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It’s inevitable to come across certain pests, especially during the warmer months of the year. Though, with Florida’s tropical weather year-round, it can seem like dealing with pests is nonstop. Roaches, mice, mosquitoes, and ants are just a few pests that can take over a household, become an annoyance, spreading disease, and causing damage to your home. One of the best ways to avoid a pest infestation is preventing them in the first place by placing do-it-yourself pest proofing measures throughout your home. Check out our list of DIY pest control tips you can utilize:
Pests are attracted to three things: food, shelter, and water. The best way to keep pests from entering your home is to get rid of what they’re attracted to. Try to keep your home as clean as possible, vacuuming and sweeping on a regular basis. Likewise, repair any leaky pipes and faucets both inside and outside of your home. Avoid leaving your pet’s food and water bowls overnight, taking them in and storing their leftover food in plastic containers with lids. Declutter your home, removing any old magazines, newspapers, and cardboard boxes you don’t need.
Mice, ants, and roaches can enter through the smallest hole or gap they find. It’s important to take the time to inspect the outside of your home for any potential entry points, sealing them up with either caulk or steel wool, depending on how large it is. Don’t forget to check foundations, food frames, windows, utility pipes, cables and wires, and the roof for any potential opening pests could enter in from. Repair any broken windows or screens and fil openings in pipes and vents.
To get to your home, pests must enter your yard first, so it’s important to keep it less attractive to them as it is your home. Regularly mow your grass, keeping it short and eliminating any weeds. Remove piles of leaves, debris, and fallen branches from your yard. Look to eliminate any clutter or items you don’t need, such as old automobiles, trashcans, tires, and dumpsters. If you store wood, keep it elevated from the ground and at least 20 feet from your home.
Pests need water to survive, and the smallest amount of standing water will attract pests like termites and mosquitoes. Keeping your home as dry as possible is key to avoiding their infestation. Check around your home for any water leaks and look for loose fixtures or dripping faucets too. If you have a crawlspace, consider utilizing a dehumidifier to decrease excess moisture. Make sure you clear any debris and leaves from your gutters, especially after a hurricane or thunderstorm.
Sometimes, a pest infestation needs more attention than DIY pest control methods can provide. If you’re still seeing an influx of pests or would like to get ahead of pest prevention, consider reaching out to a local pest control company for some help. These professionals will identify the pest at hand, provide proper treatment, and recommend the best prevention techniques you can use at home to avoid a future pest infestation.
Did you know that most spiders are venomous? It’s true! Luckily (if you can look at it that way), only a few types of spiders have venom powerful enough to harm humans. These include the widows and the recluses. Check out our list of venomous spiders in Florida and their characteristics to easily identify them.
Spiders will bite as a defensive mechanism and these bites usually arise when we place our hands or feet in areas where we don’t see these spiders. A bite from any of these venomous spiders can lead to swelling, severe pain, nausea, sweating, and intense muscle cramps. If you think you’ve been bitten by a venomous spider, seek medical attention immediately.
Spiders will hide out where they know high populations of pests reside. This means they can find a safe space inside your home. Here are some easy tips to follow to ensure they don’t take up residence in your home:
Florida homeowners know that the climate rarely changes in their state, typically staying well above 50 degrees year-round. With the warmer climate, pests tend to stick around year-long, sometimes invading our homes in the process! Spiders are a likely pest that homeowners might come across throughout the year. Check out the reason Florida spiders might be invading your home and how you can prevent them.
Spiders thrive in Florida’s humid climate, which provides plenty of opportunities for several spider species to invade our homes! Spiders, such as wolf spiders, brown widows, and black widows are all common to our area. These pests are small and will sneak into the home through the smallest hole, gap, or through packages without being noticed. Spiders prefer to be secluded and hidden away from human activity, and they’ll often find dark areas in the home to habitat such as behind furniture, in basements, under dressers, and in attics.
Taking precautions is the best way to ensure spiders don’t enter your home. Consider the following prevention tips to keep spiders away:
If you notice more spiders than you’re comfortable with on your property, reach out to your local pest control company for a free inspection!
As the leaves change color and the temperature begins to drop, many people in Georgia eagerly await the arrival of fall. However, along with the beauty of this season comes a new set of challenges for homeowners – the invasion of fall pests. These household pests are often seeking shelter and warmth as they prepare to overwinter, making your cozy home an inviting destination. In this blog post, we’ll explore some common fall pests in Georgia and provide valuable tips on how to prevent their intrusion.
While fall brings cooler weather and beautiful landscapes to Georgia, it also heralds the arrival of these common fall pests. Preventing these pests from entering your home is crucial to maintaining a pest-free environment. Don’t let these overwintering pests ruin your autumn. Contact your local pest control company today for a free pest control quote to help protect your home and family.
Smokybrown cockroaches are commonly found in the southeastern United States, from central Texas eastward to Florida and as far north as North Carolina. They prefer living in areas that are warm and have high humidity, preferring wooded areas where they are often found under mulch or in tree holes.
The smokybrown cockroach is about 1.5 inches long and has a dark brown to black body. They have a distinctive mahogany color, which is why they are sometimes called mahogany cockroaches. They are also known for their ability to fly, which makes them more difficult to control than other types of cockroaches.
Typically found outdoors, these nocturnal creatures are most sighted in:
More signs of these roaches include roach droppings and egg cases. The smokybrown egg casing can appear dark brown to black in coloring.
Being attracted to interior lights, they can enter your home through openings in windows, doors, and other gaps. They can contaminate any surfaces they touch, spreading bacteria. Proteins found in these types of roaches may also trigger asthma or allergic reactions.
If you see an increase of roaches in your home be sure to reach out to your local pest control company for a customized pest control plan to keep your home pest-free!
One thing about Florida: pests love to live here! Warm, humid climates make our state the perfect oasis for both humans and pests. While it’s inevitable to come across them, there are ways to prevent them from invading your home. Read more on the types of Florida pests to be aware of and how you can prevent them from ruining your fun in the sun!
Small, pesky, and will sneak into your home unnoticed, ants can become a major problem if they find their way inside. There are several types of ants popular to our area, including fire ants, carpenter ants, Argentine ants, and more. These ants may have different characteristics, but they all are looking for a water and food source to survive. You will often find these pests in your bathroom, kitchen, basement, or even utility room. While ants can be harmless, they are known to bite which can lead to allergic reactions such as itching or swelling.
Seeing a cockroach in your home is always alarming! Roaches, including the American roach, German roach, and brown-banded roach prefer to live in places such as sewers, trashcans, basements, and bathrooms, to seek food, shelter, and water for survival. Once these pests invade, it can be hard to remove them as they can multiple quickly. Roaches also carry bacteria on their bodies and feet and will spread unwanted germs when they walk across surfaces. They’re also known to trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks.
Ticks can not only harm humans but can also be harmful to our pets. These pests are extremely small and will latch and feed onto the blood of animals and humans. They can often be found in wooded or grassy areas, transmitting diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain fever. If you’ve been outside for a long period of time, you can often find them on your face, legs, armpits, belly, and in-between toes!
Dealing with a termite infestation at your home can be devasting, as they can cost thousands of dollars in repairs. There are two common termites in Florida: drywood termites and subterranean termites. Drywood termites prefer to live and nest in wooden structures or dry wood and do not need a water source. Signs of drywood termites include spotting their frass, which appear like sawdust, and located in piles near the infestation area. Subterranean termites need a water source and build their nest underground to obtain it. Signs that indicate a subterranean termite infestation include seeing their mud tubes along a home’s foundation or floor.
If you notice an influx of the pests listed above, consider reaching out to your local pest control company for help! These professionals will also provide you with free inspection and a treatment and prevention plan customized for your home.
Rodents, like mice and rats, are searching for a place to call home and often look towards our Florida home for it. Once inside our homes, these critters can cause severe damage and be a health risk to our homes and families. Destroyed insulation, left behind droppings, and chewed electrical wires, are signs of rodent infestations. We list popular south Florida rodents to look at for and a few ways you can avoid these creatures from invading your home. Check them out below!
Centipedes are arthropods that will often make their way into your home. Although centipede means “100 legs,” not every centipede actually has that many. Most centipedes prefer dark, damp spaces and are commonly found outdoors under rocks, logs, or piles of leaves. Other species can be found in your home. Here are 5 of the most common type of centipedes you may come across in our area.
House centipedes are found throughout North America and even in Hawaii. They can grow to be 1-1/2″ long and have 15 pairs of legs. Their bodies are yellowish-gray in color with 3 stripes on their backs. They have long antennae. House centipedes are usually found in dark areas of your home, like the basement. They are usually harmless, but will bite you if they are handled. They are quite beneficial to have around as they will eat roaches, moths, termites, and other household pests.
The Eastern Red centipede is found across the East Coast. These centipedes grow to about 2-1/2″ long. Their bodies are red or orange in color with lighter orange legs. They like moisture and will burrow under wet leaves, logs, compost piles, and woodpiles. They are venomous with a very painful bite.
The Eastern Bark centipede can be found in the Eastern United States and Canada westward to the Rocky Mountains. They can grow up to 3″ long. These centipedes vary in color, ranging from solid orange-brown to dark brown. Some species also have an olive colored stripe on their back. Their heads are brownish-red and their antennae and legs are yellow. These centipedes are nocturnal and live under rocks and logs. They are venomous and will bite.
The diamondback soil centipede will grow up to 2″ in length. They have light brown bodies with dark brown diamonds on their backs. They are found throughout North America, typically in gardens rather than inside the home. They live under debris and will burrow into the soil. They don’t have eyes and don’t bite. They secrete a poisonous substance from the underside of their bodies in an attempt to ward off predators but they are not considered a threat to humans.
Brown centipedes originated in Europe (where they are quite common) but can now be found on the Eastern seaboard of the United States. They grow to about 1″ in length. They have brown bodies, long antennae, and long tails. They hunt at night and can often be found in dark areas of the home, such as the basement. They do have venomous fangs but they are so small that they do not pose any threat to humans. In fact, they are beneficial to have around because they eat other household pests.
Fall weather has a significant impact on pest activity. As the days get shorter and the temperatures start to drop, many fall pests will begin to seek out warm, sheltered places to overwinter. This can lead to an increase in pests in your home and yard.
Some of the most common fall pests active in the fall include:
Prevent fall pests from invading your home this fall by following these tips: