Does anyone have Palmetto bugs?
I saw one for the 1st time ever in my house and it nearly scared me to death. If I saw one (now dead), does that mean I have more? If so, how do I get rid of them? Are they becoming a problem in Brooklyn these days???
I saw one for the 1st time ever in my house and it nearly scared me to death. If I saw one (now dead), does that mean I have more?
If so, how do I get rid of them?
Are they becoming a problem in Brooklyn these days???
I’m not sure what the different names are being thrown around, but it sounds like you might be talking about a house centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata). I’m sure there are other differences between house centipedes and roaches, but the main one seems to be that house centipedes survive on other bugs, not food from sloppy people. They have about 30 legs. If your bugs have less legs, they’re probably silverfish, which eat sugary things – glue in book bindings, drapes, food, etc.
Both are gross, but harmless.
Creatures of the steamy summer they are, they are! also referred to as “Waterbugs” … whatever their name, they’re huge and fearsome! They look like mutated cockroaches… and they can fly short distances which makes them extra creepy if you’re trying to get rid of one… fortunately, they tend to prefer damp dark basement areas and aren’t found frequently in the main living areas of homes..
I would try the gluetraps if you spotted only aone here and there in your basement… call the exterminator immediately if there are multitudes,
’cause by August the problem will not be pleasant.
I always thought that “Palmetto Bugs” was a Southern colloquialism and that it essentially referred to large roaches. Often I’ll hear NYers say” It wasn’t a roach, it was huge- it was a Palmetto Bug” ( I’m paraphrasing).
Some people maintain the Palmetto Bugs are LIKE roaches but differ in that they have the power of flight(?!) It’s splitting hairs to me- you can call ’em “Magical Love Bugs”- I call them roaches and I call them foe.
Glue traps seem to do the trick for us, too. Lotsa people swear by boric acid which is a cheap and easy solution.
Now, what can I do about these godd*mn SILVERFISH?
…and they can fly short distances.
Check this out:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/entomology/444-288/444-288.html
With standard NYC roaches, if you have one, you have many. Is it the same with Palmettos as well?
I don’t know how biologically different they are, but it would not surprise me if the name of these creatures is a function of people in expensive neighborhoods attempting to distinguish themselves from their lowly bretheran
Palmetto Shmalmetto, call them what you want but they’re all cockroaches.
Get an exterminator. I have one quarterly. No bugs. However if a palmetto bug “scares you to death” you may have some other issues?