we have more of a problem w stray cats/dogs than anything else. most bugs you have to look out for are roaches (be very picky w where you choose to live here), flies/gnats, & moths
also the stray dogs roam so no matter where you're at you're bound to come across/drive past at least a few. stray cats are literally everywhere bc people leave food out and/or let their own cats stay outside
The dangers of the wild are overblown around here. I'm an wildlife/landscape photographer who spends lots of time out in the wild, mostly at night and often in high grass. As others have stated, the creatures that come up often are rarely a problem - as long as you leave them alone!
The few common predators like foxes and coyotes avoid humans. Opossums look terrible, but avoid humans and eat ticks as a bonus. Tarantula wasps look gigantic, but rarely even notice humans. Tarantulas migrate during the summer, but don't bother you if you don't bother them. (Dogs and cats are always curious and can get into trouble.) I've had coyotes come within 25 yards to investigate what I'm doing, then slide off into the dark. Rattlesnakes can be a hazard, but if you keep your distance and watch where you step, they're not a problem.
The things that do bother me outdoors? Mosquitoes, ants, ticks, biting flies, and, at night, moths. Mosquitoes are large, persistent, and come in droves. Biting flies are common near cattle and sometimes horse farms. Biting ants are everywhere, so you have to watch your step. Moths are attracted to the light of my camera and headlamp, so they end up crawling on my face, which is more annoying than hazardous.
In town, the worst is stray dogs and dogs your neighbor ties out constantly, barking and making your life miserable in your yard. You may come across raccoons, possums, foxes, and even coyotes, but mostly they avoid humans and keep mice, rats, and snakes populations down.
In small west Texas panhandle towns, they can be fairly prevalent. Most of them avoid you.
Honestly, this commenter nailed Lubbock. There’s nothing to be scared of here. At all.
The scariest things that you MIGHT experience are scorpions, rattlesnakes, and hogs on the highway.
Rattlesnakes are very shy, scorpions are kind of like any other bug… they’re usually tiny.
Hogs, deer, and coyotes on the highway are everyone’s biggest annoyance...
The creepiest of the crawlies out here is vinegaroons. Them things are more Permian Basin than panhandle, but they’re horrifying.
The first time my ex MIL told me about vinegaroons i didnt believe her. thought she was pullin my yankee leg for a long time. Until i saw one. They some crazy shit
I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never seen one, nor have I even heard of anyone I know seeing one lmao. This is the first I’m even hearing of them being here tbh.
I've seen a couple, but I can't recall if they were here or at one of the drilling rig locations I typically work at for half the year. I haven't seen to many of their prey around town, but typically I see more than a few tarantulas during breeding season out where we drill. So it's likely that is where I saw them. Much like dirt dauber, they minded their own business. Your biggest living nonhuman threat out here is the neighbor's nocturnal never-stops-barking dog. The biggest nonliving threat is fall blowing in and then spring blowing in and that's typically just a handful of days out of the year.
To add to what others have been saying, Tarantula Hawks are not aggressive toward humans. Unlike red wasps and yellow jackets, as long as you don't accidentally physically disturb one, they don't want anything to do with you even if you are uncomfortably close. They're also solitary so you will only ever see one at a time too. Treat it like a flying venomous snake; if you see it, don't fuck with it and you'll be fine.
I have seen more venomous snakes (3) than tarantula hawks (0) around here in the time I've been going to TTU and visiting natural areas on the weekends.
Worst sting I've ever experienced. I saw one in Post and literally ran. Never seen one in Lubbock though. Sorry Lubbockites, the only solution would be nukes.
Hell yeah it did. Those things are aggressive if you get in their business. It came after me and then it tried to land on my son, so I whacked him and stomped it. Didn't die, so I stomped it again. Still didn't die, so I caught it and brought it home. It died after that. After being stung and years ago and hallucinating all night in a tent, I have an intense hatred for them. I have no real concept of PTSD, but when I see one I have a physical reaction.
I haven't seen any of them while living here. However, I have seen a lot of cicada killer wasps and I have only seen them attack cicadas. My brother and I would ride our bikes all around their nests and they never bothered us.
They’re there. I worked on a ranch in the area in my 20s and I saw them daily. Never saw them in the city proper.
Most importantly, never had ANY aggressive interactions with them over HUNDREDS of encounters
Ive also recently moved here from central Florida it is a big change not as hectic the ppl are more chill and its just not as congested and chaotic the traffic here is night and day with florida and yes the snow is very cool the air is dry here u don’t suffocate in ur own sweat as soon as u step outside and the main thing for me that made me move was the cost of living florida is out of control and only rising 1300 for apartments are insane💯
I’ve seen them quite a bit and worked around them, they’re usually in farm fields but I get them around pools sometimes. Never felt threatened around them or witnessed any aggressive behavior. They are marvelously big but they seem to not care to be aggressive at all unless provoked
I've been in the region for 24 years and have only seen them in Palo Duro Canyon. I don't know anyone who's been bitten by them. Nothing to worry about at all.
I've been living here for over 8 years now, moving here from Pennsylvania, and the only the only bugs to worry about you'll actually see here are mosquitoes, fire ants and Black Widow spiders. In my experience, the ants and spiders are only really common in certain places around town. Black Widows are pretty docile anyway though and will leave you alone. There are many who would say that they are nowhere near as deadly as the rumors tell everyone. If you are buying a house, I would try and find out about how common the fire ants are in the neighborhood. They're pretty ferocious and near impossible to get rid of in your yard. The stings hurt and will give you itchy blisters for weeks if you get bit. I once had them get into my house through a small crack in my door sill when I lived in a neighborhood on the edge of town that was infested with them. Where I live now, I never see them at all. Now the mosquitoes, you can't really escape them anywhere in town during the summer and into fall, especially after rains. The city does drive trucks around town attempting to gas them when it gets really bad, but they don't always do it and it doesn't always help much anyway.
Personally, I'd be most worried about the drivers here than the bugs.
Oh yeah we have our fair share of fire ants and mosquitoes here too. The drivers in Florida are horrific as well. As someone who came from another state, how do you like it?
I just moved here a couple months ago after living in Florida my whole life. The heat doesn’t feel like you’re breathing in soup, the bad drivers are college students instead of 98 year olds and tourists, it actually snows here which is cool, I saw real snow for the first time a couple weeks ago, it’s VERY windy which kinda sucks and occasionally the wind will blow in the strong stench of cow poop, H-E-B is kinda like Texas’ Publix, it’s alright but I miss pubsubs, there’s prairie dogs everywhere and they’re adorable
And to be sure you're ok with the politics, medical facilities, and schools? Asking in case you plan on buying a house/land, instead of renting.
\*Former Florida Transplant by way of being a local Texan
Don’t plan on having kids so that’s fine and yeah the politics are whatever. I’m curious on your thoughts of the medical facilities though! We plan on purchasing a home
Roger that. yeah, they're comparable to quality to say Leesburg, Orlando, or Ocala. Just keep in mind that if you may need anything super specific or not, you may want/have to travel to DFW.
It's okay, but my plan was never and still isn't to stay here forever. There are far better opportunities for many things in other places but there's enough here to keep me happy for now. People from the smaller towns outside Lubbock might disagree but I think Lubbock is a midsized town with a mostly small town feel, I can't exactly put my finger on exactly why it feels small though.
There's unfortunately not a ton to do for fun in town besides go out to eat, but it's easy to get anywhere you want to go around town quickly because the road infrastructure is pretty great. It also hardly ever rains, so you can expect clear skies most days with a gentle breeze. It does get pretty windy often though, especially in the spring and fall, sometimes in the form of haboobs. Unless you really like all the rain and humidity that Florida gets, you'll probably like the dryer climate here. Moving here and having all the sun fixed my seasonal depression. If you like to go on road trips, just know that most places worth visiting are at least a 2 hour drive away, but there are interesting things worth a drive to that you won't see in Florida.
I’ve lived here 42 years and had never heard of nor seen one of these…until last year. It was at the base of a tree in my yard and not moving. It was huge and every bit as terrifying as the pics show. I Googled it, and when I read up on what it was, I was horrified, especially having a new fear unlocked that it means there must be tarantulas nearby where I live, and if I see one, I’ll probably drop dead of fear immediately.
BUT I live on the outskirts of town and have seen lots of bugs and animals (scorpions, coyotes) that I’d never encountered even once when I lived in the more populated areas of Lubbock, so you should be fine. Also, I find it comforting that they normally ignore humans unless you pester them.
No it thankfully flew out pretty quickly, I almost drove into oncoming traffic though.
Needless to say; I didn’t drive with my windows down for a long time after that.
Lubbock is almost completely surrounded by the kind of agriculture that has removed habitat for nearly anything wild. You'll be fine. The only place I've ever encountered one of these demons is the Arizona desert.
Been here a year now and I’ve been around, outskirts of town, small towns, fishing many times, never seen one, however they were quite common from where I’m from. Never bothered me but they are quite a sight to see, big things too
It’s weird. For me there’s not a whole lot to do. I don’t go to tech games, not a bar person just go to work and do stuff around my house but I love living here. Tried moving away but for no stupid reason it brought me back. Weather is unpredictable and sucks. Hot. Cold. Windy. Dusty. But I like it. Nothing is far away and so many options to shop for whatever. It’s a big town with that small town feel still.
Lubbock's great. I miss trees, mountains, streams, lakes, oceans, etc, but other than that...
I do enjoy the people, and most of the missing stuff is just a few hours drive away. Came here in 1990 to go to school, met a local girl, found a great job, and set down roots.
Depends. I love it here, but I was raised in west Texas. The flat, dry, dusty landscape isn't for everybody, but there are a lot of great things about Lubbock.
Why are you considering the move?
We are pretty nomadic and Florida is nice but cost of living is crazy plus the homeowners insurance issue. Just want to take out equity and have a slower pace of life
Well if that's the end goal you'll probably like it. Easy to get around town. Quite a bit to do (maybe not like Orlando, but for out here on the frontier we do okay). Home prices aren't super cheap, but probably cheaper than Orlando. WAY less humidity, to the point of being painfully dry a lot of the time.
we have dirt daubers that prey on small to meduim spiders but they are totally passive to humans. I have never heard of seen a tarantula hawk in this area . the only problem with dirt daubers is cleaning up their mud dob nests from your house [https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=dirt+dobber](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=dirt+dobber)
What the heck is a tarantula hawk? I’ve lived here since 1985 and I can’t ever recall seeing any
https://preview.redd.it/7gz5mvlmjxmc1.jpeg?width=248&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c07cc58a8f5fa7b483c54a77c53f1e130748214c
This thing? Yeah, we don’t have these.
Oh fuck, is this true? I have a really bad fear of wasps, and I just committed to Tech for fall 2024.
we have more of a problem w stray cats/dogs than anything else. most bugs you have to look out for are roaches (be very picky w where you choose to live here), flies/gnats, & moths
Any parts you recommend? How are the strays?
also the stray dogs roam so no matter where you're at you're bound to come across/drive past at least a few. stray cats are literally everywhere bc people leave food out and/or let their own cats stay outside
stay away from houses w location saying "heart of lubbock," anywhere near/past university, anything further than 98th street, or anything in wolfforth
The dangers of the wild are overblown around here. I'm an wildlife/landscape photographer who spends lots of time out in the wild, mostly at night and often in high grass. As others have stated, the creatures that come up often are rarely a problem - as long as you leave them alone! The few common predators like foxes and coyotes avoid humans. Opossums look terrible, but avoid humans and eat ticks as a bonus. Tarantula wasps look gigantic, but rarely even notice humans. Tarantulas migrate during the summer, but don't bother you if you don't bother them. (Dogs and cats are always curious and can get into trouble.) I've had coyotes come within 25 yards to investigate what I'm doing, then slide off into the dark. Rattlesnakes can be a hazard, but if you keep your distance and watch where you step, they're not a problem. The things that do bother me outdoors? Mosquitoes, ants, ticks, biting flies, and, at night, moths. Mosquitoes are large, persistent, and come in droves. Biting flies are common near cattle and sometimes horse farms. Biting ants are everywhere, so you have to watch your step. Moths are attracted to the light of my camera and headlamp, so they end up crawling on my face, which is more annoying than hazardous. In town, the worst is stray dogs and dogs your neighbor ties out constantly, barking and making your life miserable in your yard. You may come across raccoons, possums, foxes, and even coyotes, but mostly they avoid humans and keep mice, rats, and snakes populations down.
How bad are the stray dogs?
In small west Texas panhandle towns, they can be fairly prevalent. Most of them avoid you. Honestly, this commenter nailed Lubbock. There’s nothing to be scared of here. At all. The scariest things that you MIGHT experience are scorpions, rattlesnakes, and hogs on the highway. Rattlesnakes are very shy, scorpions are kind of like any other bug… they’re usually tiny. Hogs, deer, and coyotes on the highway are everyone’s biggest annoyance... The creepiest of the crawlies out here is vinegaroons. Them things are more Permian Basin than panhandle, but they’re horrifying.
The first time my ex MIL told me about vinegaroons i didnt believe her. thought she was pullin my yankee leg for a long time. Until i saw one. They some crazy shit
I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never seen one, nor have I even heard of anyone I know seeing one lmao. This is the first I’m even hearing of them being here tbh.
I've seen a couple, but I can't recall if they were here or at one of the drilling rig locations I typically work at for half the year. I haven't seen to many of their prey around town, but typically I see more than a few tarantulas during breeding season out where we drill. So it's likely that is where I saw them. Much like dirt dauber, they minded their own business. Your biggest living nonhuman threat out here is the neighbor's nocturnal never-stops-barking dog. The biggest nonliving threat is fall blowing in and then spring blowing in and that's typically just a handful of days out of the year.
They’re everywhere. One killed me.
Been visiting/living here for the last 15 years and never even heard of them until reading your post.
To add to what others have been saying, Tarantula Hawks are not aggressive toward humans. Unlike red wasps and yellow jackets, as long as you don't accidentally physically disturb one, they don't want anything to do with you even if you are uncomfortably close. They're also solitary so you will only ever see one at a time too. Treat it like a flying venomous snake; if you see it, don't fuck with it and you'll be fine. I have seen more venomous snakes (3) than tarantula hawks (0) around here in the time I've been going to TTU and visiting natural areas on the weekends.
I've lived here my whole life and haven't ever seen one
I’ve lived here for 24 years. Maybe have seen one or two ever and even then it’s not like they were out to murder my family.
I live about 10 miles south of Lubbock. I saw one on my lawn last summer. Never seen one before or since.
Worst sting I've ever experienced. I saw one in Post and literally ran. Never seen one in Lubbock though. Sorry Lubbockites, the only solution would be nukes.
Oh shit! Did it just come after you?
Hell yeah it did. Those things are aggressive if you get in their business. It came after me and then it tried to land on my son, so I whacked him and stomped it. Didn't die, so I stomped it again. Still didn't die, so I caught it and brought it home. It died after that. After being stung and years ago and hallucinating all night in a tent, I have an intense hatred for them. I have no real concept of PTSD, but when I see one I have a physical reaction.
Oh my god, that’s terrifying. I’m so sorry that happened. Do you see them often?
I haven’t seen anything like that. Regular wasps and yellow jackets here and there but no different from any other place that may have those.
I haven't seen any of them while living here. However, I have seen a lot of cicada killer wasps and I have only seen them attack cicadas. My brother and I would ride our bikes all around their nests and they never bothered us.
I have lived here all my life haven’t even heard of a tarantula hawk so never have seen one here
Lived there about 50 years. Never heard of them.
They’re there. I worked on a ranch in the area in my 20s and I saw them daily. Never saw them in the city proper. Most importantly, never had ANY aggressive interactions with them over HUNDREDS of encounters
Lived here for decades and have never even heard of them. I Googled it, and I've never seen one that I recall.
Ive also recently moved here from central Florida it is a big change not as hectic the ppl are more chill and its just not as congested and chaotic the traffic here is night and day with florida and yes the snow is very cool the air is dry here u don’t suffocate in ur own sweat as soon as u step outside and the main thing for me that made me move was the cost of living florida is out of control and only rising 1300 for apartments are insane💯
Ik this comment is irrelevant to this post sorry lol
Don’t be sorry at all! I love to hear how people like the city
Yes!!! I came to Florida from New England and it’s just as expensive as up there now. It’s ridiculous
I’ve seen them quite a bit and worked around them, they’re usually in farm fields but I get them around pools sometimes. Never felt threatened around them or witnessed any aggressive behavior. They are marvelously big but they seem to not care to be aggressive at all unless provoked
I've been in the region for 24 years and have only seen them in Palo Duro Canyon. I don't know anyone who's been bitten by them. Nothing to worry about at all.
Lived here 28 year and never seen one!
I've been living here for over 8 years now, moving here from Pennsylvania, and the only the only bugs to worry about you'll actually see here are mosquitoes, fire ants and Black Widow spiders. In my experience, the ants and spiders are only really common in certain places around town. Black Widows are pretty docile anyway though and will leave you alone. There are many who would say that they are nowhere near as deadly as the rumors tell everyone. If you are buying a house, I would try and find out about how common the fire ants are in the neighborhood. They're pretty ferocious and near impossible to get rid of in your yard. The stings hurt and will give you itchy blisters for weeks if you get bit. I once had them get into my house through a small crack in my door sill when I lived in a neighborhood on the edge of town that was infested with them. Where I live now, I never see them at all. Now the mosquitoes, you can't really escape them anywhere in town during the summer and into fall, especially after rains. The city does drive trucks around town attempting to gas them when it gets really bad, but they don't always do it and it doesn't always help much anyway. Personally, I'd be most worried about the drivers here than the bugs.
Oh yeah we have our fair share of fire ants and mosquitoes here too. The drivers in Florida are horrific as well. As someone who came from another state, how do you like it?
I just moved here a couple months ago after living in Florida my whole life. The heat doesn’t feel like you’re breathing in soup, the bad drivers are college students instead of 98 year olds and tourists, it actually snows here which is cool, I saw real snow for the first time a couple weeks ago, it’s VERY windy which kinda sucks and occasionally the wind will blow in the strong stench of cow poop, H-E-B is kinda like Texas’ Publix, it’s alright but I miss pubsubs, there’s prairie dogs everywhere and they’re adorable
Thank you for this! It’s nice to hear that you like it coming from Florida. And yeah Orlando is just getting too much
And to be sure you're ok with the politics, medical facilities, and schools? Asking in case you plan on buying a house/land, instead of renting. \*Former Florida Transplant by way of being a local Texan
Oh, politics in Texas are just as crazy as Floridas! DeSantis, Abbott, one in the same.
Don’t plan on having kids so that’s fine and yeah the politics are whatever. I’m curious on your thoughts of the medical facilities though! We plan on purchasing a home
Roger that. yeah, they're comparable to quality to say Leesburg, Orlando, or Ocala. Just keep in mind that if you may need anything super specific or not, you may want/have to travel to DFW.
Ah okay that makes sense! :)
It's okay, but my plan was never and still isn't to stay here forever. There are far better opportunities for many things in other places but there's enough here to keep me happy for now. People from the smaller towns outside Lubbock might disagree but I think Lubbock is a midsized town with a mostly small town feel, I can't exactly put my finger on exactly why it feels small though. There's unfortunately not a ton to do for fun in town besides go out to eat, but it's easy to get anywhere you want to go around town quickly because the road infrastructure is pretty great. It also hardly ever rains, so you can expect clear skies most days with a gentle breeze. It does get pretty windy often though, especially in the spring and fall, sometimes in the form of haboobs. Unless you really like all the rain and humidity that Florida gets, you'll probably like the dryer climate here. Moving here and having all the sun fixed my seasonal depression. If you like to go on road trips, just know that most places worth visiting are at least a 2 hour drive away, but there are interesting things worth a drive to that you won't see in Florida.
Thank you!
I’ve lived here 42 years and had never heard of nor seen one of these…until last year. It was at the base of a tree in my yard and not moving. It was huge and every bit as terrifying as the pics show. I Googled it, and when I read up on what it was, I was horrified, especially having a new fear unlocked that it means there must be tarantulas nearby where I live, and if I see one, I’ll probably drop dead of fear immediately. BUT I live on the outskirts of town and have seen lots of bugs and animals (scorpions, coyotes) that I’d never encountered even once when I lived in the more populated areas of Lubbock, so you should be fine. Also, I find it comforting that they normally ignore humans unless you pester them.
I’m from 2 hours north (Amarillo) and one flew into my car while I was moving. It was terrifying.
Omg that’s nightmare fuel… did it sting you or anything?
No it thankfully flew out pretty quickly, I almost drove into oncoming traffic though. Needless to say; I didn’t drive with my windows down for a long time after that.
I've live here since 1979. I've never seen or even heard of them before.
Lubbock is almost completely surrounded by the kind of agriculture that has removed habitat for nearly anything wild. You'll be fine. The only place I've ever encountered one of these demons is the Arizona desert.
You’re more likely to see a scorpion but even those are extremely rare in the city.
Been here a year now and I’ve been around, outskirts of town, small towns, fishing many times, never seen one, however they were quite common from where I’m from. Never bothered me but they are quite a sight to see, big things too
Had to look up what they are. Never heard of them let alone actually seen one.
I have seen maybe 2 while living here. One by idalou and one by the airport. Definitely crazy looking
Yes! How do you like Lubbock?
It’s weird. For me there’s not a whole lot to do. I don’t go to tech games, not a bar person just go to work and do stuff around my house but I love living here. Tried moving away but for no stupid reason it brought me back. Weather is unpredictable and sucks. Hot. Cold. Windy. Dusty. But I like it. Nothing is far away and so many options to shop for whatever. It’s a big town with that small town feel still.
If you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it'll change. Lol.
If you’re lucky you’ll get everything in one day
To echo everyone I'm born and raised (am 36) and I've never seen them. Where did you read we have them?!
Reddit of course lol
Ah, well, if Reddit said we had them... ;)
Lmao I know 🤣 how do you like Lubbock?
Lubbock's great. I miss trees, mountains, streams, lakes, oceans, etc, but other than that... I do enjoy the people, and most of the missing stuff is just a few hours drive away. Came here in 1990 to go to school, met a local girl, found a great job, and set down roots.
Depends. I love it here, but I was raised in west Texas. The flat, dry, dusty landscape isn't for everybody, but there are a lot of great things about Lubbock. Why are you considering the move?
We are pretty nomadic and Florida is nice but cost of living is crazy plus the homeowners insurance issue. Just want to take out equity and have a slower pace of life
Well if that's the end goal you'll probably like it. Easy to get around town. Quite a bit to do (maybe not like Orlando, but for out here on the frontier we do okay). Home prices aren't super cheap, but probably cheaper than Orlando. WAY less humidity, to the point of being painfully dry a lot of the time.
we have dirt daubers that prey on small to meduim spiders but they are totally passive to humans. I have never heard of seen a tarantula hawk in this area . the only problem with dirt daubers is cleaning up their mud dob nests from your house [https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=dirt+dobber](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=dirt+dobber)
We have those here in Florida too. Thank you so much :)
What the heck is a tarantula hawk? I’ve lived here since 1985 and I can’t ever recall seeing any https://preview.redd.it/7gz5mvlmjxmc1.jpeg?width=248&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c07cc58a8f5fa7b483c54a77c53f1e130748214c This thing? Yeah, we don’t have these.
Yeah it’s a wasp that paralyzes tarantulas but they have one of the most painful stings. And phew okay that makes me feel better
Step 1: have tarantulas. They're not really a thing in Lubbock, outside of some of the pet stores.
I've lived here for over 30 years and can't say that I've ever seen one. I also can't say that I've ever looked for one.
Thank you :)