3. Wasps and Bees

Texas is home to bees, most notably honey and bumblebees, which can both sting humans. Neither is extremely aggressive to people, and stings are generally a last line of defense, particularly with honeybees which can die after stinging a person or animal. Both types of bees dole out a painful sting which will typically swell for a few hours, but they pose a large risk to those who are highly allergic to them.

South Texas has plenty of different wasp species, including several different kinds of paper wasps, mud daubers, and the dreaded yellow jacket. Most wasps can sting, but yellow jackets have a particularly unpleasant reputation for aggression, and are best to avoid when possible. Wasp stings hurt pretty badly, but unless a person is stung multiple times or is allergic to their venom, the stings generally aren't going to cause more than pain and swelling. Still, who needs that in their lives? It's best to just avoid wasps and bees whenever possible.

2. Ants

Ants are everywhere in Texas, with over 200 species native to the state, and Houston has its fair share of the stinging creatures. These include carpenter ants, leaf cutter ants, fire ants, and pharaoh ants, which are often called "sugar ants" around here. Anyone who has ever experienced walking into a fire ant bed, and having hundreds of the angry creatures scurrying up their leg realizes they aren't a lot of fun to get stung by. Generally, ant stings are more painful and irritating than dangerous, but like other insect stings, some people can have a severe and life threatening allergic reaction to them. Recently Houston has become the home to an invasive species called Rasberry Crazy Ants, which are named after the exterminator who discovered their populations were exploding here. Houston attracts people from all over the country and world, and it seems to be attracting new species of insect life too.

1. Mosquitos

While some people would have out of towners believe that Houston has mosquitos the size of small birds, providing anecdotes of the maligned insects flying off with small children, but there really isn't any need to exaggerate the vile nature of mosquitos. Quite bluntly, mosquitos suck. And it's blood they're sucking, so rather than just defensively stinging a person like a wasp or bee might, mosquitos are making a meal from us. Worse still, mosquitos are some of the most prolific carriers of disease in history, spreading fun stuff like malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and West Nile virus among others. They're also responsible for spreading heart worms to dogs and cats, not even sparing the animals we tend to keep as pets. Cockroaches may be disgusting and reviled, but mosquitos have spread misery to humans and other mammals throughout history. Most people living in South Texas who spend much time outside seem to either bathe in bug repellent, or hope the mosquito control trucks drive through their neighborhoods regularly. Where's Dale Gribble when we need him?

Anyone who has spent much time in Texas or the Houston area understands that certain aspects of life here are inevitable. Like hot summers and erratic weather patterns, Texas has bugs, and lots of them. Learning to deal with the ones that are merely irritating, and avoiding those that can be dangerous is just part of life in this part of the country.