Miami-Dade and Broward County have been ranked number three in the country when it comes to the sheer number of cockroaches in Florida.
A biennial U.S. Cencues project known as the American Housing Survey is compiling information on which parts of the country house the greatest numbers of cockroaches. So far, one thing has been found in common with almost all of these locations, and that’s the weather.
“You’ve got humid conditions [in Miami] 100 percent of the year. It’s a great environment for cockroaches,” said Scott Svenheim, associate certified entomologist with Truly Nolen, the pest control company.
“Not surprising, particularly the cockroach ranking,” said Dr. Jim Fredericks, chief entomologist with the National Pest Management Association.
“Not for any other reason than cockroaches that are in the U.S. and around the world thrive in tropical and semi-tropical environments. I don’t think there’s any more tropical environment than Miami in the continental U.S. Plus, there’s a density of population.”
This survey covers fifteen of the most populous metropolitan areas plus ten others from 2015.
Over fourty one percent of New Orleans household reported signs of cockroaches in the last twelve months. Houston then came in second at thirty seven point nine percent.
And finally, coming up third, was Miami with a large number of cockroaches in Florida. Thirty two percent of the population surveyed admitted signs of cockroach presence. Only four percent said they had signs of mice or rats, though.
“ ‘Palmetto bug,’ that’s a household name for the American cockroach,” Svenheim said. “People call them that because they’re bugs that like moisture and, in palmetto bushes, they’re at the bottom. The bush helps keep moisture in there. In the west, they’re called oleander bugs because you’ve got oleander trees and bushes.”