Wednesday Worsts…Pests, Rodents or Reptiles

[CDGator]

We’ve learned how to live with and control the mice, chipmunks and snakes on our farm. We even have brown recluse spiders in the barn but the pest control company has decreased the numbers significantly over the years. They don’t bother me. I hate the moles but it is what it is at this point. We will never have a prize winning lawn.

The worst are the flies inside and stink bugs hidden in every crevice. Drives me crazy(er)!

What’s the worst for you?

 

[LaylaGator]

Cockroaches. I've tried all kinds of professinal exterminators and their monthly treatments, but we still manage to get our share of freaking roaches.

It's Florida, so whatever. But what exactly is God's plan for the cockroach? Do possums even eat them? What is their purpose on this Earth?!?!?!?

 

[Spurffelbow833]

Don't be too quick to kill spiders. I think they eat a lot of the young cockroaches.

 

[AuggieDosta]

Cockroaches. I've tried all kinds of professinal exterminators and their monthly treatments, but we still manage to get our share of freaking roaches.

It's Florida, so whatever. But what exactly is God's plan for the cockroach? Do possums even eat them? What is their purpose on this Earth?!?!?!?

Only God knows the purpose of the cockroach.
Maybe He, too, is unsure. But it's my posit that they're here to keep most people humble...




Roach Therapy:

 

[Detroitgator]

Kids...

 

[Frozen Gator]

We’ve learned how to live with and control the mice, chipmunks and snakes on our farm. We even have brown recluse spiders in the barn but the pest control company has decreased the numbers significantly over the years. They don’t bother me. I hate the moles but it is what it is at this point. We will never have a prize winning lawn.

The worst are the flies inside and stink bugs hidden in every crevice. Drives me crazy(er)!

What’s the worst for you?

Hands down it's stink bugs especially this time of year. I have a farm too and we are inundated with the @#$% things.

 

[soflagator]

Cockroaches. I've tried all kinds of professinal exterminators and their monthly treatments, but we still manage to get our share of freaking roaches.

It's Florida, so whatever. But what exactly is God's plan for the cockroach? Do possums even eat them? What is their purpose on this Earth?!?!?!?

This. Not close. Although I do get very annoyed with spiders because of their webs. They seem to always pick areas where they have to know there’s traffic. Oblivious me on my way out the door for an early morning run and I suddenly find myself draped in their hours of work. Just be smart about things is really all I ask.

 

[CDGator]

This. Not close. Although I do get very annoyed with spiders because of their webs. They seem to always pick areas where they have to know there’s traffic. Oblivious me on my way out the door for an early morning run and I suddenly find myself draped in their hours of work. Just be smart about things is really all I ask.

Just look at it as a quick cardio warmup trying to get the web off you before the run!

 

[gingerlover]

Can't stand spiders, but the worst I ever had to deal with is ticks. When my wife was pregnant with our first child we had babysat a friends dog. Pretty sure they brought in a queen to lay their eggs (they had just found ticks in their new house). What followed is months of headache to rid ourselves of them. They are like freaking tanks and go through multiple life stages. Actually learned a lot about them working with our exterminator to get them out.

 

[CDGator]

Cockroaches. I've tried all kinds of professinal exterminators and their monthly treatments, but we still manage to get our share of freaking roaches.

It's Florida, so whatever. But what exactly is God's plan for the cockroach? Do possums even eat them? What is their purpose on this Earth?!?!?!?

Yeah - I’ve blocked those from memory since I’ve been gone from FL for so long now. We have wood roaches up here but they only come inside to die and are much smaller. Cockroaches/Palmetto bugs are awful.

 

[Gator By Marriage]

I'm with @LaylaGator and @soflagator on this. The fricking roaches are relentless and the flying roaches are the worst. We are in a constant fight with them. It's particularly bad when we have prolonged dryness as they come in looking for hydration.

BTW - Layla, Mrs G. claims ducks will happily eat them before they can get in the house and they kept ducks around when she was a kid. Needless to say, our subdivision does not allow the keeping of water fowl (or any other critters) in the yard.

 

[CDGator]

Has anyone had a dreadful encounter with bed bugs?

One of the three beach houses we rented 10 years ago had them in the bedroom where Seedy, the kids and I were sleeping. Out of 18 bedrooms in three houses ours was the only one with them. Go figure. Once we found them the rental company moved us into our own apartment away from the family. Come to think of it, @Seedy might have arranged the whole thing.

All of our belongings that couldn't be washed went in black trash bags and on top of the car in the 100 degree heat for days. Pillows went into the trash. When we got home everything went onto the driveway for several days in the heat again before it came inside.

 

[G8trwood]

When a possum crawls under the tub and dies.

When you are out of town

In July

The lord of flies was also present

 

[CDGator]

Only God knows the purpose of the cockroach.
Maybe He, too, is unsure. But it's my posit that they're here to keep most people humble...




Roach Therapy:

Cockroaches are going to be what sends all the new residents back up to NYC

 

[soflagator]

Has anyone had a dreadful encounter with bed bugs?

One of the three beach houses we rented 10 years ago had them in the bedroom where Seedy, the kids and I were sleeping. Out of 18 bedrooms in three houses ours was the only one with them. Go figure. Once we found them the rental company moved us into our own apartment away from the family. Come to think of it, @Seedy might have arranged the whole thing.

All of our belongings that couldn't be washed went in black trash bags and on top of the car in the 100 degree heat for days. Pillows went into the trash. When we got home everything went onto the driveway for several days in the heat again before it came inside.

Never. Always thought bed bugs was a pre-1940s thing—thus the old “don’t let the bed bugs bite” expression—and reserved now only for hobos who hop from train to train, sleeping on burlap sacks. All that said, your story, at least on the surface, seems to be the exception to this rule. But I notice you left out how you traveled to this potentially wrongfully accused beach house.

 

[AuggieDosta]

Deer and horse flies can be relentless. They only come around during certain parts of the spring, summer and fall so they ain't that bad. I've had deer flies follow my while on a bike for a mile.

 

[CDGator]

Never. Always thought bed bugs was a pre-1940s thing—thus the old “don’t let the bed bugs bite” expression—and reserved now only for hobos who hop from train to train, sleeping on burlap sacks. All that said, your story, at least on the surface, seems to be the exception to this rule. But I notice you left out how you traveled to this potentially wrongfully accused beach house.

We have never traveled the same since this awful experience.
The beach house was one that we stayed at 3 times before and even going back next summer. It's not a place for hobos. They tore all the carpet out of that room and of course threw away the bed. The first night we were there Seedy had a bite on his foot but didn't think anything of it. The second morning he saw a bug crawling on the bed and was going to flick it off the bed until I said "WAIT, I want to see it!" After we looked it up, it was definitely a bedbug. The pest control came out and confirmed and then inspected all the other rooms and houses. They said that people traveling from the North probably stayed at a hotel/motel on their way down and bedbugs might have gotten in their pillows. Now we never set anything on a hotel bed or floor until we've inspected the mattresses. We are never going through that again.

 

[soflagator]

We have never traveled the same since this awful experience.
The beach house was one that we stayed at 3 times before and even going back next summer. It's not a place for hobos. They tore all the carpet out of that room and of course threw away the bed. The first night we were there Seedy had a bite on his foot but didn't think anything of it. The second morning he saw a bug crawling on the bed and was going to flick it off the bed until I said "WAIT, I want to see it!" After we looked it up, it was definitely a bedbug. The pest control came out and confirmed and then inspected all the other rooms and houses. They said that people traveling from the North probably stayed at a hotel/motel on their way down and bedbugs might have gotten in their pillows. Now we never set anything on a hotel bed or floor until we've inspected the mattresses. We are never going through that again.

Awful. Didn’t even know they were big enough to be visible. But that’s why I’m always so cautious on Airbnb, condos, etc. I’m probably wrong, but I feel like hotels(big names) are safer in that regard.

 

[B52G8rAC]

Other than the bear knocking over the trash at 0300, the mountain lions attacking the neighbors pet cat, the deer browsing my wife's rose bushes, and the occasional coyote pack howling over a rabbit kill at dawn, not much going on out here. Oh, yeah, rabbits eating the garden, gopher burrows as big as a Pinellas sinkhole and horse flies from the neighbors stable. But, today the high is 70, the low is 38, the sun is bright the breeze is light and all is well in the world.

 

[soflagator]

When a possum crawls under the tub and dies.

When you are out of town

In July

The lord of flies was also present

If we’re going this big, then I agree and may have to add a close second. Possums are absolutely terrible. Had one living in an attack of a short sale I bought once. They are disgusting animals. Basically the roaches of that group.