Another reason not to live in Florida

"Last year, we caught 95 pythons," said Skip Snow, a biologist with Florida Everglades National Park. That's not counting the 13-footer that exploded after trying to eat an alligator, or two others that got loose and ate a Siamese cat and a turkey.

More here

Not to live here? Are you kidding? This is one of many aspects that make this state constantly entertaining! This shit is hilarious!

And if the pythons don't get Kitsune, the iguanas will! And here we thought all Floridians had to worry about was hurricanes and boat people! :lol:

marichiko wrote:

And if the pythons don't get Kitsune, the iguanas will! And here we thought all Floridians had to worry about was hurricanes and boat people! :lol:

Looks like a busted link, Marichiko, but I know what you're talking about. Sadly, the monitor lizards haven't made it this far north, nor have the crocodiles, but it is simply a matter of time.

Lethal wildlife, serial killers, destructive hurricanes, and angry New Yorkers. Ah, Florida! :love: We were meant for each other!

People actually stop traffic rather than run over those slimey(yes they are) pythons? :eyebrow:

Sorry about the link, Kit. You can get to it just fine from a link given in the link in the OP, but I can't seem to make it work here. I have a friend whose roommate used to have a 3 foot monitor lizard that she let roam around the house. On cold nights, the lizard would get in bed with my friend. NOT her fav thing to wake up to! :eek:

Snakes taste great,
mo better than armadillo, possum, or washed up hurricane lost survivors/victims.

(not as good a Katrinas' gators.... they taste like frogs, i.e. chicken)

I don't mind the pythons or alligators, what I hate are these g'darn palmetto bugs :rar:

No way! Dry'em up and those critters are as good as bay leaves.:yum:

As good as bay leaves at doing what? :worried:

Stormieweather wrote:

I don't mind the pythons or alligators, what I hate are these g'darn palmetto bugs :rar:

The only bug that will fly directly at you in response to an attack or being sprayed.

Oh my GOD. What is that?
Palmetto bug.
W-what?
It's giant roach. ...with wings.

If every New Jersian were exposed to that wonder of Florida living, they'd never consider moving to The Sunshine State. Hurricanes don't scare off anyone, anymore.

Happy Monkey wrote:

As good as bay leaves at doing what? :worried:

You know... for seasoning the gators and possum and pythons all those other tasty free-range delicacies. :weird:

As a general rule, I tend to steer clear of states that have their own Fark tag.

I made one but I guess the state doesn't truly rate it

Kitsune wrote:

The only bug that will fly directly at you in response to an attack or being sprayed.

Oh my GOD. What is that?
Palmetto bug.
W-what?
It's giant roach. ...with wings.

If every New Jersian were exposed to that wonder of Florida living, they'd never consider moving to The Sunshine State. Hurricanes don't scare off anyone, anymore.

I think I'd rather face a hurricane than one of those critters. I first encountered them down in Brazil. I went into the bathroom to take a shower one day, and there was this roach with wings as big as a robin in attack mode. I ran out of there screaming and my boyfriend was laughing at me. He grabbed a can of raid and went in there all macho to kill the thing. He ran out of the bathroom, too! Then he mustered up his courage and sprayed almost the entire can on it before it finally dropped to the floor. YUCK!

I live in FL and too many move here every day and complain about it already.
I don't get it... if you don't want hot, don't move to the sub-tropics idiot.
Every person who moves here spends most of their time complaining about the heat and insects... it is so confusing...

Almost Hurricane season.... yippy...

Nothing pulls a community of butt-heads together than living on the Alabama Florida Coast (on the water... not that tallahassee orlando gainsville swamp crotchers)

rkzenrage wrote:

......Every person who moves here spends most of their time complaining about the heat and insects... it is so confusing...

Yeah, but those darn bugs are so freakin BIG!! On the other hand, I used to live in Saudi Arabia and their creepy crawlies make ours look like cute little housepets.

BTW, I've lived in Tampa Bay, Florida for 28 years. I think I've earned the right to bitch now and then :p .

Stormie

I'm not saying they are nothing to bitch about if you are visiting or were born here or were forced to move here for the possible myriad of reasons that can occur... I'm saying why move to the sub-tropics if you have bug issues intentionally?
The bugs are secondary, what is the real bitch and the most confusing when you think about where we are is the heat. Even is you can't come here before you make your decision one would think a bit of research would be in order.
It is every day ALL DAY LONG with these people "its hot...God how hot it is... how do you stand this heat... I wish it would rain (but then it would be more humid)... its [COLOR="Red"]HOT[/COLOR]... whew".
Then I go and hide my gun from myself.

rkzenrage wrote:

"its hot...God how hot it is... how do you stand this heat... I wish it would rain (but then it would be more humid)... its [COLOR="Red"]HOT[/COLOR]

"Gawd I just wish for once I could get a decent sandwich around here! I miss the delis in New Yawk! There isn't a bite of decent food in Floridah. And Jesus Christ, I can't stand how hot it gets! It must have been... ninety freaking degrees this morning before the sun came up. My hair, my hair can't suhvive in this humidity! It's rediculous that I had to run the air conditioning in December in my Lincoln Towncar. The seasons, they don't change here! Not a leaf falls unless there's a drought. I can't staaaaand it. Gawd, I miss New Yaaawk!"

Again, I'm sure New York is just full of friendly people.
...because all the others moved to Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater.

I forgot about the incessant hair complaints... Oh, do they use turn signals in New York?
What the hell is the deal with no damn turn signals?
Yeah, the bitching about the food and sandwiches. Anyone can load a pound of meat on two slices of bread with nothing else on it genius.
I lived in Tampa for a while... it is nuts.
Here in Central FL, Winter Haven, we have more Canadians... much better.

rkzenrage wrote:

I'm saying why move to the sub-tropics if you have bug issues intentionally?

I have bug issues. :worried: And I have Noooo intention of moving to Fla.

rkzenrage wrote:

Anyone can load a pound of meat on two slices of bread with nothing else on it genius.

It's all about the quality of the bread. There's lots of places where it's hard to find decent bread.

One of the good bumper stickers I saw was in response to all the "I :heart-on: NY" bumper stickers you see down here all winter. It simply said "You :heart-on: NY? Take I-95 North". Nuff said.

Palmetto Bug is the vernacular term for a Wood Roach. They are indeed big, and they do fly. I hate roaches, but the Wood Roach lives mostly outdoors in moist leaf litter and wet wood piles. It comes into homes looking for water. The ones that really infest homes are the Germans and the Japanese (like they infested Europe and the Pacific in WWII).

I met Skip Snow, the dude that's trying to catch those pythons. Besides the little Beagle they use to sniff them out, they've inserted a few transmitters into some of the female snakes and track them. Seems that where the female pythons go, a male is sure to follow (imagine that) and the latter simply follows the odor path of the female. They caught several that way. They then kill them by starving them of oxygen.


This is Python Petey, the wonder Beagle


This is Everglades biologist Skip Snow with a dead python.


This is the famous "exploded" snake.


Lastly, this is you know who with an albino Burmese Python.

Now here in Central FL, what we call a Palmetto bug/wood roach is a large armored roach that cannot fly. But, the rest of your description fits.

At least, I have never seen one fly, and I have given many a reason to. Dealt with more than I would care to explain in groves and the Glades.

Florida Woods Roach
It is 11/2" to 11/4" long as an adult and is often called the stinking cockroach; it produces a foul-smelling fluid to protect it from predation. It is dark reddish-brown to black. The nymphs have broad yellow bands on the top of the thorax.
This cockroach is commonly found in leaf mulch, wood piles, and under rotting logs. It is often called a palmetto bug.

From Virginia Tech/State

American cockroach, AKA Palmetto bug.
Adult American cockroaches have wings and will occasionally fly. However, they are awkward fliers and prefer to run when disturbed. Male and female American cockroaches are about the same size and look very similar. Both have a pair of cerci, finger-like appendages, at the tips of their abdomens. The cerci are used to detect air currents in the cockroach's surroundings. Male cockroaches have an additional set of appendages called styli on their abdomens. The styli are located between the cerci but are smaller and more delicate. The presence of styli is the easiest way to distinguish male from female cockroaches. Immature American cockroaches resemble adults, except they are wingless. The American cockroach egg capsules are mahogany brown and about 1/3 inch long.

A family friend living in Naples, Florida, claims the roaches will chew through the mortar between the cement blocks or bricks. :eek3:

Let's just agree that whatever species or sub-species, they are horrible. Roches love electronics; they eat the wire insulation.

It's strange, because I love and am fascinated by insects, but roaches creep me out, man. When I see one skulking about, I always get the impression that they know I'm looking at them. They have millions of years of evolutionary wisdom in their tiny little brains. Them and Earwigs.

Thanks for the info... btw, the smell of a wood roach is one of the wost I have known.

[HTML]they eat the wire insulation[/HTML]Roaches aren't the only culprits in that respect. There must be something tasty, in some plastic wire insulation, that critters are attracted to. I've seen mice chew the insulation off some wires in a loom/bundle leaving others unscathed. :confused:

I haven't had the displeasure of smelling a Wood Roach. But I did have a Milk Snake ooze on me and I don't think I ever smelled anything as foul as that! Gave me the dry heaves.

Is there a wretching emoticon?

Dammit, the state is on fire again. I sure hope we get plenty of rain this summer to help put it out. You know, some really good downpours like last year between June 1st and November 30th.

...oh, wait--

Florida is on fire? Again?

Are you OK? Are YOU on fire now? You left abruptly.

We're in the dry season right now and wildfires have started becoming a problem just as they were five or six years ago. They closed I-75 south of me due to smoke and evacuated a good portion of Riverview/Gibsonton, making for a real fun evening commute for a lot of people I work with.

This morning, however, I awoke to thunder, a chorus of rejoicing frogs, and pouring rain -- the first rain we've had in many weeks. We may see the daily rains return in about a month or so, I hope.

Getting some rain today, should help with the fires. This is the norm for this time of year, burn and soak.