Nationwide survey reveals New Jersey’s most hated bug

It seems as if there is a list for everything (and I often get suckered into writing about them), and now a pest control company has put out a list of every state’s most hated bugs.

How did they determine such a specific thing? They conducted a survey, of course. So, which bug is New Jersey’s most hated? According to PestProSearch, it is the spider. There were five other states hating on the spiders which put the pest in third place nationally. The site says if you are looking to live a spider-free life, you’d need to either live in the ocean, at one of the poles or at the top of a very tall mountain.

Common “cobweb” spiders in New Jersey are the Triangulate House Spider and the Common House Spider.

Nationally, the most despised bug is the cockroach, coming in number one in by far the most states: 29. You just hear the word “cockroach” and the image of dozens of them scattering when you turn on a light comes to mind. Pest Strategies says their resilience makes them a formidable foe as they can survive without food for a month, without water for two weeks and without a head for 7 days.

In between cockroaches and spiders is another critter whose name makes your skin crawl: the bed bug, which was number one in seven states. Mosquitoes were fourth and honorable mention went to ticks and centipedes. About centipedes, the site says these creepy crawlers are aggressive and potentially dangerous as their bite contains venom that can cause skin inflammation and even gangrene.

If you’re interested in seeing all the results, including a breakdown by gender, click here.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.