In Florida, the spring and summer are horrendous for bugs. They swarm, fly, and crawl all over our property. But the winter in Florida brings its own unique set of challenges. Most of those come from the fact that these bugs either stick around all year no matter the weather, or they’re actually encouraged to come inside. If you’re cold, they’re cold! That’s why today we’ll touch on some Brandon winter pests, and what you can do to control their numbers.
Brandon Winter Pests: Overview
Now, let’s touch on some of the winter pests you can see moving into your home as the temperature drops in the sunshine state. We’ll start with a very familiar class of pests, I think.
Cockroaches
Yep, if you live down south you probably felt a very familiar chill go up your spine. Cockroaches are very common in warm environments, and in Florida, they’re a simple fact of life. When temperatures drop even a little bit these cold sensitive souls turn tail and run for the nearest human dwelling.
One of the biggest, most shocking bugs you can have in your home is the American Cockroach. You’ll find these guys referred to as a palmetto bug by many, and it is the largest species of roach in North America. They grow longer than two inches in length, sometimes reaching over three. They’re reddish brown insects with a pale yellow border. Males and females both have wings, which can lead to some horrifying situations. It’s not uncommon, if you leave your windows open at night, to have one of these clumsy fliers end up zooming around your kitchen.
They mostly come indoors by accident, however. Instead, you should look out for German cockroaches. German cockroaches are not only the most common Brandon winter pest but one of the most common pests in America. These bugs infest more homes than any other species of roach. They’re pale to brown in coloration and have two dark stripes that run down their back behind their head.
These roaches typically end up in homes after hitchhiking in. They can be brought in inside boxes, bags, used appliances, and other containers. Old electronics like hand me down game consoles or computer towers are also suspects that you’ll find them hanging on inside of. And it only takes one fertilized female to become an infestation. A single egg carrying female can lead to the birth of roughly thirty thousand offspring in a year!
Brandon Winter Pests: Bed Bugs
Up next we have a pest of pretty serious magnitude. Because let’s be honest, there really isn’t much quite so scary as having your blood drunk by a bug that crawls all over you in your sleep. Adult bed bugs are tiny, quarter inch long insects that are roughly the size and shape of an apple seed. They’re long, flat, brown colored, and have an oval shaped body. But if they’ve recently fed, they’re more like a balloon in appearance and bright red thanks to the blood showing through their thin exoskeleton.
The younger bugs, known as nymphs, are smaller and hard to see due to being white and nearly translucent. The eggs are even smaller, and it’s not likely you’ll see them with the naked eye.
If you suspect you have bed bugs in your home, finding them to identify them is the best thing to do. But bed bugs are experts when it comes to hiding. So when they’re not feeding, these pests can be found in a variety of places. Look in spots like the seams of chairs and couches. Any big, soft furniture can be a good space for a bed bug to infest. So look around your cushions and in curtain folds as well. Also, drawers and their joints, as well as electrical sockets are common infestation areas.
Bed bugs can squeeze themselves into impossibly tight spaces as well. So check in any appliances you have around the house, and you may have to go as far as disassembling them if you suspect an infestation. Junctions, where the floor meets the wall, are commonly infested as well. This is a bug that can thrive in the head of a screw if it’s well hidden enough, so be hyper vigilant when you look.
Fire ants
I’d describe what a fire ant looks like to you, but I’m sure you’re already well aware if you live in Florida. Their mounds are everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. Find any flat plot of grass in the state and you’re likely to find one of their fire ant mounds. When it comes to these Brandon winter pests, their nests are easy to spot. They can appear as mounds that are over a foot in diameter and nearly that tall. Large colonies of fire ants can have upwards of two hundred and fifty thousand workers. And these workers are active and aggressive and will attack anything that intrudes on their mound repeatedly.
And once they’re in your home, they’re nearly impossible to get rid of. These ants are omnivorous, meaning they eat anything. Animal or vegetable. They tend to eat insects, earthworms, ticks, spiders, and plants when outdoors. Young and newborn vertebrate animals eaten by fire ants include birds, rodents, and calves. Generally, fire ants readily consume carrion (dead animals) regardless of whether the fire ants themselves caused the animal to die. So pretty much, once they’re in your home they’re going to be very hard to get rid of because there’s not a lot they don’t eat.
Brandon Winter Pests: What to do when infested with one
Unfortunately, dealing with pests on your own isn’t a very easy or fun thing to do. Over the counter pesticides can lead to fast breeding insects developing immunity to poisons, making them even harder to get rid of.
Thankfully, however, there are plenty of good professionals out there for you to call for help. If you’re interested in natural methods of pest control that won’t harm you or your family, give us a call at 1-800-634-1313 or visit our website for a consultation.