Pablo Passarelli

Juan Pablo from e-control pest control in Mérida, Mexico is back — and this time it gets serious. He walks us through the four animals in Yucatán that expats actually need to know about: scorpions (the small ones are worse — trust us), the Chagas kissing bug (a slow, silent parasite that attacks your heart over 20 years), dengue-carrying mosquitoes, and four venomous snakes. Erica's mom got dengue visiting Mérida. Jeff walked toward a yellow snake and lost the stare-down. Snake antidote can cost...

We sat down with Juan Pablo, owner of e-control pest control in Mérida, Mexico, and learned that "pest" is a concept — not a definition. Your tolerance level determines whether a single roach is an emergency or just a Tuesday. Pablo walks us through how often expats should actually get pest control service (every two months, more in rainy season), the eco-friendly products he uses — including Green Shot, made from five natural oils — and the homeowner mistakes that make pest problems worse. Spoi...