Beasties

Ants

There are masses of ants in all shapes and sizes. We seem to have three varieties in the house. Tiny little micro ants that seem to like electrical sockets. Giant jungle sized ants which are so big I tend to look on them as household pets - a bit like cats that appear from time to time, make themselves at home and then disappear again. And then there are the ordinary medium sized ants. These are the biggest pain especially if you have young children who drop bits of food around. Actually, they can save on the clearing up because within minutes you'll see rather large items of food walking up the walls. If your house hasn't been lived in for a while it will probably be worth having it sprayed inside and out.

The only ants to really worry about are the large Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina). These are seriously aggressive and hurt like anything when they bite. And they don't just bite, they lunge at you and hang on with everything they've got. If you have children who play in the garden and you notice a nest anywhere (usually in trees) it is time to call a pest control company and have it dealt with professionally. They also seem to like fences and gates so keep an eye out for them.

Monitor Lizards

If you are supposed to be worried about these then nobody has told me. We love it when we see them. Often it's in the car and we pull over to get a closer look (no, not at the road-kill). Actually its pretty easy to get close up. It's the movement that seems to scare them not the proximity, so once you've stopped moving they pretty much ignore you. We once watched one swimming around in a huge storm drain. Great, until it started biting chunks out of the most horrendous dead things that also happened to be floating around in there.

Monkeys (Macaques)

Watch out! At first it might seem great to have monkeys in your garden and many have made the mistake of putting food out to keep them coming. Monkeys come in troops (or should I say 'gangs'). Once they get the idea that you are a source of food it can get nasty and dangerous. An adult male can get pretty big and you don't want it picking a fight with any of your family, A real case of Don't Feed The Animals!

Chitchats/chikchaks/geckos

Whatever you call them you are likely you have hundreds of these little beige/brown lizards living in your house. Don't worry, you don't see them all at one time. You just catch sight of them darting from behind pictures to behind curtains to behind furniture etc. You will hear them occasionally too, especially if there's a fight (between the geckos I mean). Apart from the noise the biggest downside are the 'droppings' - little black blobs mostly around the perimiter of rooms.

Centipedes

You do have to watch out for these. As far as I know they can inflict a painful bite though nothing life-threatening. We have seen a fair few and a couple have got into the house.

Termites

These can eat a house - and frequently do. Do watch out for tell tale signs if you live in a wooden house - little piles of dust. It can be pretty disastrous if they get into your storage areas without you realising. I've know people to try and pull out their suitcases to go on holiday to find the cases - and contents - completly eaten through. Store clothes, books, papers or any potential termite food in plastic boxes.

Weevils

These little beasties appear like magic in your rice, pasta, flour etc Store these things in airtight containers. Be especially careful with pasta that comes in cardboard boxes and flour in paper bags. Open these up straight away and store properly.

Nothing special to report here, but then I'm not afraid of spiders. We don't get masses of them and nothing at all dangerous, this isn't Australia!
There are little spiders that jump around and very occasionally you might see quite big spiders in the house. The trick with the big spiders is to call them 'George' (or any other suitable name) and regard them as your rather reclusive pets. You really don't see them very often at all.
I think even an spider phobic could live here quite happily.

I only mention these as there was once quite a panic when some cone shaped shells started appearing on the beach near Panaga. We looked into it, and while there are cone shaped shells that are very dangerous, none are found locally.

Not a big problem but they are around.
See Crocodiles in the local news:
Big croc that got away
Anduki croc tamed after 3hour battle

Jellyfish can be a problem though rarely very serious. Stinger suits are reccomended if swimming/boating in the sea or estuaries - but they are good for sun protection anyway. A bottle of vinegar should always be available if an encounter with a jellyfish is possible (to pour on the sting - not to throw at the jellyfish!)

We've only had one in 6 years. Some have seen more. The local species is not particularly dangerous and is not a significant concern.

There are a fair number of snakes though you are most likely to see them as road-kill. We have only seen a half-a-dozen or so live snakes in our years here though that does include a Malaysian Black Python trying to enter the house!

Some have had close encounters but I haven't heard of any injuries resulting from them.

See 15-foot python behind bars and Slithery Intruder