costa rica and bugs ?
 

I'm going over to Costa Rica soon and have heard a lot about all the snakes and bugs... I wanted to ask those who actually live there - how bad is it really?

I heard Northern Costa Rica isn't as bad with the bugs... is this true?

buhahaha.

I'd be more worried of the reptiles

Bahahahah. Bugs. Lots of them.

Moths the size of birds. Beatles, that fly, the size of .45 slugs and larger. Then of course there's the spiders.

Snakes aren't a big deal, and I like the lizards that I find crawling around my house. The bugs though are a huge pain in the ass. Personally I find the ants the worst, if you leave something sweet out in the kitchen there could be a black swarm on it an hour later.

Mosquitos and the like tend to be really bad on the coasts and night. Also, rainy season is the worst for bugs while summer (jan-apr) they are more tolerable.

Lotsa bugs and they're gonna bug you all throughout your stay.

Damn it sounds pretty bad.

Those fucking flying beatles are creepy as fuck.

what is the spider situation there? poisonous?

Also don't touch any little red frogs and watch out for scorpions at night.

Loads of reptiles, bugs galore, crocodiles, spiders the size of your fist, skeeters, jaguars - excuse me while I knife a croc :winkwink:

Seriously... Agree with fuzebox - snakes are no big deal. There are plenty of them, some dangerous, most not, but you're probably lucky if you see any.

The main problem on the coast will be due soon - skeeters. The rainy season is about to end and they likely to more mosquitos around. Keep some skeeter repellant handy.

Got Carlos crawling over the ceiling in the computer room now - but he's friendly :winkwink: Other than Carlos, ain't got many critters or bugs crawling around tho there are plenty.

If you do want to do the "eco-extreme" tour into rainforest areas - suggest you hook up with a good guide. These guys are usually excellent at showing stuff you would never ever see normally - and they cover your ass.

Guanacaste (Northern CR) has been screwed in the eco sense and correct - there is far less wildlife in that area and, to be serious, it's actually OK and not bad!! :thumbsup

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh :thumbsup

Ya got a good sense of humor eh WC?? The press officer for the Costa Rica Tourist Institute *LOL*

I bet there are some

I bet there are little to no poisonous spiders in Costa Rica, just like most rainforest areas.

Im sure you will have plenty of spiders (harmless), and some even spooky like tarantulas. However on the poison scale I would watch out for plants, scorpions, and frogs. With the small exception of wandering spiders that people hear about in those banana shipment rumors.

Having not been this is purely on what I remember of most rainforest fauna.
Though it is a rainforest area and well that also means thousands if not millions of undiscovered forms of life so hell you could get unlucky and be attacked by the worlds most poisonous spider to date and maybe even get to have it named after you when your arm falls off due to rot. Though not probable.

Na... spiders are not a problem jetjet - harmless, and never heard of any poisonous spider injuries. Tho there may be a couple of species which are poisonous, but they would be in their own territory in a rainforest.

This was not in CR, but on a Caribbean island - had some serious spiders there. Was typing away on a keypad one evening with the door open and felt something *very* light on my ankle... looked down and it was a large spider crawling up. Thought - no biggie and collected it on a sheet of cardboard and took it into the garden.

Next day I asked what like of spider it was :) .... and turns out it was kinda dangerous and enough to pull down livestock. Was also told they come in pairs, and, sure enough, the mate appears a few days later - but was more careful removing that one!! *lol*

Spot on ASM :thumbsup

If you are into eco/wildlife stuff this country is awesome. There are areas so damned rich they have been rated higher than the Amazon basin for their intense biodiversity.

There are also a good number of wildlife experts living here - know a few - and that is an awesome education into a world most of us never know about. Got one friend who specializes in "slithery creatures" (he reckons he not as popular as specialists in "nice furry creatures *lol*) - and supposedly has handled many reptiles from all over the globe. I've had "demos" from him of viper attacks - eg.. get a pair of thick gloves on and firmly hold a perspex sheet in front of you - then feel the impact of a snake strike the perspex. Some have amazing power and it's like a punch against the perspex.

The same guy is attributed to the recovery of a tiny rainforest frog which was supposed to be extinct. Apparently this frog played a major role in the ecology of rainforests and he found a small group of them - and has since recovered that species and spread them thru the rainforests again.

Then there is the big cat in his kitchen :1orglaugh He found it injured and kept it in the kitchen for a while till it recovered - apparently it stood no chance in hell of survival otherwise.

It's a very interesting place when you can meet up with people who know their own fields of expertise.

I would love to go but alas it really is not that handicapped accessable. Yeah people like Sly can get around some with help during a webmaster event, however for day to day I imagine it would suck.

And you think you would have problems?? :winkwink: I get totally knackered crawling thru a rainforest *lol* I remember once I was about to drop and was being pushed along the way by an elderly guy. Later we were chatting and I asked his age - 74!!! *lol* He was fitter than me and a "senior"!!

Seriously... there is lot to see without the "eco-extreme" element and it's also not that bad getting into remote locations with a vehicle. There are also a number of places elements of wildlife are assembled eg .. the "Crocodile Dundee" I mentioned has a range of species in his "facility" and loves to show folks around.

That is one thing which has been getting highlighted recently - accessibility. There is now a more conscious effort to design lodges/hotels etc with proper access features. Got another biz in development of eco-related and eco-tourism lodges and facilities - and accessibility is being thought of at the design stage, not as an afterthought and tacked on. The tourist board here (ICT) also has a list of hotels/lodges which have full facilities - so, think about it :winkwink:

Even without all the eco-extreme, it can be a nice place to hang out and very relaxing. Wish I had more time to do that!! :)

damn, that sounds pretty bad...
i don't think i'll ever come close to that region...

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh Na... awesome place! It's not one bit as bad as WarChild says - he just likes to keep everyone out so he can cuss the locals without interruption!! *lol*

You like having an intelligent conversation with monkeys and teaching parrots to say "Go Fuck Yourself" don't ya? :winkwink:

I never saw a bug over there :1orglaugh:1orglaugh

One of the most beautiful places you could ever visit. People tend to exaggerate a lot, i lived there two years and never been bothered by anything that i haven't seen elsewhere. True there are huge bugs, but only in remote areas and rain forests, and fishnets are everywhere. You'll love it trust me.

Thanks for the response.. thats what I heard about guanacaste.. far less bugs.

Thanks again :)

I go down there to surf, so I mostly stay near the coast. Iguanna's run rampit... the beatles are ginormous and there's alot of leaf ants everywhere... None of them are a bother... I'm quite found of that place and wouldn't mind moving there...

Spanx,
Jack

hate bugs...

just got back from costa on monday. the bugs arent really a big deal at all unless you are on the beach in shorts when it gets dark. as soon as the sun goes down it because mosquito heaven. besides that just normal shit. saw one small snake. a few iguanas blah blah.

P.S.

Thank you Fuzebox for inviting me to the Casino for drinks :)

all over and really big, haha :)

i feel like a retard now