ok, so ive decided to get out of the city and move to a mountain close to the city. problem is, i’m petrified of bugs. all bugs except ants. i don’t mind ants. i’m especially afraid of anything that flies and generates a wing flapping sound; anything that looks like it has fur, like bees and moths. i don’t even like butterflies because they all seem to be black and hairy in taiwan. i really hate bugs that make any kind of noise… especially cockroaches that sqeek when you’re in the process of dousing them with roach spray or whacking them with a shoe. i can handle mosquitos.
so, my question is this: what can i expect living in the moutains? are there tons of bugs? how can i seal off my home so they don’t come inside? any tips or tricks to repell them? some kind of machine i can plug in that sends anti-bug sonar telling them to stay away?
i want to maintain a zero bug policy in my home.
last night i was up there (have yet to move in) and a big black buzzing thing came in. i locked myself in the bedroom for half an hour before i had enough guts to come out. when i did come out i ran to the door and it chased me. my new neigbor saw this and went inside and killed it for me. that’s how much of a sissy i am… made a complete ass out of myself in front of a new neighbor over a bumble bee.
How far into the mountains is “in the mountains?” Are there trees near your prospective house? Do you have a yard or garden? If so, you’ll have to either get used to bugs in all shapes and sizes or live elsewhere. Spring’s in the air and in the last week or two I’ve seen several praying mantises, a rhinocerous beetle, loads of bees and things, a couple of those hawksbill moths (the ones that look like hummingbirds) in my yard. Last night I had to catch a six-inch centipede that was making its way into our shoe cupboard, and those things will put you in the hospital if they bite you.
You’ll get snakes too – I found a six-foot Taiwan beauty snake in the yard last year, as well as couple of little ones, but the cats beat me to those ones. Lizards? We got lizards up the wazoo, and geckoes aplenty. What do you expect? Its the countryside.
One good thing is that you shouldn’t have too many big roaches, as there are these big wolf spiders that chase them down and kill 'em.
Unless you have a house most of these things shouldn’t be a problem. You will have to get used to it if you were in the mountains between Wulai and Xindian. I lived there and had all types of cool bugs around the house. The best was a baby umbrella snake that somehow made it up to the 2nd floor of my house. Most of them stayed outside, but you’d get the occasional break in.
I guess I’m pretty close to there, and yes, I never saw a bug yet that wasn’t “cool.”
Man, you lucky bastard!
Bushibanned, if you’re on a rooftop it won’t be too bad, but if there are trees around your place you’ll have to get used to the occasional visitor. Apart from the centipedes (and the umbrella snakes), I don’t think there’s anything that can harm you.
As for the spiders, you can’t stop them getting in. Just leave them alone and let them do their thing in peace. Anyway, its bad luck to kill a spider, don’t you know?
Buy a cat. They are the most effective bug deterrents in Taiwan.
Small price to pay for a bug free existence, plus the cat will love you-“wow, you mean I can actually play with it, kill it AND eat it? You’re the best human I’ve ever had.”
ugh… but what if they crawl on me when i’m sleeping? i appreciate all the responses… but i really want to know HOW to keep them ALL away… from everything… phobias are real…
yeah nothing like feral animals decimating a countries native fauna just to make it fit for human habitat… why not buy a dog and take out a few monkeys while you are at it. anthropomorphism… the silent killer
If you’re sleeping you won’tbe aware they’re crawling on you, laying their eggs in your crevices, peeing and pooing, etc. until the eggs hatch and the larvae burrow into your … OK, OK, that’s enough!
Best advice? Make sure all your mosquito screens are intact and well fitting. Stick some of that draught excluder around the window frames. I’ve seen those ultra-high frequency devices for sale here that are supposed to keep some bugs away. You can get camphor oil pretty easily here, which is an effective bug deterrent and smells quite pleasant, too. Pour some into a squirt gun and squirt it around your windows, doors, etc.
But unless you can hermetically seal your entire living area you’ll never be able to prevent them completely.
Wangdoodle and Sandman (when he wasn’t busy torturing you ) had some good advice.
Another factor to keep in mind: Be diligent about keeping your place clean. Sterile tile, countertops etc. are less attractive to most bugs than places littlered with oils, dust, grime and food crumbs.
Get a mosquito net for your bed. At least then, even if the bugs get into your house which they will, they’re less likely to get into your bed.
One of my friends in Kaohsiung went to sleep one night. He put his hands under his pillow and subsequently got bitten by a centipede. He went to hospital, so they are a risk. I’d be more worried about these than any spiders, beetles or moths.
Hi everybody,
I’m going to go live in the city, but I don’t like seeing people. How can I live in the city and not see people?
It’s about as likely as avoiding bugs in the mountains. If you feel that you need to kill everything that lives in the mountains in order for you to live there maybe you just shouldn’t live there
no need to be so mean. I understand bushibanned’s thoughts. I thought I would NEVER live where there are lots o yukky bugs, then got hijacked into australia with my hubby. good god we got it lucky here in some ways…(except for the nasty cockroaches, but thats another thread…)
anyhoo, not everyone can take the 4 bijillion people per square inch in the city, but at the same time, we might not want to be in the “wilderness” so to speak
good luck and let the other bug-o-phobes know how ya make it please!
[quote=“ididn’tdoit”]Hi everybody,
I’m going to go live in the city, but I don’t like seeing people. How can I live in the city and not see people?
It’s about as likely as avoiding bugs in the mountains. If you feel that you need to kill everything that lives in the mountains in order for you to live there maybe you just shouldn’t live there[/quote]
i didn’t say anything about killing everything… i merely asked how to keep them out. :loco: you should read things more carefully before making smart-ass remarks.
don’t buy a cat… ADOPT a kitten from a shelter that’s looking for a home (check out the Pets and other Animals forum)… just make sure it can’t get out and run away and take good care of it and you’ll have the most effective, environmentally friendly bug prevention system known to man and a great companion…
SiShou mountain by 永春 high school… on a rooftop. so i’m not techically “nestled” in the moutains… no yard or anything like that…
) had some good advice.