Abuja - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
Not bad in the house at all for mosquitos. We are often battling ants but a sufficient amount of ant bait traps does the trick. - Mar 2024
We get ants by the doors every once in a while. Sometimes a little lizard slips into the house. And every six months we had the area around the house fumigated to get rid of cockroaches. Mosquitoes are well under control on our compound. Every once in a while, a random snake somehow finds its way into a back yard. Kids are warned to run the other way and let an adult know immediately. - Sep 2019
Malaria medicine is a must. Some lizards and such always want to hang around. Not a problem for us. Oh, sometimes ants can be a real pain in the neck. - Feb 2019
Not really. - Apr 2018
Nothing unusual, but there are insects here. In the Spring there is a bug that, when squashed, emits an acid that can burn your skin. Don't squash a bug on your skin. Flick it off. - Jun 2016
Nigeria has malaria, so mosquitoes in the evening are a particular concern. There is a cerebral malaria strain here that is particularly dangerous. A few years ago, an American officer died from it (from what I understand, this person seemed to do all of the wrong things, leading to this worst case scenario). Although many non-Americans don't take the anti-malaria prophylaxis, Americans with the Mission are strongly advised to take it. There are three different kinds: doxycycline (1 daily capsule taken with food), Mefloquine (1 weekly capsule - some people have reported very vivid nightmares as a side effect), and Malarone (1 daily capsule - more expensive, but generally considered as the best of the 3). We never had any issues with malaria. We very rarely saw dead cockroaches in our apartment. I'm guessing that a combination of all the geckos running around and the pesticide on our compound kept insects at bay. - Aug 2015
Malaria country? Some small ants in the housing looking for food or water. Seasonal bee and wasps in some places. - Jun 2015
Lots of insects in our housing. It's us against the ants. Constant invasion in the kitchen (and we are clean) but lots of entrances for them since none of doors close right to the floor. - Nov 2014
Ants, termites, skeeters. - Aug 2014
Nothing unusual. Put your dry consumables in plastic or the freezer. - May 2014
Pretty much everything, although bugs tend not to get as big as in other places I've lived. They have the worst type of malaria here, and several expats who think they don't need the antimalarials have died from it. Ants that get into your house are the small ones, though, not the huge red stinging ones, so that's good. - May 2013
Mosquitoes are a concern, particularly because malaria is an issue here. - Jun 2009
The lack of mosquitos in Abuja was also a surprise for us. We have not used repellent yet. But malaria is a big problem so you do have to take anti-malaria medication. - Mar 2009
