Need info in Tucson

Hello! I am in desperate need of information about living in Tucson! My husband ans 2 children have an oppurtunity to move there in the next few months. However I am terrified of spiders, scorpions, snakes, cockroaches...YOU NAME IT! Right now, where we live we rarely see spiders and when we do they are very small. I guess I expect to see huge spiders in the house, cocroaches in cupboards, and I scared of my children being stung by a scorpion. Could someone let me know now bad these things really are?! Thanks!

Where do you live now? Answering that question may make it easier to compare.

I am an Arizona native, and I've lived here my whole life. I have never seen a scorpion or a large spider except in captivity (like the zoo). I do know a few people who have seen them and/or been stung. The stings are generally painful like an ant bite or a bee sting and will cause swelling, but no real damage is usually done. Your best bet is to use common sense:

Scorpions - It's rare that you see them, unless you look for them outside in desert areas. It's usually an area, not an individual house, that has scropions.. so ask the neighbors what their experiences are before buying a house in an area.

Spiders - They like dark undisturbed places, like under stairs, or way in the back of rarely used cabinets. The dangerous ones here are the black widows. I've seen one once when I was a little kid. A quick shot of RAID takes care of them. Just avoid sticking your hands in places that you can't see. Most spiders that you will see are little tiny harmless ones. I usually smash them with my thumb.

Snakes - The rattle snake is the common one here. You definately want to avoid these. The nice thing about them is that they give off a nice warning, their rattling, that you can hear from quite a ways away. If you come across one, just back away slowly. I saw one once, the only wild one I ever saw, about three months ago. I was more interested than scared, so I broke out my video camera and started taping.

Roaches - They are definately very gross, but harmless. They are nasty sewer creatures. I see one about once every six months. Spray it with RAID, then use some paper towels to pick it up and throw it in the toilet for a quick flush.

I've been all over this state, I regularly camp and hike.. and I think the worst thing I've ever had happen was a minor bug bite that swelled up a bit.

If you do decide to move to Arizona, then welcome! I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Thanks for the input! And to answer your question we are located in Canada right now and harsh winters kill any sign of insects atleast for a few months! I do have a major phobia when it comes to any kind of spider....big or small. We do have spiders here and they can get quite large in the summer months but I do not see many in the house. Are spiders found around houses regularly there? What about outside? I guess I am assuming that since it is warm all year round there, that there must be a LARGE population of spiders/webs ect.... Thanks again!

And to answer your question we are located in Canada right now

My wife is from Canada, and she loves it here. And when it comes to any bug-like creature, she's very squeemish.

Are spiders found around houses regularly there? What about outside?

They are found around areas that are unmaintained and generally untouched, because they like to be hidden away. For instance, if you have a storage shed in your backyard, you may find them hiding in the corner underneath a pile of junk. I have never seen any dangerous spiders inside before.

I have seen little, and I mean very little (like the size of the point on a ball-point pen) spiders every once in a while inside. If you put your finger anywhere near them, they will run away from you :-).

I guess I am assuming that since it is warm all year round there, that there must be a LARGE population of spiders/webs ect....

Not so much. It is very hot here for about three months, very nice for about six months, and chilly-to-cold for about three months. Probably not cold by your standards, but cold enough. Though that depends on where in Arizona you live. Much of central and southern Arizona is hot. Northern and eastern Arizona can get very cold.. well below freezing regularly in the winter, so it's a place to go for homesick Canadians :-).

Thanks once again! May I ask what part of Canada your wife is from? I am not sure if you can help with the next few questions as they are directly related to Tucson , actually Oro Valley. I am wondering what crime is like in Tucson and area. I have read online papers that have said Tucson's crime rate is right up there with the rest of the bigger cities. Also what is up with Oro Valley having no street lights? Do you know anything about this? Another thing that kind of freaks me out a bit!

Thanks once again! May I ask what part of Canada your wife is from?

Montreal.

I am wondering what crime is like in Tucson and area. I have read online papers that have said Tucson's crime rate is right up there with the rest of the bigger cities.

It is right up there with the larger cities.. but Oro Valley is not Tucson.. and the crime rates in Oro Valley are lower than the national average, and most of the larger cities are above the national average.

Also what is up with Oro Valley having no street lights? Do you know anything about this? Another thing that kind of freaks me out a bit!

A few years ago this was true.. I don't know if it still is, but I would imagine so. This is a sort of rural area in the sense that it is out in the middle of nowhere in a deserty area with only a few thousand people as their population, so crime is extremely low.. but it is only about half an hour from Tucson, so access to necessities is easy. This is the kind of place you could probably safely leave your doors unlocked without any problems, though that may not be a good idea just in case :-).

My husband and I are new to Tucson - even with the "different than Connecticut" night time bugs...we LOVE IT HERE!!! So far the dog hasn't brought any little critters into the house - and not sure if it's true, but if you put dryer sheets in the closets, it'll keep the spiders away (or at least that's what the seller of our house told us) - NOW, if we could only figure out how to backwash the pool filter, we'll be just FINE!!

From what I understand about the lights...there seems to be a light pollution ordinance in this area...this info was from a chamber of commerce exec...Hence, not a lot of street lights but a heck of a lot of star gazers!!

The lack of street lights is not just Oro Valley. It's city-wide. With the Kit Peak Observatory being housed in Tucson, the night skies are drastically affected with the presence of street lights. To help astronomers and the like street lights have been kept to an absolute minimum. Makes for a better, and more enjoyable lifestyle in my opinion. You can walk outside on a clear night and actually see stars. Not smog or haze as you would in Phoenix.

hi my name is gary hardy , i have lived in arizona for over 30 years. in answer to your questions , i am a rattle snake wrangler , don't freak out now . the reason i do this is i teach snake avoidence classes to people and canine and remove and relocate them and all others , bats , bob cats ,gila monsters , ect. yes they are here but they are more afraid of you then you of them . most of these are very beautifull , you need common sence, and to be carefull, and nothing will happen to you , honest . [snip]