Florida Bugs To Fear

Probably the two most common thought of nasty bugs that reside in Florida are the Cockroach and the mosquito. We have several varieties of roaches including German cockroaches with I am sure was imported from up north somewhere by some yankee who wanted to share the wealth. Roaches of any sort are yucky to be sure. Even after living most of my life here in Florida (I am a transplant from New Jersey... yes I am really a yankee by birth) roaches give me the creeps!

Mosquitos are another pest which, although common across the country, just love the wet Florida climate... year round breeding season some years. Now, as mosquitos go, they are not that big. I know this because I have seen monster mosquitos in Minnesota. Minnesota mosquitos are huge, but they are also very slow. You actually have time to swat them before they bite you. Florida mosquitos are quick on the draw and carry all sorts of dangerous diseases... and the types of diseases that they carry seem to be on the increase. In Florida you absolutely need insect repellent as a life-saving precaution.

Northerners may not be aware of what we call Palmetto bugs. This sounds harmless enough, but don't be fooled! They are like HUGE roaches that fly! I know this because I have been foolish enough to be around when someone was trimming old palm trees... something I will never do again. When palm trees get the old palm fronds trimmed off the trunk, you are likely to see hundreds or thousands of pieces of debris flying off the tree. This debris is not really part of the plant. It is tons of palmetto bugs flying away to safety! I have personally witnessed thousands... once was enough!

If you live in Florida you have roaches. It doesn't matter how clean you are. It goes with the territory. You can do things that will help to keep them under control, but they are still there lurking. They are just waiting for the chance to sneak into your home and walk across your face in the middle of the night. We do have a bugman that sprays once a month... that helps. He also sprays outside of the house and that helps too. However, when it rains hard (it always rains hard in Central Florida!) and there are puddles in the yard... well, the roaches get together and the Palmetto bugs get together and organize a parade to the nearest opening they can find! Sliding glass doors are a favorite point of entry. And a few days later we have a whole new crop of freshly hatched mosquitos! So you're not safe inside or out. Ugh.

Florida is also one of those states that host ticks. Yes, Minnesota, we too have wood ticks that carry disease! Actually Florida is one of the states that has higher incidence of Lyme Disease. Maybe "tickgirl" who sometimes leaves comments on my blog will confirm this. She is a biologist who is currently being employed to investigate the types of ticks found on animals in Florida. They are looking for the spread of a particular type of tick that, thankfully, has not appeared in Florida, yet.

Now it is time to mention the Brown Recluse Spider. Yes we have them. They are nasty dangerous things... and they like to hide ( you might have guessed that from their name). You don't want to look at pictures of those spider bites. I have, and I have seen enough. Not only do I check my mailbox for roaches when I get my mail, I also check for spiders. We have other types of spiders that bite, but the Brown Rescue Spider is at the top of my list of Spiders to avoid at all costs.

The Mediterranean Fruit Fly sends shivers up the spine of citrus growers in Florida because of having their fruit quarantined several times in recent years when the flies have been discovered. Personally I am not fearful of them, but I thought I should mention them because of Florida's citrus industry. Maybe if you are from California you will understand.

But now I need to talk about the most feared bugs of all. Hundreds of people die each year (mostly the elderly) from these bugs. They annually begin to appear in the fall. By October they are getting into full swing. The bugs generally get very bad at the height of the tourist season. If you are at all astute, by now you have probably figured out that I am referring to Flu Bugs and other similar viruses that are brought here each year by the snow birds (tourists and winter residents).

I am sure that we have our own variety of viruses each year, but the tourists like to insure that we get a sampling from all over the country. They like to bring with them the most virulent forms of the Flu Bugs. If you think I am exaggerating, let me tell you what is going on here right now. Three of our major hospitals are full. I mean REALLY full. They are excepting no new patients... including through the emergency rooms. Morton Plant, Largo Medical and Suncoast...all three have had to send their incoming patients to Mease in Dunedin just a little north of here. And I have to tell you... Mortan Plant is a huge hospital (a very good one as well)! We know that things will get back to normal shortly after Easter. After Easter the snow birds go back up north, things will slow down again. By June most of us (we Floridians) will have had at least three varieties of flu bugs. Its the same every year to some degree.

Sigh... I guess it is all part of living in paradise. My appologies to the Florida Council On Tourism... but you know it 's the truth!