Mar 29, 2023 | Florida Pest Control
South Florida Pest Control: Identifying Silverfish
While silverfish are harmless to humans, if infested, they can become a huge nuisance to your home! These pests are prevalent in most Lauderhill, Florida homes and once they get inside, it’s hard to eliminate them as they can live up to 8 years and reproduce frequently. Learn more about these common household pests and how you can prevent silverfish below.
Why Silverfish Infest
These pests look to our homes mainly for food sources and a warm place to inhabit. They tend to eat sugary substances and will eat books, wallpaper, shirts, clothes, and even photographs! They will also look to lay their eggs in an environment they thrive in, seeking out dark, moist hidden areas of homes, such as our basements or attics.
How to Prevent Silverfish
Silverfish are known to rapidly reproduce, making it harder to get rid of if you do end up spotting these creatures inside. Luckily, there are some easy do-it-yourself preventative measures to place throughout your home.
- Keep dry food in your pantry with tightly sealed containers
- Dust your home often as certain particles can contain starches
- Store your clothes in a dry environment
- Utilize caulk to seal cracks, holes, or openings
- Consider investing in a dehumidifier to reduce the humidity inside your home
- Remove piles of brush, old plants, wood, and leaves
How to Eliminate Silverfish
Even after you’ve placed preventative measures throughout your home and they are still infesting, it could be time for some professional help. Your local South Florida pest control company will be able to set you up with a comprehensive treatment and prevention plan.
Mar 15, 2023 | Florida Pest Control
South Florida Pest Control: Fall Pests
After the humid temperatures of summer, most of us are looking forward to a cooler climate as fall approaches. As we say goodbye to our summer pests, fall pests are quickly emerging. Often searching for a warm place to inhabit and an accessible food source, fall pests will invade your home if proper preventive measures are not in place. Check out our list of fall pests you should look out for, and some do-it-yourself prevention tips to avoid them.
Rodents
There are several species of rodents looking to your home for shelter, including the house mouse, Norway rats, and roof rats. While these creatures have different characteristics, they each need a warm place to nest and a food source to survive. These creatures are often found in our attics, basements, crawl spaces, and kitchens. Preventing these creatures from entering homes starts with rodent prevention measures placed inside and outside the home.
Inspect your roof for any damage, including broken tiles or gaps under eaves, which can be an entry point for mice and roof rats to your attic. Likewise, utility pipes can have gaps; consider sealing around them with steel wool, caulk, or concrete. Rats like to inhabit where there’s clutter; make sure the less used areas and rooms in your home are clean and utilize plastic storage boxes with tight lids.
Ants
Sneaky, small, and often undetected, ants can become a major nuisance if they infest. These pests are attracted to warmth, food sources, and moisture. Commonly infested areas include bathrooms, kitchens, and our food pantries.
The first step in preventing ants from invading is sealing small gaps and holes around your home. These pests can fit into holes smaller than a dime, making it important to check throughout the home’s interior and exterior. Inspect windows, doors, and utility pipes that potentially have these openings. Clean up any leftover food, crumbs on the floor, and spills.
Cockroaches
Known for being a year-round pest, seeing these pests inside your home is always alarming! While these creatures are looking for a food source and water, they can bring diseases into your home and trigger allergies and asthma attacks. Homeowners will usually find roaches in our bathrooms and kitchens.
The best way to avoid cockroaches is to identify how they got inside in the first place. Inspect areas where you’ve noticed they have infested before. Seal any noticeable cracks and crevices that lead from outside to inside your home. Roaches will utilize clutter and hide in it during the day, making it essential to clean out piles of old newspapers or magazines, cardboard boxes, paper bags, or other clutter in your home.
Dealing with a pest infestation is never ideal, especially during the busy months of the year. Consider contacting your local South Florida pest control company for an evaluation and treatment plan.
Feb 20, 2023 | Florida Pest Control, Mosquito
South Florida Mosquito Control: Tips For Your Yard
In Florida, it can be difficult to avoid mosquitoes as our tropical climate is the perfect place for them to breed and inhabit. These pests are known to take over yards, becoming a nuisance to your outdoor fun. In order to establish mosquito control around your home, it’s important to understand what these pests are attracted to and how you can reduce their activity for a buzz-free environment!
Standing Water
Female mosquitoes only need a small amount of water to start the process of breeding. Once mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, they develop into larvae and will float just above the water’s surface. It only takes around five days got the larvae to swim, and within 48 to 72 hours, the pupa will grow wings and become an adult mosquito. It’s essential to remove any standing water and items that can hold water from your yard including pots, tarps, toys, old tires, and pet bowls.
Yard Debris
Mosquitoes look for places to hide, especially during hot and humid days. These pests will often hide in thick foliage, plants, tall grass, and damp woodpiles in our yard. To keep them from invading your yard, keep your grass and shrubs short, mowing often, and cutting shrubs back regularly. It’s also essential to store wood in containers with lids, placing it at least 20 feet from your home.
Your Odor
Did you know that mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide and body heat that our bodies emit? These pests will smell our odor and will target us for their next blood meal. If you’re spending time outdoors, consider placing outdoor fans to help redirect and dissipate the carbon dioxide and body heat. Likewise, when outdoors, consider wearing light-colored clothing, avoiding perfume, and trying to stay cool with a cold compress or water.
If you’ve noticed that the mosquito activity around your home has increased, consider reaching out to our Punta Gorda pest control company for some extra help. These professionals can provide you with a mosquito control and prevention plan for peak mosquito season.
Feb 15, 2023 | Uncategorized
South Florida Pests: Bed Bug Control
It’s the holiday season, the time of the year when a bed bug infestation can be devastating! Bed bug activity can be confused with only being active in the summer, but they are year-round pests. This means that while the weather cools off, bed bugs are still active during the winter and will be looking towards your Miami Lakes home for warmth! Here’s what you need to know about bed bugs, signs that they’ve infested, and how you can avoid them.
What Does a Bed Bug Look Like?
Bed bugs are extremely small, only growing to 3/16th of an inch in length. Before these pests feed, their appearance is brown in color and flat in body shape. After feeding, they become red, swollen, and longer in body length. These pests will often get around by hitchhiking through certain items. Adult bed bugs can be spotted by the human eye, but nymphs are harder to spot, as they are smaller and paler in appearance.
Where Do I Find Bed Bugs in My Home?
Bed bugs will infest several areas in the home, including behind baseboards, around mattress buttons, within bedding, electrical switch plates, picture frames, and more! There are certain warning signs of a bed bug infestation, including seeing their feces, casings, bloodstains on sheets, bites on yourself or family members, and their eggs. The best evidence, however, is seeing these pests crawling around in your home.
How Can I Avoid Bed Bugs?
These pests are notorious hitchhikers, catching a ride inside your home through suitcases, old furniture, packages, clothes, and even houseguests. It’s important to be vigilant when traveling or having guests throughout the year. Check out our top preventative measures to avoid a bed bug infestation below,
- Reduce the clutter throughout your home
- Vacuum out suitcases when returning from a trip
- Check your bed linens and mattresses periodically, especially after you have had houseguests
- Thoroughly inspect any used furniture before bringing it inside your home
- After traveling, wash your clothes in hot water and dry them on high heat
If you’ve noticed signs of bed bugs or are looking to get ahead of bed bug prevention, consider reaching out to your local South Florida pest control company! These professionals will inspect your home, locate entry points, and recommend a treatment and prevention plan for your home.
Feb 8, 2023 | Florida Pest Control
South Florida Pest Control: Cockroaches
Spotting a roach inside your home is always alarming! These creatures are known to be resilient and adaptable, surviving in the harshest temperatures and conditions. While we don’t often see temperatures drop too much, we still experience colder weather in Golden Gate, Florida. Your home can provide a warm environment for roaches, food sources, and moisture for survival. We break down three easy preventative measures you can place to avoid a roach infestation below.
Avoid Leaving Dirty Dishes
The kitchen is a paradise for roaches! These pests will often utilize your dish rack, sink, trash can, and countertops to find a food source. Often, what attracts them to this area are the items left overnight. Leaving dirty dishes and food scraps will attract these pests to various kitchen areas. When dirty dishes are left out, it’s an invitation for roaches to go into the sink, roam on the countertops, and eat food not properly stored. This can all lead to contamination and pose a health threat to your family. Wash your dishes and put them away after each meal. Likewise, check underneath your dining table and cooking area for leftover food crumbs and spills, and clean them up as soon as possible.
Properly Store Food
Cockroaches will go to great lengths to find food, often raiding your pantries and cabinets if they have a chance. Once they’ve gained access and food is available, they’ll eat and contaminate it. It’s important to properly seal all the food in your home to prevent them from accessing it. Look to store grains, cereals, and sweets in plastic or glass containers with a tightly sealed lid. If you have bags of chips and other snacks, secure them with a chip clip or utilize plastic bags for the leftovers.
Seal Window, Doors, & Entry Points
Roaches can fit into the smallest hole or opening to get inside a home. A great way to spot any opening from inside is by seeing daylight around a door or window. Don’t forget to inspect the outside of your home for any entry points roaches could enter through, such as the foundation, roof, attic, and crawlspace. If you spot these openings, seal them with caulk, steel wool, or foam, depending on the size of the gap or hole.
If you’ve placed DIY roach preventative measures and you’re still dealing with these pests, it could be time to call in some extra help. Consider contacting your local South Florida pest control company to provide you with a thorough inspection of your home. These professionals will be able to recommend prevention and treatment options customized to your home.
