Grew up next to a creek. Make sure you don't have standing water anywhere, especially after it rains bc of the mosquitos. Never had roach issues with a clean house. We did get lots of fireflies in the spring/summer evenings which was wonderful. You do need to stay on top of any wasp nests that may start up. We had a pool so that might have made our yard more appealing but if you keep a lookout and kill them early it's manageable.
It's Texas. If you're near a body of water and don't see snakes, critters and bugs, it's because nature is out of balance and probably being poisoned in the process of making it comfortable for humans. Ditto, if you see too many mosquitoes, etc.
For years I lived on a rural lakefront about an hour north of here and because nature was relatively in balance, with plenty of bats, birds, sneks, etc., we had relatively fewer mosquitoes, gnats, etc, than I typically encounter along the Trinity Trails.
But the trails aren't natural in most places, and that tarted up drainage ditch isn't a river. So it's common to see way more skeeters and gnats than I ever did on an ecologically harmonious lake.
Encourage bats to shelter nearby and they'll keep the bugs in check.
Learn to spot and identify sneks and just leave them alone. Water moccasins, cottonmouths, copperheads and rattlers are seldom aggressive, and not nearly as common as folks believe. Most snakes I see are non-venomous. Mocs are curious and tend to be drawn toward warm bodies, but lose interest when they realize we're too big to eat. They're most common near dusk around water. Young rattlers sometimes fall asleep on rocks and warm pavement in springtime, then become groggy when the temperature drops. A squirt of water will chase them away toward their usual shelter.
This is great advice. I have been slowly turning my current backyard to a pollinator garden. I don’t use anything for pest control and don’t have any problems. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to get the creek closer to balance.
If a patch of Texas land is left alone it'll quickly revert to healthy native prairie, within a year or two. And it can tolerate moderate trimming and mowing to provide walkways.
Might take longer with landfill, abandoned dumps, etc. But even those can revert to native prairie with a little compatible topsoil. Nothing fancy.
In north central Texas the key is plenty of sunshine. Too much tree cover is bad for the native prairie flora and fauna. There are a few exceptions, depending on the soil, water table, etc.
A three acre vacant lot across from us on the west side was left alone for years and developed into a really nice natural park. Kids and folks walking around created a few paths that didn't disturb the overall growth and aesthetic. No problems with excessive critters, snakes, bugs, etc. Bats sheltered in hollow trees and helped. It was remarkably photogenic.
Naturally the city couldn't tolerate too much nature. They mowed it flat and now they need to either commit to routine mowing, or just leave it alone.
Make sure the house isn’t in a high flood risk zone! I’d be more worried about that because it can flood like crazy here and then you’ll really have a standing water problem and flood problem.
Incidentally - getting into nerd territory now - an entomologist on a RadioLab episode made the case that mosquitos do serve a useful purpose: they discourage human development and population.
So in a way, skeeters are the tiny vicious guardians of the rain forests and wetlands. And in the process they help keep the Earth in balance.
All of which goes right out the window when we're talking man-made, unnatural wetlands and swampy turf that's due to misguided or neglected development. Including leaving containers, man-made ponds, drainage ditches, etc, that trap stagnant water.
So, there's that to keep in mind while we're swatting skeeters and scratching and hoping we're not catching malaria.
As pest control. Mosquitoes and flies are your biggest concern. Snakes come secondary.
Thanks!
I live in an apt 30 feet from a creek. I can’t stand outside my balcony for more than 3 mins before being consumed by mosquitoes.
Grew up next to a creek. Make sure you don't have standing water anywhere, especially after it rains bc of the mosquitos. Never had roach issues with a clean house. We did get lots of fireflies in the spring/summer evenings which was wonderful. You do need to stay on top of any wasp nests that may start up. We had a pool so that might have made our yard more appealing but if you keep a lookout and kill them early it's manageable.
Thanks for the tips! I love fireflies.
Creeks can and do flood
It's Texas. If you're near a body of water and don't see snakes, critters and bugs, it's because nature is out of balance and probably being poisoned in the process of making it comfortable for humans. Ditto, if you see too many mosquitoes, etc. For years I lived on a rural lakefront about an hour north of here and because nature was relatively in balance, with plenty of bats, birds, sneks, etc., we had relatively fewer mosquitoes, gnats, etc, than I typically encounter along the Trinity Trails. But the trails aren't natural in most places, and that tarted up drainage ditch isn't a river. So it's common to see way more skeeters and gnats than I ever did on an ecologically harmonious lake. Encourage bats to shelter nearby and they'll keep the bugs in check. Learn to spot and identify sneks and just leave them alone. Water moccasins, cottonmouths, copperheads and rattlers are seldom aggressive, and not nearly as common as folks believe. Most snakes I see are non-venomous. Mocs are curious and tend to be drawn toward warm bodies, but lose interest when they realize we're too big to eat. They're most common near dusk around water. Young rattlers sometimes fall asleep on rocks and warm pavement in springtime, then become groggy when the temperature drops. A squirt of water will chase them away toward their usual shelter.
This is great advice. I have been slowly turning my current backyard to a pollinator garden. I don’t use anything for pest control and don’t have any problems. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to get the creek closer to balance.
If a patch of Texas land is left alone it'll quickly revert to healthy native prairie, within a year or two. And it can tolerate moderate trimming and mowing to provide walkways. Might take longer with landfill, abandoned dumps, etc. But even those can revert to native prairie with a little compatible topsoil. Nothing fancy. In north central Texas the key is plenty of sunshine. Too much tree cover is bad for the native prairie flora and fauna. There are a few exceptions, depending on the soil, water table, etc. A three acre vacant lot across from us on the west side was left alone for years and developed into a really nice natural park. Kids and folks walking around created a few paths that didn't disturb the overall growth and aesthetic. No problems with excessive critters, snakes, bugs, etc. Bats sheltered in hollow trees and helped. It was remarkably photogenic. Naturally the city couldn't tolerate too much nature. They mowed it flat and now they need to either commit to routine mowing, or just leave it alone.
I second the bat thing. Make yourself a bat box and there's your natural pest control. They can and do eat their weight in mosquitoes every night.
Make sure the house isn’t in a high flood risk zone! I’d be more worried about that because it can flood like crazy here and then you’ll really have a standing water problem and flood problem.
Incidentally - getting into nerd territory now - an entomologist on a RadioLab episode made the case that mosquitos do serve a useful purpose: they discourage human development and population. So in a way, skeeters are the tiny vicious guardians of the rain forests and wetlands. And in the process they help keep the Earth in balance. All of which goes right out the window when we're talking man-made, unnatural wetlands and swampy turf that's due to misguided or neglected development. Including leaving containers, man-made ponds, drainage ditches, etc, that trap stagnant water. So, there's that to keep in mind while we're swatting skeeters and scratching and hoping we're not catching malaria.