Bees and Spiders

I've seen far fewer spiders and bees here than I did in Washington State. It may be that the geckos keep the spider population under control. I've heard of one family getting spider bites in the first couple of months after their arrival. They have small children and might have been bitten while doing things adults wouldn't otherwise be doing (sitting in the grass and playing for long periods, etc.) There are some tarantulas in the rain forest areas of the island. They are shy, so you're unlikely to see them unless you spot a dead one or live in their zone.

One critter you need to watch for here that you probably don't have in Denver are Centipedes. I was on the island a year before I saw one, but then moved to an area where they are more abundant and see small ones fairly regularly. They can sting and some people are allergic to their venom, which makes the reaction that much stronger, just like with bee stings.

STT also has a scorpion issue to contend with that we do not have on STX.

There are bees and spiders here just like anywhere else, but there don't seem to be more than usual. Keep an eye out for wasps (the locals call them "jack'spanas") that like to start building their paper nests under window eaves or anywhere that is sheltered. If you catch them while the nest is small they are easy to get rid of. Honeybees are around too but they provide the useful function of pollination so I leave them alone. I've been here five years and only got stung once by a wasp.

About spiders....tho' they are pretty rare, I know someone who got bit by a brown recluse spider a couple of years ago and she got really sick and had to go to Puerto Rico for treatment. The bite is so small and painless you don't notice it until a necrotizing wound develops. But....they are pretty rare. Although I like spiders because they eat insects, if I am in doubt about a spider I will kill it. Brown recluses are brown and have a darker fiddle design on their back, but are hard to identify because they are pretty small. Otherwise I don't know of any dangerous spiders.

Centipedes are here in abundance, and are active mostly at night when it cools down. They like cool dark places. To keep the centipedes at bay, get a good house cat! My cat has killed at least 15 centipedes in the past year alone. She always finds them before they find me!