Insects and Bugs and SPIDERS of Cuenca Ecuador Updated 2018

This article was first published in 2012 and today we bring you the updated article with the companion video. Enjoy!
      

Insects and Bugs and Spiders in Ecuador

Does Cuenca Ecuador have different kinds of bugs and spiders than say, the US? Yes and no…they have the same kinds of little crawlies and some unusual other little squirmy things that you’ll see in the photo below that still has not been identified.  It looks like a scorpion and grasshopper mix.

This article will give you an idea about the more common insects bugs and arachnids we have seen in Cuenca and around Cuenca.
 
Bugs we rarely or never see in Cuenca:
 
1. Cock roaches – never
 
2. Mosquitoes – rarely
 
3. Ants – rarely  
 
4.Wasps or Hornets – never  

5. Crickets/Grasshoppers – never hear nor see (common at the coast, though)
 
6. Butterflies – never 

No butterflies but Cuenca does have big moths.

7. Flies – rarely in winter 



Update 2108: We have seen a green grasshopper, stick bug, scorpion, another huge beetle and a Tunnelweb spider all in the companion video above.  Yes! we have seen a few scorpions and they aren't king in our yard!
 
Update 2016 – Unfortunately, having a dog has definitely given us more of those pesky flies. We put screens on all the windows because the house didn’t come with any screens.
 
Bugs and Insects and Archnids that we see sometimes or often
 
1.Tarantulas – sometimes / often, depending on time of year.
 

Cuenca has different kinds of spiders and they start to come into the house in the winter. We occasionally get a tarantula inside the house; they like to crawl under the door cracks when it gets cold outside.  

When we find tarantula's we always let them go because were not just ready yet to have a tarantula spider pet.  However, when Angelo was little he loved insects as pets and would make insect aquariums and keep them but then after a few days, he's let them go.

2. Earwigs – often
 
3. Spiders – often, and especially in spring

4. Italian honey bees – sometimes
 
5. Moths – often
 
6. Scorpgrass – (not real name, see photo below) - sometimes
 

This one is a strange looking bug; they come inside the house too. They’re ugly.  It could even be an earwig
 
7. Beetles – often -- BIG beetles too.
 
8. Flies and fruit flies – sometimes, but more often in the summer months
 
BTW, when a tarantula comes into the house, we put it in a jar and let it loose by some rocks by the river bed.
 
Until we write again, you might also like to read about some of the ferocious and wild animals in Cuenca Ecuador below.

• Wild Animals We Have Not Seen in Cuenca Ecuador

• Cuenca Ecuador Amaru Zoo
  

We're an expat family of five living frugal, healthy and happy in Cuenca Ecuador. Come along and enjoy some of our adventures with us!