Spiders, snakes, and tree roaches! (Memphis: crime, house, camp)

[gumpop]

Okay, so my family and I have made the decision to move to Nashville, and are in the house hunting stages, and now everyone is telling us that there are (1) Killer spiders everywhere (brown and widows); (2) Killer Snakes in suburban back yards; and (3) tree Roaches (aparently an 8 inch insect). So, what gives? Now my wife says she just wont go in the yard or work in the flwers or gardens.

[BirdieBelle]

By "everyone," are you talking about neighbors and friends where you currently live? Maybe they like you so much, they are just trying to talk you out of leaving.
Stop listening to them. Yes, there are black widows and brown recluse spiders here. There are copperheads, rattlesnakes and water moccasins here. I don't know what a tree roach is. We have bugs, just like every state in the US.
The thing is ... I've lived in Tennessee my entire life, in the city and in the suburbs. I've camped in the woods and in church camp cabins and I have never ever ever encountered one of the creatures your friends are freaking out about.
I'm not saying you won't see one, but it's not something that should keep you from living your life.

[vivelafrance]

Brown Recluse and Black Widows can be found over a wide part of the US. I've never seen one here. Anyone I've heard of who has been bitten went to the hospital and was fine the next day. I've seen snakes, never venomous...but again, these can be found all over the US. I have never heard of a tree roach and I have never seen a bug that is 8 inches long....maybe a walking stick but they are harmless.

Who is telling you about this stuff?

[jenntenn]

LOL...you make Nashville sound like the Amazon! Like the other poster stated, we do have brown recluse and black widow spiders...i have see one of each here (and i have been here a long while). And yes, if a bite is left untreated it can be deadly, but in the wonderful days of modern medicine that pretty much never happens...if ever. The snakes also exist, i have never personally seen a copper head or a water moccasin here. I did see a rattle snake once, it was dead...killed by a few guys that were bush hogging some overgrown property. I worked as a paramedic in this area for years, and never ever got a call for a snake bite...nor do i know of anyone in my service that did.
And this elusive tree roach? lol...kinda makes me laugh. I think it might be partners in crime with Big Foot and the Yeti. We do have roaches, but they are your run of the mill roaches...small (Normally less than 1/2 inch in length)
My parents work in their yard, they have never had an encounter with the above mentioned creatures...i work in my yard...i think the worst i have encountered was a tick.
[SIZE=3]I am not sure you have been getting your information from, but stop listening to them. This is Nashville, not some tropical rainforest with killer creatures. Realx![/SIZE]

[DubbleT]

I think the OP is talking about palmetto bugs, american cockroach, water bug, or whatever you want to call them. Big ole roaches about 2 inches long and they fly, and they do have them in Memphis, don't know if they have them in Nashville. I haven't seen any in east TN, so maybe it's just a Memphis thing, so far.
American cockroach - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
They don't infest like regular cockroaches, just an occasional nuisance that is easy to deal with.

[jenntenn]

We don't have "palmetto bugs" here. If we did, my mother never would have agreed to move here years ago. She grew up in Miami and just the mention of roach or palmetto bug sends her into a seizure like fit. They need super humid climates...and Memphis is about as close to that as you are going to get in TN due to the promixity of the Mississippi. Even so, seeing one that is over an inch is rare until you get down into costal areas.

[caseyinclarksville]

This post makes me chuckle... Dont be surprised if you see some copperheads or cotton mouths as well as spiders, especially out in the country. But nothing to shy you away from moving here.

[movetn]

We just came back from Middle Tennessee and encountered ticks (lots of them). We are thinking of moving to Tennessee. Can someone give me advice on keeping ticks off ourselves and the dog? We give him topical medicine from the vets but he seemed to have a few. What is the best way to remove and what are the best products? We're more worried about the ticks than anything else!

[BirdieBelle]

You can get ticks very easily. There are the bigger deer ticks and then tiny seed ticks, which seem to be getting worse.
I just use bug repellent everywhere, and if I'm going to be out in the brush or tall grass, I try to wear a hat light-colored clothing so I can at least see them easily. Like chiggers, they like waistbands, bra bands and sock lines. Anywhere your clothes fit tightly.
For dogs, we use flea shampoo and then that Interceptor topical stuff. I also check her daily in the summer.
A few years ago, when we used Chemlawn, we had them spray our yard with some kind of tick repellent and hardly noticed any ticks that year. It really worked. I think they sell DIY yard spray for ticks and fleas now.
I think it's hard to remove an embedded tick, and only know about tweezers. Maybe someone else has a better method.

[caseyinclarksville]

Frontline. Im out in the country and my dogs get alot of outside time, no problems. They occasionally get on them but they die shortly after, due to the Frontline. I guess I dont think much of it since Im a country kid. ;]