Critters in your vacation home???

[California Girl]

Now if ya'll only lived in the south you wouldn't mind one or two....they're not roaches, they're Palmetto Bugs...

We get 'em in south California, too! Palmetto Bugs come and go with the weather. After all this rain we've had I expect summer to be "buggier" than usual. uck.

[RickG]

We've seen it all, including a mouse in a silverware drawer, fruit rat in the pool at night, chickens, the works. We stayed at Casa de Sonodores in October/November and it was the first house did NOT see critters indoors. I thought it was the great tight screens, but it probably had as much to do with the pest control contractor that came by part way through the week. He hit the perimeter of the house and the inside as well. No bugs.

Cheers, RickG

[tipsy]

All the years lived in Spring Lake NC,never had a Palmetto bug prob. Just red ants (red pepper around the window & door sills did the trick there)and black runner snakes(lived next to a woods)but they were more afraid of us than we were of them. So skedaddled when we approached them. But always threw moth balls/flakes under the house (crawl space) and in shed a couple of times a year, so that might have helped??

Just keep the tarantulas & "palmetto bugs" away. I see a tarantula and everyone will hear me all the way back to the states !! ha..

[equinox]

So, what do you do if you come across a tarantula in your villa? How big are they? Do you kill it, and if so, how? How dangerous are they?

[waterguy]

You scream like a Little girl then bribe some someone else to kill it

[alw1977]

Between our trips to the Caribbean and Costa Rica, we've had all of the following visit us inside:

1. A bat
2. An eight inch long millipede
3. Roaches (used to them, being from the south)
4. Several scorpions
5. Numerous lizards, including one that lived in our garden shower at Calicaribe
6. Ant colonies
7. Coatis (a Central American mammal thingy)

Seeing a roach or two is not an issue. They will come in on groceries, boxes, luggage, etc. There is a big difference between a random roach and a roach infestation. Long story, but my first post-college apartment had a major roach problem (I was broke and the area was damp and I was stupid).

[lazylane]

I got a kick out of this thread!! We have posted on our web site: We do professionally exterminate our cabins, but they are not bug proof. Please remember you are in the woods and we have invaded the woodland creatures’ habitat so you will see bugs and spiders occasionally.

On St. John we have encountered everything that you guys have mentioned and it's kind of a joke with us! Whenever we see a critter we say - "call management, I want a refund"!!!!! We once had a couple sleep in their vehicle because they had spotted a spider!! Another wanted a refund because they had a tick on them after hiking in the woods!! Funny stuff!

[equinox]

Between our trips to the Caribbean and Costa Rica, we've had all of the following visit us inside:

1. A bat
2. An eight inch long millipede
3. Roaches (used to them, being from the south)
4. Several scorpions
5. Numerous lizards, including one that lived in our garden shower at Calicaribe
6. Ant colonies
7. Coatis (a Central American mammal thingy)

Seeing a roach or two is not an issue. They will come in on groceries, boxes, luggage, etc. There is a big difference between a random roach and a roach infestation. Long story, but my first post-college apartment had a major roach problem (I was broke and the area was damp and I was stupid).

I honestly think i have a phobia about bats. I know they're harmless, wonderful creatures and I love them...outside. I think it's something about their speed and maneuverability that freaks me out. We stayed in a mountainside villa, and although I didn't see any bats, you could almost "sense" them flitting through the trees. I did watch our pool to see if any were divebombing for a drink, but I don't think I saw any. What's your strategy if one gets inside? They're impossible to catch and you really can't coax them out. You might just let their friends in. I'm thinking you should just pull the sheet over your head, have another drink, and try to ignore it. They're not interested in us.

[PA Girl]

Bats in the house aren't uncommon where I live - rural, woodsy, older houses, lots of points of entry. In fact, we had one in our cabin last weekend. I think it hitched a ride on a piece of firewood.

Maybe we are lucky because our "vistors" always seem to be stunned and are fairly easy to catch. Last week, my husband used a newspaper to scoop it into an empty beer case. Other times, a broom works well sweep them off curtains, or if things get really exciting, knock them out of the air. Usually a good whack is enough to knock them into submission for a few moments.

[bruco72]

If someone would kindly delete this thread, I would appreciate it.

My GF occasionally reads this board and if she sees this, I will be out a lot of money as I cancel our St. John trip!

She’s been to Mexico and Grand Cayman, so lizards are no big deal, but if she sees a scorpion or a tarantula, god help me.

[Marcia (Mrs. Pete)]

A little off topic but on the theme of bats. We had a bad bat incident in our house a couple of years ago.

We live on a lake. We have lots of bugs in the summer, especially when the front porch light is on. Bats love bugs, in particular, little ones. Like the ones attracted to our light at the front porch.

Enter 17 year old teen-age daughter, 11 pm, after everyone else is asleep. She goes to her room. Goes to bed. Hears a "fan-like" noise. Feels something land on her. Opens her eyes and sees a flying rat. Flees the room. Slams the door behind her. Wakes Pete (I was out of town), to tell him that there is a bat in her room. Wisely, he suggests they deal with it in the morning, just go sleep on the couch in the living room. Bat trapped in bedroom can wait.

Amber goes to sleep in living room. Soon, the "fan-like" noise returns. Bat on the loose. She trepidatiously returns to Pete..."ummm, the bat is in the living room now." Pete grabs the first weapon available, his signed "little slugger" bat from his childhood. To the living room they go, together. Daughter armed with a pillow (smart girl).

Bat is in distress. Flitting in and out of living room, dining room, kitchen. It's now about 2 in the morning. Pete manages to shoo the beast to the mudroom area by the garage entrance. Right by Sam's bedroom. Almost home free, get the garage door open and this guy is OUTTA HERE! But, Sam opens his bedroom door: "What's going on?!" "SHUT YOUR DOO..." too late. Bat goes in Sam's room.

Sam and Pete look for more weapons. Sam arms himself with an oar (he rows crew, it made sense at the time). Pete grabs a tennis racket (where he found that, I'll never know, none of us have played tennis in the last 15 years). Amber keeps the pillow over her head (smart girl). They get the flying rodent cornered in the dining room. Then, another child awakens. "Daddy, I have a really bad nose bleed!" says Hannah.

She was not kidding. The copious amounts of blood pouring from her nose scared everyone. And, of course, made the bat curious. "GET IN THE BATHROOM, CLOSE THE DOOR AND PUT TISSUE IN YOUR NOSE! DON'T COME OUT UNTIL WE SAY SO!"

Now, the situation has gotten desperate. The bat has got to go. Pete opens the sliding doors to our deck, he and Sam shoo the winged creature to the kitchen and in a valiant moment of heroism, Pete "stuns" the critter and lobs it right out the door. Slam door shut, go check on hemoraging Hannah.

Off to the emergency room they go. The fourth kid never woke up, until Pete had to tell her that he was going to the hospital. "Huh? What happened? A bat? Bloody nose? Whaaaaaat?"

The "stunned" (dead) bat was retrieved the next morning by Amber, to take to the University of Wisconsin lab for rabies testing (we were not sure if she had been bit), Hannah's nose bleed stopped just about the time they got to the emergency room.

[alw1977]

equinox, regarding the bat, he got into our cabina in Costa Rica. We had the sliders open at dusk (our fault) and he just swept in. We couldn't figure out what to do because he was flying around very high (we had a vaulted ceiling), so we got the staff to help. They used a long-handled broom to coax him towards an exit point and out he went. I love bats - outside - but inside they have an unpredictability of flight that is quite disconcerting.

Funny sidenote: though the staff there spoke okay English, the girl who helped us didn't know the English word for "bat." She figured out that we had something in our cabin, so she grabbed the broom. On the way back, we were explaining and started flapping our arms to signal a flying creature. Her eyes lit up and she suddenly said, "OH, bat. Like Batman!" Funny that she knew Batman but had never connected it to the flying critters.

[tipsy]

A little off topic but on the theme of bats. We had a bad bat incident in our house a couple of years ago.

We live on a lake. We have lots of bugs in the summer, especially when the front porch light is on. Bats love bugs, in particular, little ones. Like the ones attracted to our light at the front porch.

Enter 17 year old teen-age daughter, 11 pm, after everyone else is asleep. She goes to her room. Goes to bed. Hears a "fan-like" noise. Feels something land on her. Opens her eyes and sees a flying rat. Flees the room. Slams the door behind her. Wakes Pete (I was out of town), to tell him that there is a bat in her room. Wisely, he suggests they deal with it in the morning, just go sleep on the couch in the living room. Bat trapped in bedroom can wait.

Amber goes to sleep in living room. Soon, the "fan-like" noise returns. Bat on the loose. She trepidatiously returns to Pete..."ummm, the bat is in the living room now." Pete grabs the first weapon available, his signed "little slugger" bat from his childhood. To the living room they go, together. Daughter armed with a pillow (smart girl).

Bat is in distress. Flitting in and out of living room, dining room, kitchen. It's now about 2 in the morning. Pete manages to shoo the beast to the mudroom area by the garage entrance. Right by Sam's bedroom. Almost home free, get the garage door open and this guy is OUTTA HERE! But, Sam opens his bedroom door: "What's going on?!" "SHUT YOUR DOO..." too late. Bat goes in Sam's room.

Sam and Pete look for more weapons. Sam arms himself with an oar (he rows crew, it made sense at the time). Pete grabs a tennis racket (where he found that, I'll never know, none of us have played tennis in the last 15 years). Amber keeps the pillow over her head (smart girl). They get the flying rodent cornered in the dining room. Then, another child awakens. "Daddy, I have a really bad nose bleed!" says Hannah.

She was not kidding. The copious amounts of blood pouring from her nose scared everyone. And, of course, made the bat curious. "GET IN THE BATHROOM, CLOSE THE DOOR AND PUT TISSUE IN YOUR NOSE! DON'T COME OUT UNTIL WE SAY SO!"

Now, the situation has gotten desperate. The bat has got to go. Pete opens the sliding doors to our deck, he and Sam shoo the winged creature to the kitchen and in a valiant moment of heroism, Pete "stuns" the critter and lobs it right out the door. Slam door shut, go check on hemoraging Hannah.

Off to the emergency room they go. The fourth kid never woke up, until Pete had to tell her that he was going to the hospital. "Huh? What happened? A bat? Bloody nose? Whaaaaaat?"

The "stunned" (dead) bat was retrieved the next morning by Amber, to take to the University of Wisconsin lab for rabies testing (we were not sure if she had been bit), Hannah's nose bleed stopped just about the time they got to the emergency room.

OH MY!!! Am in stitches here... Of course if had been me,would have found the nearest motel to spend the night in till Mr Bat found other living quarters!! Glad Hannahs nose was ok. Have 8 GK and know how the others can sleep thru whatever is going on!
TOO FUNNY, thanks for the laughs.

[tipsy]

If someone would kindly delete this thread, I would appreciate it.

My GF occasionally reads this board and if she sees this, I will be out a lot of money as I cancel our St. John trip!

She’s been to Mexico and Grand Cayman, so lizards are no big deal, but if she sees a scorpion or a tarantula, god help me.

Know what you mean, but your mission if choose to accept; is to keep this thread hidden or tell her it's about the campground housing.
Meanwhile, I'm listing all the diff.kinds of sprays can put in box sending down for every critter that walks the earth !!

[liamsaunt]

Marcia, that is a hysterical story! Thank you for the late afternoon laugh.

Regarding tarantula disposal, we use the same method for most large bugs. Trap it under a good sized glass or bowl (preferably clear glass, so you can keep an eye on the bug in question), slide a piece of paper or (preferably) cardboard underneath to create a trap, take it outside, and fling the bug (not the dish or the cardboard) off the deck.

Scorpions always get squashed though.