BIG. CRITTERS. IN. FLORIDA!!!! (and you think YOU have pest problems!)

[RogerR]

Originally Posted by BurningQuestion

....Now, can anyone tell me if there are really big spiders in Florida? It's so embarrassing, but I literally scream every time I see one...

yeah...they're called banana spiders; they aren't really dangerous, though they seem to have an affinity for weaving webs right at head level on walking trails... i've never heard of anyone ever even bein' bit by one, but i don't think having a spider the size of your hand crawling around your head is a pleasant sensation...luckily, they seem to stick to wooded areas. in miami, you only have to look out for palmetto bugs* and fire ants.<edit> yeah, and love bugs; nothing like drivin' down I-75 during love bug season. just hope you don't run out of windsheild wiper fluid... and if you venture into an undeveloped (now there's a rarity!!) coastal area during dawn/dusk, you might encounter a fun little critter called a "no-see-em"**; just don't leave your car windows open in the presence of no-see-ems, otherwise you'll have to do the something we call the everglades run: AC on full, windows down, at >50 MPH. and how could i forget about the mosquitos? but then, those are everywhere, aren't they? man i left out a bunch of fun little insects, didn't i?</edit>

*we only call them "palmetto bugs" around tourists. around other floridians, we just call them (the bugs) "really, really big cockroaches".
**some of the bigger ones outta be called "see-em-just-fine"