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)

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 HOT... whew".
Then I go and hide my gun from myself.

"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.

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

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.

Of "Palmetto Bugs" and Pythons
 

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.

http://www.wildfreshness.com/brian/archives/Petey.jpg
This is Python Petey, the wonder Beagle

http://www.wildfreshness.com/brian/a...BURMASHAVE.jpg
This is Everglades biologist Skip Snow with a dead python.

http://www.wildfreshness.com/brian/a...ythonblech.jpg
This is the famous "exploded" snake.

http://www.wildfreshness.com/brian/a...rmese_pyth.jpg
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.
http://www.greenfrogservices.com/ima...oods_roach.jpg
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.

From Virginia Tech/State 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.