in NC on Lake Norman, we had them and I never got used to them. One year later and I still have nightmares about them!

 

[tomboy_m]

I was at the Pop Century resort in September of 2007 for a week and in May of 2008 for 10 days and I didn't see any of palmetto bugs, not even one and I was outside a lot by the pool and on the sidewalks with my DD.

 

[Daydreamer64]

Someone asked when they are active- all times of the day around here, but like most roach bugs, we see most of them in the evening through the night into early morning.

 

[bangzoom6877]

I can just imagine it now - walking through the airport with a leaky bag of charcoal in tow!!! Think of all the funny looks you will get!! I say don't worry about it, bugs happen!! I remember reading somewhere that you EAT either 7 or 11 spiders a year.... one palmedo bug won't kill ya!

Thank goodness we are driving then!

I know bugs happen but when you have a fear of these things it is hard to just tell yourself that. I'm sure that once I am down there, I will not be thinking about bugs and I will just be having lots of fun!

I still might pick up some charcoal the day before we arrive at Disney, just in case. It may make me feel better. We're driving down from NY, but first before Disney, going to Boca for a few days to visit some relatives. So maybe I will pick some up at Publix over there. I don't know. We'll see!

-Bonnie

 

[disneyfreak33]

We live in SC and have a ton of them here. They do not fly, they do not bite. They are just ugly and they run really fast. Nothing a can of raid won't cure.

I think my husband has funded all the employees of the raid company buying so many cans of that stuff.

They don't like cold so if your room is cold trust me when I say they will die soon enough. They breath through their legs they will suffocate on the carpet as well.

I don't much like them either, when we first moved here I thought it was a roach . Being originally from NJ it was my first reaction. Then I asked a friend and he explained to me what they were. So we live with them now and when I find one come in the raid comes out and if all else fails and I miss the little sucker my cat eventually finds it and has a midnight snack.

 

[a1tinkfans]

We live in SC and have a ton of them here. They do not fly, they do not bite. They are just ugly and they run really fast. Nothing a can of raid won't cure.

I think my husband has funded all the employees of the raid company buying so many cans of that stuff.

They don't like cold so if your room is cold trust me when I say they will die soon enough. They breath through their legs they will suffocate on the carpet as well.

I don't much like them either, when we first moved here I thought it was a roach . Being originally from NJ it was my first reaction. Then I asked a friend and he explained to me what they were. So we live with them now and when I find one come in the raid comes out and if all else fails and I miss the little sucker my cat eventually finds it and has a midnight snack.

TOO FUNNY They are such big dumb bugs!!

 

[Juliegirl1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmetto_bug

Wikipedia says Palmetto bugs and the American cockroach are the same thing. I looked a couple of different places and didn't see anything about charcoal controlling them. Also I have never heard that charcoal would control them and I've lived in Texas with the creepy critters for all of my life.

I'd worry more about the snakes - just keep your eyes open as you are walking around the resort. The last time I was there a kid was running and ran (without hitting it) over a snake that was about three feet long. I think it was a harmless one but still those creep me out worse than the Palmetto bugs.

 

[bangzoom6877]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmetto_bug

Wikipedia says Palmetto bugs and the American cockroach are the same thing. I looked a couple of different places and didn't see anything about charcoal controlling them. Also I have never heard that charcoal would control them and I've lived in Texas with the creepy critters for all of my life.

I'd worry more about the snakes - just keep your eyes open as you are walking around the resort. The last time I was there a kid was running and ran (without hitting it) over a snake that was about three feet long. I think it was a harmless one but still those creep me out worse than the Palmetto bugs.

Ewwww!!!!!!

 

[Disney1976]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmetto_bug

Wikipedia says Palmetto bugs and the American cockroach are the same thing.

That's what I said earlier in this thread, too. I think people use the term "Palmetto bug" because when people hear the word cockroach, they automatically think disease and filth, but that only pertains to certain types of roaches, like the German cockroach.

 

[NotUrsula]

So we live with them now and when I find one come in the raid comes out and if all else fails and I miss the little sucker my cat eventually finds it and has a midnight snack.

Here's a funny for you. Once upon a time when I was a student I lived in a duplex in Baton Rouge that had a huge live oak in the front yard, right next to the porch. The front door was badly insulated, so on cold nights the Palmetto Bugs would try to come under the door into the house. The cat I had then would have a delightful evening hunting to her heart's content, just watching them come under the door and pouncing. The downside was that she was so proud of herself that in the mornings I'd find a little pile of bug corpses that she would present to me as a gift.

 

[dshouse4]

All I can say is that if I lived there, I would have to have a cat like that. We are in NC and have had the "Monster Bugs" as we call them and yes they fly...hate those things and wish I had not read the thread to hear about the wolf spiders. I cannot stand a spider, can deal with the monster bugs. My DD20 has bug phobia, I am not kidding, when she was a child, I would have to pull the car over to kill a gnat. She will not hear of any possibility of bugs at Disney from me