npurpleh2

I've just returned from a fabulous week on St. John (trip report to follow soon) and had a question for any St. John villa experts...

I know that bugs are to be expected on islands in the tropics but is it common for villas to have a lot of bugs and creatures (palmettos, ants, lizards, scorpions) INSIDE them? Just curious if our experience was normal or out of the ordinary. TIA.

tpatricco

We generally do end up with a few bugs & small lizards in the villa, even when we're careful to keep screen doors closed.

That's a few...no cause for an exterminator or anything.

How many bugs did you encounter?

npurpleh2

We would see a few live palmettos at any given point during the day and would kill them and move on, but the majority of them was that every morning we would wake up to about 10 dead palmetto roaches all around the floor of the 1 bedroom villa. The ants would usually show up about 9am and before we knew it, we would have an army of ants marching across the wall. Daily we would usually find about a lizard that had made its way in that we would catch and then release outside. I never really noticed any mosquitos but the noseeums were lurking I'm sure. After the first day we kept the AC going the entire time with the windows closed but they still made their way in. We stayed in a great place with lovely views in a fantastic location but was definitely curious about whether this is normal for villas. I'm assuming this is definitely not the case with hotel/resort properties. I'm curious for my next visit to this type of location in the future. After a week of dealing with them, I was thinking that a more typical hotel might have been a better option if this is common for all/most villas.

china_cat

I'm curious about this too. If this is fairly common, does that mean getting a villa without AC is a bad idea? does it make a difference where you are located, or when you go? are there a lot fo mosquitos? and also, were you kidding about the scorpions? because that would really freak me out...

npurpleh2

Nope, wasn't kidding about the scorpions. Fortunately we didn't see any in the house but I read the guest log/comment books and saw that several other previous guests had seen them inside and had made note of it in the log books. I can't imagine staying without AC. First because it was pretty humid, even in January but also but also each night we had to shake the sheets to make sure nothing was in the bed... a couple of times the palmettos had made their way under the covers so we had to get rid of them. I'm not sure if we were just being hyper sensitive or if this is unusual. Hopefully someone with experience in several different villas can advise. I did really enjoy the privacy, location and conveniences the villa offered vs a hotel and if our bug experience is common it isn't the end of the world but mainly I'm curious.

Maggi

We had no bugs inside our rental villa on St. John. Like you, we did keep the air on. On other occasions, we have had the occasional gekko on the ceiling (which didn't bother me at all) and once in Costa Rica we had a scorpion inside we couldn't get rid of. Just a tip for anyone reading this, keep all your food (except for canned goods) in the fridge or in the microwave. Keep the garbage can closed and dispose of the garbage often.

tess53

bugs in villas are quite common. had my share of plamettos and ants but i must say never to the extent you had !! having 10 dead roaches in my bedroom would give me cause to move ! also the ant situation you described is over the top !! did you call attention to this infestation to your villa agent ? these sort of bugs are a part of caribbean life and are usually controled by extermination..well, they never really go away but it keeps them at bay. it's probably time for the villa you were in to be "treated". i also have had scorpions in villas.. one was on the wall next to the bed as i was getting ready to sleep...never moved so fast....got my sandal and smashed it !! a sting from the scorpions on st. john are not serious but still don't like them hanging around. with about 16 trips to st. john i've only seen three scorpions...always have a few gekkos running around, harmless. usually all of the bug or animal life is not bad/intrusive...people must remember that you're in the caribbean , bugs and critters are part of life there... i've even heard of some complaining to rental agents about roosters crowing too early in the morning !!! gee.. they should stay home/go to Disney World !!

soggydollar

looking forward to your TR!!!

Not a lot of experience here...we have stayed in just 3 different villas on STJ...plus various motel rooms in the BVI"S(inexpensive ones), also in OSJ.

There will most always be the geckos(anoles) which just hang out and eat bugs, so they are okay.
Ants will be there if you do not wipe the counters, but the other stuff!!! I have never seen a roach and thank goodness never a scorpion or tarantula!!
I think your villa had more pests than normal.
We now have our own island home and will find the occasional roach (usually dead in a corner) and ants if I am not quick to wipe up the counters or if anything gets left out.
My newest fear/obsession is seeing a centipede. A week ago a centepede is something they talked about in science class...I never thought much about it but have since heard they can be a foot long and their sting is much worse than a hornets. Iccchhh, I wear shoes instead of sandals out in the yard now. I have not seen one, but hear they are around!!
Maybe you should mention your situation to the villa rep or owner, renters do not want to run into that kind of thing, especially when you pay so much for a place to stay!

tpatricco

From the sound of it, your villa was much more bug infested than the norm. I've seen plenty of anoles and ants galore if you leave any food out. I've even seen the nefarious centipede (always check your shoes before putting them on). One or two palmetto bugs (in the whole trip - not daily) and never seen any scorpions in STJ.

Sounds to me like that villa could use some exterminating.

npurpleh2

Wow, ok, thanks for the input. I did mention all of what we experienced to the villa manager and we were told that was the normal thing to expect which is why I wanted to get the REAL scoop from you guys! We were very careful to not leave food out at all. We used a lot of ziplock bags, washed dishes immediately after ever single use and even stored a lot of our garbage in the refridgerator as gross as that may sound. For example when the milk container ran out I stuck it back into the fridge until we could take the garbage to the dumpster down the road. It sounds like we don't have to write off villas out of our future forever if this was a bit extreme. Thanks.

marbleheadguy

Well managed and clean villas on st john are the norm. Having alot of bugs is not.

Villas in dry hillsides can have scorpians...but frankly, its not normal because properly cleaned, maintained villas take into account bug problems.

Mosquitos are everywhere

I actually want lizards and small geichos in my resort villa condo because they control the tiny ants and other creatures.

Mosquitos are everywhere but relative in amounts depending on where the villa is placed, its daily nightly breezes and amount on water and brush nearby.
and if its "rainy season" on island...

Screened villas are essential...and rooms with overhead fans and floor fans help deter the flying critters...A?C always recommended too....especially JUne thru September.

Tuxedocat

Wow, that's alot of bugs. Our house is set in trees on a hillside and we definitely get mosquitos if we're not careful about the doors, and I've seen a palmetto bug or two scoot under the bathroom door to the outside, some ants when food is left out, and the occasional lost gecko or even field mouse, but nothing like ten roaches on the bedroom floor. Since our property is surrounded by flora, I thought we got more than the average. The airconditioning does cut down on the desirability of the house for insects. I've also stayed in a villa with no ac and it was definitely more buggy, but I think it was because there were few screened in areas as well.