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Bugs
#11
That's good to hear. My husband and I are interested in the Kaniahiku Village and so, being relatively close to Volcano, hopefully we won't encounter them.

I really appreciate everyone's feedback so far, thank you.
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#12
They say that baby rattler bites are worse because they haven't yet learned how to "dose" their bites and put all their venom into it. I have wondered if that's why the blue centipedes are more venomous, because they're babies.

Yes, it's the same species. When they're just hatched they're sort of off-white, get blue-purple tinge and eventually brown. You realize that after finding them in all the various stages of color.

Some people are allergic to them. The blue ones can cause anaphylactic shock in sensitive individuals. I'm doing my best to never find out.

Right now I'm getting over two ant bites (not sure if they were fire, but they sure hurt and itched) and two crab spider bites that turned into big red lumps. I think I must be extra sensitive to crab spiders because one hardly ever hears them mentioned in the list. I got bitten Tuesday and the bites are still red and raised but starting to fade. I was all over them with clay, benadryl, and homeopathic sting ointment, but they still got bad.

They're everywhere in my yard today. I'm feeling discouraged ... it's a beautiful day but if I work in the yard I'm pretty sure to get bitten again ... <whine>

Boric acid isn't a toxic chemical. I even had my doctor look up what happens to it if it gets hot and it remains inert. It works on bugs because it dehydrates them when they crawl over it, as I've been told. I'm not a fan of insecticide.
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#13
We bpought that battery operated bug zapper at Cost U less yesterday. Dont know if it will keep bug population down but did entertain every one. We are so easily amused on the deck!
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#14
Kathy - I too have heard about the difference in bite strengths in the different ages of rattlers. I currently live in AZ and have heard of many snake bite stories.

I'm sorry to hear about all the critters in your yard! I look forward to playing and gardening in my yard and really hope we don't have any problematic bugs/spiders to worry about. It won't deter me from moving, it's just my greatest fear.

I, too, won't be using pesticides as they can be quite hazardous to pets. However, I do plan on getting boric acid and clay the moment we make the move. (Unfortunatly, the only thing holding us up is finding a loan since there aren't many options anymore because of the market - that's a whole other thread).

Mahalo
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#15
Is Boric Acid harmful to pets?
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#16
I have read many things about boric acid - both being toxic and not being toxic. However, in everything I've read, it talks about putting it behind refrigerators, in cabinets and under beds. My assumption is that it is harmful if your pet eats it but if it's put in a place they can't get to it, you should be ok.

Anyone else hear of anything?
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#17
For a flea infestation, my vet advised me yesterday to get "micro-pulverized Boric Acid powder". Spread on all carpeting, even under the furniture, work it in with a broom and then vacuum only the top layer - leaving as much as possible down deep in the carpet. The Boric Acid kills flea larvae, who hate the light and stay deep in the material, by dehydrating them. It can last for up to a year, although she recommended repeating every six months or so.

She explained that one should vacuum the top layer because it can irritate pet's paws (or bare human feet) and, if ingested in a fairly large amount (she said "if your cat licks a large swath of the carpet"), could make the animal sick.

Back in New York, we used to put a one-half-inch wide trail of Boric Acid powder (not the micro-pulverized type) along the complete exterior of the inside of our apartments, including inside cabinets and closets and behind all furniture and appliances. Anyone who did so never saw a roach inside, unless carried in via a grocery bag or delivery carton - and those bit the dust pretty quickly when they tried to hide and ran into the Boric Acid. Learned this from my vet back there, who told me pets were usually not affected because they don't have access to it.

Unfortunately, it never did anything to ants or spiders.
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#18
Awesome - that's good to hear.

Mahalo!
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#19
We have been infested in the last 3 weeks with all sorts of bugs. Cockroaches (well Palmetto bugs), fleas, and knats.

We have started the major eradication program. Although our cats get medicated for fleas once a month - the feral population seemed to have come on our deck while we were gone. We are going to try to catch them all - in the meantime, spray yard, put the meds in some cats food for the strays till they are caught and gone.

For the palmetto bugs, we are spraying, we are lining window sills, behind fridge etc with boric acid. We also got the aforementioned elec racket that electrocutes them. I also got the sonic bug repeller.

The knats we completely dont know what to do - we have put away the bowl of fruit, there is no rotting fruit falling from trees now that we have taken down the noni tree in the lot next door (was about 10 ft from our house). I don't remember knats ever being so bad.

I feel like I came back to some bad B movie.
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#20
WOW Kapohocat, that sucks! May I ask, what area do you live in?
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