Bugs, Spiders and Critters in Colorado! (Denver, Colorado Springs: house, scorpions, subdivision)

[REIRehabber]

Family is seriously considering about moving to the beautiful state of Colorado. We would like to get a feel of the spiders, bugs and critter situation there. We are currently on the East Coast where it's really humid and we have some relatively LARGE house Spiders, wolf spiders , black widow, brown recluse, mosquitos, bugs, cockroaches, snakes(copperheads). You get the idea.

PLEASE DON"T POST ANY PICTURES. I won't be able to read the thread, so please be kind. Thank you.

I seriously hope that there isn't a serious problem there. An occasional harmless small house spider every now and then, I can deal with.

Please help us to assess the situation there, so we will be well prepared. We are looking at living in a develop subdivision either in Ft Collins, Denver or Colorado Springs area.

Thank you so much in advance of your replies.

[sterlinggirl]

We've got mice with hantavirus that will kill you quickly
Mosquitos with west nile virus that will kill you slowly
black widows
brown recluse spiders
cockroaches
rattlesnakes
prairie dogs with bubonic plague
bears that eat people and destroy trampolines
mountain lions that eat people/pets
coyotes that eat pets

Never seen a copperhead though...

[jazzlover]

Covered in other threads, but:

Brown recluse spiders

Black widow spiders--very common

Wasps, yellowjackets, etc.--also very common

Ticks--including ones that carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever--very common in the mid-elevation mountain areas in the late spring, early summer

Mosquitoes that can carry West Nile Virus

Rattlesnakes in some areas--most are smaller varieties, but poisonous nonetheless

Some roaches

Scorpions in some locales

Potential for giardia bacteria in supposedly "pure" mountain streams

All probably in smaller quantities than humid areas to the east, but still here nonetheless.

[Cupcake77]

Ticks, Brown recluse spiders used to live in the wood pile on the side of my house. I think all my dogs came down with giardia. Treatment for that took a long time to cure and they would still have relapses months later and have to go back on antibiotics.

[jim9251]

Wow sounds like Arkansas with all those bugs! Of course our mosquitoes are the size of birds.

[80skeys]

Almost no bugs or insects in Colorado. don't pay attention to previous posters who are blowing it way out of proportion.
THis state is a very dry, arid climate which puts a real limit on the amount of insects around.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Almost no bugs or insects in Colorado. don't pay attention to previous posters who are blowing it way out of proportion.
THis state is a very dry, arid climate which puts a real limit on the amount of insects around.

It's not exactly the Amazon, but we have plenty of bugs here, especially in the more rural areas below 10k feet.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Almost no bugs or insects in Colorado. don't pay attention to previous posters who are blowing it way out of proportion.
THis state is a very dry, arid climate which puts a real limit on the amount of insects around.

As a resident of Grand Junction, you apparently don't venture up onto Grand Mesa when the mosquitoes can carry you away--which is a good part of the summer. Or down in Ruby Canyon in the spring when the No-see-um gnats will eat you alive. Or out in some of the wet alkali areas where the deerflies are so voracious that they will drive cattle and horses (and people) crazy with all their biting. Or up in the hills in spring and early summer on a hike when you throw your clothes in the bathtub when you get home so you can see all of the ticks crawl out. Or maybe down in your crawlspace where all of those nice black widows like to hang out.

Less bugs than other places? Yes, but bug free? Gimme a break.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

As a resident of Grand Junction, you apparently don't venture up onto Grand Mesa when the mosquitoes can carry you away--which is a good part of the summer. Or down in Ruby Canyon in the spring when the No-see-um gnats will eat you alive. Or out in some of the wet alkali areas where the deerflies are so voracious that they will drive cattle and horses (and people) crazy with all their biting. Or up in the hills in spring and early summer on a hike when you throw your clothes in the bathtub when you get home so you can see all of the ticks crawl out. Or maybe down in your crawlspace where all of those nice black widows like to hang out.

Less bugs than other places? Yes, but bug free? Gimme a break.

Original posters asking about Denver area.
Not Grand Mesa.

compared to "average" America, most of Colorado is indeed almost "bug free."

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

It's not exactly the Amazon, but we have plenty of bugs here, especially in the more rural areas below 10k feet.

Not compared to the East Coast.
"plenty" is not a word that should be used to describe bugs in colorado
if you want to know what "plenty" means go hiking in british colombia or go live in Austin Texas.