The Fly in the Ointment: All about insects in your ABB space

[Laura2592]

So many hosts have been posting recently about guests complaining that they saw an insect in their ABB space. Some guests have even asked hosts to remove insects from outside! As the purveyor of Firefly Cottage, I am particularly sensitive to this issue, especially during the warm summer months.

How do you prevent complaints about creepy crawlies in your space? 

How do you deal with guests who are insect phobic?

How do you address dings on your "cleanliness" score due to that stray moth or fly that wandered inside?

Is there anything you do in your listing to inform guests about encountering insects or other natural elements?

Do you do anything to remediate insects in your space or on your property?

How has ABB responded if a guest complained of an insect in your space?

I would love to see a discussion of this topic and hear some ideas for helping protect hosts (and guests) from the issues that "bug" them 🐝

[Brian2036]

@Laura2592 

I keep several fly swatters in the house and hope that people know how to use them.

 I also provide cans of wasp and hornet spray.

 I don’t like to use any kind of poison in or near my house but I am going to have the chalet treated quarterly because I am tired of complaints and there are many things in the forest, including scorpions, tarantulas, brown recluse spiders, the rare black widow, ticks, chiggers, wood roaches and so on.

 I try to discourage potential guests who are ignorant about what it takes to make up a natural ecosystem but it doesn’t always work.

[Sarah977]

@Brian2036   I don't use toxic insecticides either- there are some natural products that work quite well. One I have is a spray that's mainly cinnamon oil.

I actually don't have a proliferation of insects because the geckos and house spiders (I only remove those spiders from the guest space) keep them at bay. A neighbor decided to start killing  all the geckos in his house, because he was tired of cleaning up the gecko poo, the result of which was that his place became overrun with mosquitoes.

[Michelle53]

@Brian2036   One year I had bald-faced hornets take up residence in my hedge. The only way I found them was when I tried to trim the hedge, and they went after me. I suppose most people would have tried removing them.  I just left them alone, decided the hedge would survive without trimming, and they die off naturally, come winter, and don't usually come back to the same spot. 

[Sarah977]

@Michelle53 I wouldn't have killed all those ants in my guest's bathroom if not for the fact that she was disturbed by them. They are usually just moving through and an hour later probably would have been gone on their own.

The only things I normally kill if I see them in the house are scorpions, cockroaches and a certain beetle that can carry a really dangerous parasite that can cause chagas disease.

[Michelle53]

@Sarah977  Yeah - the things we have to do for guests.  I had to put ant pheromone traps out one time, just because of appearances, not because I was bothered by them. 

[M199]

@Laura2592 

We include that we are located in a UNESCO heritage site.  When we meet and greet, we talk to our guests  and give them a general overview of the local flora and fauna!  Remove the fear, hesitation and uncertainty and no reason for bad reviews.  Just a simple comment like...

"If you hear high pitched noises at night by the campfire, that would be Screech Owls"  Can't count the number of times that guests thanked me.

Never had a complaint and usually are able to get our guests go searching for the elusive snakes, salamanders, bats, flying squirrel, see below. Lol

 

[Sarah977]

@M199 Someone once suggested that hosts in places that have a lot of wildlife put together a pamphlet with photos of all of them and a short description and at the end, make it like a treasure hunt- "How many of these critters can you spot during your stay?"

[Brian2036]

@Sarah977 

I think that’s an excellent idea.

Kind of like a birdwatchers book.

This is a King Snake swallowing a Copperhead.

I don’t want people to go around killing every snake they see.

[Kath9]

@Laura2592  it's a tricky one, isn't it. First, I'm delighted to see that pretty much everyone here has said that they don't use poisons and will manually remove bugs that come into the house. That makes me happy 🙂 But I do get a lot of guests (not Australians, who are used to spiders, etc.) who FREAK OUT at the sight of even a daddy longlegs (of which I have many). Daddy longlegs are my friends and keep the other bugs under control. Occasionally, the odd huntsman spider comes in. They look scary but are pretty harmless. I catch them in a plastic container and put them back out in the garden:

Like @Sarah977, I'm pretty casual about it: 'Oh, don't worry about those, they won't hurt you', kind of thing. The most annoying insects are flies and mosquitoes, and our mosquitoes down here carry a pretty nasty long-lasting virus (Ross River virus). I tell my guests that they must keep the screen doors closed at all times so that flies and mosquitoes can't get in. I guess I just don't buy into my guests' insect phobia, and I would never use poisons to appease my guests. It's them that need educating about this. Insects are vital to the ecosystem, and poisoning them hurts us all.

[M199]

@Laura2592, @Kath9 , @Brian2036 , @Michelle53 , @Sarah977 

Great topic and comments everyone.

How do we enlighten those less knowledgable guests without further endangering any of the natural to our area species?

[Brian2036]

@M199 

I’m afraid that enlightenment is neither possible nor welcome in most cases.

I’m merely trying to discourage guests from places that appear to be mostly inhabited by people so far removed from nature that they would be unlikely to survive a Facebook crash.

We’re about to be overrun with these:

Which are absolutely harmless although they can be up to 8 inches long.  It’s an annual event and greatly appreciated by the many creatures that devour them.

 I suppose I should post a picture on my listing; hopefully anyone who goes into shock at the idea of an 8” bug will not book our cabin.

[Clara116]

@Brian2036 I'd put that pic on your picture pages with all other pics of your listing....and if they see that, cause we all know many guests do not look and read the listing details....you gotta figure maybe they saw it and still booked.

Crazy how people freak at the insects - we are organic gardeners so we know how beneficial so many insects are. We are in the city and so its not easy cause our neighbors -- not gardeners use poisons and it surely causes an imbalance in the neighborhood and has an impact on our garden.

Unfortunately people don't wanna seem to learn, change or adapt....but will be forced to soon enough with all the damage being done to our world.

We just do what we each can and hope to make a small impact....and gather others along the way.....we need many Greta's out there in the world!

Blessings, Clara

[Michelle53]

@M199   I had a guest who messaged me to ask for fly spray because there was a fly in the space.   I told him I don't have any fly spray, but if he turned the lights off and opened the door, the fly would go out towards the outside light.   Apparently, that worked, because I heard no more about it.

I understand nobody wants to share a space with a fly, because you don't know where they've been - but share the space with a toxic spray ? 

[Linda108]

It is much easier for those onsite/greeting hosts to address the issues that a stranger in your home would need to know.  If the Air NB mantra is "live like a local" , then hosts must help guests understand what is local...including critters.  Those hosts who must interact with guest remotely have a greater challenge in orienting guests.  Over the years on the forum, I have experienced hosts taking the default position that guests are being clueless or entitled or scamming.  I appreciate hosts that take the time to see their listing through the eyes of a traveler.

[Laura2592]

@Linda108 I agree its optimal to be able to explain these things in person. Covid has made that impossible for many hosts. The alternative is making some kind of readable guide (I love the idea of a guide to flora and fauna!) but you must rely on your guests to actually read it. 

And just as point of fact, the mantra is no longer "live like a local." Its "live anywhere." Subtly different. Gone is the emphasis on fitting in to some kind over overarching culture or geography. Inserted instead is the idea that you can just roll up to (literally) anywhere and start living there. The first mantra implies the guest would take cues from the surroundings. The current says they really don't have to. Its theirs to live in as they wish. So in the context of this discussion, if insects are a bother or unfamiliar sight to your "living anywhere" guest, even if the locals get that there creatures are cicadas or mosquitos, this guest may not be inclined to take any cues from the environment. They may instead feel as though this is interfering with their temporary lifestyle makeover and demand a change.