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The Pest Control Tactics to Beat 4 of Florida’s Most Common Pests

Summertime and the livin’ is…buggy. Does that sound familiar to you? If you live in Florida, it ought to! The summer solstice brings with it hot, rainy, muggy weather and brings us into direct contact with the pests that thrive in the weather. If you’re a Florida resident you’re likely familiar with our most common pests, but how much do you know about pest control? We’ve created a list for you including our favorite pest control tactics.
Before we get to that we should mention that the best pest control method will always be regular and ongoing service from a pest control professional. While this list includes lots of helpful ways to prevent pests, only professional pest control can be depended upon to safely eliminate pests from your home. Without further ado, here are some of the most common pests found in Florida homes and our advice for preventing them.

1. Mosquitoes
Summer is the season for outdoor activities. Playing in the yard, family barbecues, and poolside happy hours are just a few of the fun ways that Floridians enjoy the great outdoors during this time of year. One of the biggest hindrances to outdoor fun is mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are irritating and itchy, and they can also be dangerous. Mosquitoes have been known to carry harmful diseases like West Nile and Zika viruses, as well as heartworm which could affect your pets.

Treating mosquitoes is a twofold issue. It’s important to know that mosquitoes are attracted to standing water so the first thing you can do to rid your home of mosquitoes is to eliminate any places where they might choose to live. For example, if you have a birdbath or a bucket filled with water sitting around it won’t take long for mosquitoes to lay their eggs and breed a whole colony of pests in your backyard. Additionally, mosquitoes have trouble flying into moving air, so if you have an outdoor seating area you might consider hanging a fan to blow them away from the areas where people congregate most in your yard. This pest control method also helps to cool you off on hot summer days! Many families also opt for citronella which you can get and candle form as well as in oil to fill torches.

2. Cockroaches
Florida is called the sunshine state, but if you live here you know that summertime is our rainiest season. Typically it rains nearly every day in the summer during the afternoon. All of that rain tends to create damp spaces in and around our homes that attract bugs like cockroaches. In addition to dampness, cockroaches are scavengers that are looking for food. So that’s why it’s common to find them in your kitchen or around the areas where your family eats.

An easy way to eliminate cockroach intrusion into your home is to carefully clean food particles from your kitchen counters and to limit your family’s snacking in other spaces in your home. Unlike mosquitoes, cockroaches don’t bite. So, while they are known to carry unhealthy bacteria and disease they are less likely to transmit it directly to humans. However, it goes without saying that you don’t want them in your house.

3. Rats
Is there anything more “yuck” inducing than rats? We know, some people keep them as pets. But, we’re not talking about the domesticated rats, we’re talking about the wild, uninvited rats. The truth about rats is that they are good at taking advantage of little hiding places and small entryways into your home. If you have a rat problem, it’s not likely that they’re entering your home through a cartoon-style mouse hole in your baseboards. Realistically they may be squeezing through spaces so small that you don’t even notice it.

Like cockroaches, rats are in your house looking for food. It’s common for you to find remnants of them in your kitchen. Often homeowners will see that they have chewed through food wrappers or taken bites out of fresh fruit left out on the counter. These sneaky little pests can be treated by laying down traps, but they are much smarter than you think. So before you try any at-home pest control we urge you to call a professional. Catching rats isn’t as easy as you think.

4. Termites
Unlike the other pests on this list, termites are the hardest to see and the most detrimental to your home. Termites are often living unnoticed in homes for a long time before the homeowner sees any sign of them. They typically don’t bite, they don’t try to steal your food, and you won’t see them hanging around the kitchen. But when they do finally make themselves known it’s usually after they’ve inflicted a significant amount of damage.

Like cockroaches, termites are attracted to dark damp spaces so the best way to prevent a termite infestation is to make your home as dry as possible. If you have a leaky roof or appliances that are causing water damage, we urge you to deal with these issues as soon as possible. Generally, at-home pest control is not highly effective for eliminating termites. The best pest control method is to call a professional pest control company.

Every region in the country has its own pest control issues to deal with. Fortunately, as residents of the state of Florida, we get to take the bad with the very good. A handful of pests that can be handled with a professional pest control service is well worth the benefit of long summer days and white sand beaches. If you’re interested in learning more about our pest control services, contact us today. It’s our mission to make sure you feel safe and happy in your home.

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