San Salvador - Post Report Question and Answers

Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?

I swear our house sits on multiple ant colonies that are impossible to eradicate. At least once a year we have ants eat through our floor and take part of the house over, and it's not for lack of cleaning (the first time it happened was in our living room, where there was no food or water to attract them). Other than the ants, nothing unusual, some roaches, some moths. We've had a few mice (bring your own mouse traps just in case unless you like glue traps, which is all we've found locally), but the ants are what really have us stumped. - Oct 2023


I don’t know about unusual, but there are definitely roaches and ants. When we first got here there were a ton of roaches in the house, but once we’d settled in (6-8 weeks), they died down and now it’s manageable (one every couple of weeks). Also the aforementioned termites, but I think that’s less common. I’d recommend bringing ant bait, including indoor and outdoor ant bait – sometimes the ants are out of control (once we had them eat through our floor and start building a hill in our living room), and some of them bite. My toddler has been swarmed and bitten by ants multiple times, both at our house and in the recreational areas at the Embassy. - Feb 2022


Not really. There are mosquitos - especially in rainy season and some ants, but the high elevation of the city keeps most pests at bay and makes it one of the best climates to live anywhere in the world. Certainly nicer than most of the US. - Aug 2021


Ants, gekkos, and mosquitos. - Jun 2018


An occasional cockroach, but the embassy pest control has taken care of those pretty quickly. I have heard of people spotting iguanas or snakes in their yards but we haven't had that happen. - Mar 2018


We get ants occassionally, but nothing that ant traps can’t handle. - Jan 2018


A few ants. - Nov 2017


Yes -- this is mainly due to the rainy/dry seasons (see below) - Jul 2016


For being in the tropics, we've had minimal problems. Mosquitoes, especially in the rainy season, but nothing too terrible. Some ants that spray took care of. - Dec 2015


Mosquitoes are a problem here because they carry dengue and chikungunya. But they aren't so bad that people use mosquito nets. You just have to protect yourself outside. - Jun 2015


Mosquitoes. Dengue fever is a real issue here along with Chikungunya. - Mar 2015


None that I can think of but I lived in an apartment so did not have any problems. Some people had ants in their house. - Oct 2014


Nothing major - Jul 2014


Ants and mosquitoes during dry season. Five-inch cockroaches in your house's nooks and crannies are not uncommon. - Apr 2012


Mosquitoes, cockroaches, and some other buggies. - Jul 2011


Dengue is an increasingly concerning problem. During the rainy season you will get chewed alive by every bug imaginable. Most houses also have a serious sugar-ant problem. One house was (famously) so infested with scorpions that the resident had to move out. - May 2010


Mosquitos come out during dusk and dawn, but they are not a major nuisance. I've never had to wear repellant, although it is worse at the beach. San Salvador is at a higher elevation so the insects don't seem too bad in the city. - Feb 2009


Subscribe to our newsletter


New book from Talesmag! Honest and courageous stories of life abroad with special needs.

Read More