Creepy Crawlies in Panama
Living in the high desert of New Mexico may have its drawbacks (lack of moisture for one) but in one respect, it rocks: few creepy crawlies.
In my on-going effort to identify places I would live in Panama, I asked around for information on the insects and other nasties that reside in Panama. I got some interesting answers.
From Clara in Panama City, I learned that you could expect to cross paths with rats, ants, roaches and scorpions. She mentioned that worse things could be found in the jungle, but that’s not the consideration in this blog.
From the El Valle region came the response that cicadas and beetles abound in the wet season and swarm out of the earth. In the dry season, ticks hold sway. There are also roaches, spiders, winged termites and “Palomitas de San Juan” which were not further described to me. A fellow New Mexican that relocated to Panama said that regardless of where she has lived in the El Valle region, tiny insects that are impervious to screens manage to invade the house and bite with regularity. She said spraying can help some, but then you’re left with the toxins the spray produces, and the spray is only somewhat effective.
She further shared that numerous geckos inhabit the area and leave droppings and eggs in and around boxes that you would swear were tightly closed. Her daughter, who lives in Albuquerque, would hate living in Panama, she explained, because of the bugs. It’s certainly information worth knowing. She suggested that anyone considering moving to Panama rent for a good year first to see if it’s right for you.
Information from Boquete provided the data that the black scorpions (apparently they are everywhere in Panama) are far less toxic than those in Arizona. My Boquete contacts also mentioned spiders, some the size of small Buicks, but happily, no mosquitoes. There are also no-seeums and coffee flies, but overall far less insect activity than a former Floridian experienced in Florida.
I think Boquete has to have my vote on the issue of creepy crawlies!
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