Down here in the swampy land known as Florida, we have quite the bug problem. If it walks, crawls, or hops on more than four legs…you can probably find it down here. That’s why today, we’re going to touch on central Florida pests, where you can expect to find them, and what you should be ready for as a possible infestation in your home. The sad reality of owning a house in Florida is not if you’ll have a bug problem at some point, but when.
Central Florida Pests: Why does Florida have so many bugs?
While most people think of Florida and picture sunny beaches, the warm sun, and bright white sands, there’s another side that you only get to experience as a resident. Florida is home to thousands of species of insects, each one more excited than the last to invade your home, eat all your food, and bite you up! And why, you may ask? Unfortunately, there’s quite a few reasons why a bug would love to call the sunshine state home.
For one, the simple answer is the climate. Bugs love warm weather! I mean, you do too, otherwise you wouldn’t be living in Florida. But not only that, bugs cannot reproduce or survive in cold temperatures. And there may have been a time in the past where frost on the ground in the winter was a common thing in Florida, but these days you’ll have a few thirty degree days a winter and that’s about it. That means throughout the entire season the bugs will be breeding, spreading, and invading homes through the season.
And on top of that, human adjacent pests are booming massively. Anything from mosquitoes, to cockroaches, to ants, and termites. It’s all getting worse because, well, there’s so many people! The more restaurants, developments, and apartments get raised up, the more food and shelter they have. So let’s get into some of the worst central Florida pests that may invade your home this summer season.
Cockroaches
One of the facts of life here in Florida are the cockroaches. We don’t have just native species to contend with. We have species from all over the U.S. and the world at large due to our massive tourism and shipping industries. Because of this, you’ll likely end up with one of these species in your homes. And in Florida, there’s two very common home invaders.
One of them is the American Cockroach. Mahogany colored with a yellow stripe at the base of their head, this is the largest roach in the continental U.S. – reaching up to three inches in length! They have powerful wings that can lift their large bodies, but they’re clumsy fliers.
Then you have the German Cockroach. It’s the most numerous species of roach on the planet, and is so used to invading human homes it’s believed that they may not even survive in the wild. They’re medium sized cockroaches that are usually under an inch in length, with a yellowish-brown coloration and two stripes that run parallel down their backs. The females of this species only have to mate once in their life, and after that can produce 300,000 offspring independent of any males. Roaches are one of the most common central Florida pests.
Ants
It may not be fair to call Florida’s ant problem unique, but down here we have just a little bit worse than the rest of the southern states. And once again, that’s thanks to our unique combinations of industry, population, and geography. But I’m sure you can guess which kind of ant I’m going to name first on this list. They’re red, have a painful sting, and are some of the most human aggressive ants you’ll find in our hemisphere. That’s right, the fire ant.
Fire ants are one of the few ant species that are a genuine threat to human life. Adult allergies to their alkaline poison isn’t uncommon, and enough stings from this swarming insect can land you in a hospital if you suffer from that. Babies and young toddlers who are swarmed when they’re sleeping have experienced fatal encounters with this pest as well, as their developing immune systems succumb to the poison.
These ants tend to build their mounds in sunny, open fields. But fire ants moving into homes searching for food and water isn’t uncommon, and if they find it you can easily end up with several hundred in your house at once, each one ready to grab and poke you with their stingers several times over. These central Florida pests are nothing to balk at.
Mosquitos
This really should go without saying, shouldn’t it? You can run. You can hide. But as long as you’ll live in the state, this is one central Florida pest you’ll have to deal with. The notorious mosquito. And even worse than the cockroaches mentioned above, we have dozens of species in this state from all over the subtropical regions of the world. But unlock cockroaches, this is a flying parasite that is a vector for human disease.
In fact, in 2023 there have already been four cases of Malaria in the state of Florida. So you can throw that on top of west nile virus, Zika virus, and equine encephalitis. Mosquito life styles are based off of stagnant pools of water. And not only does Florida have the swamp, lakes, and low-lying wetlands to provide that, so do most homes around the state.
If you stand in your front yard and throw a rock, there’s a good chance it’ll land in a yard with either extensive gardens that retain plenty of moisture for mosquitos to thrive in, or a yard filled with old cars and junk for stagnant water to build up in. And if you manage to control them on your property but don’t take the proper precautions, a strong wind will bring them right back to your land. These guys are here to stay, and you’ll have to deal with them more days than not.
What to do if these central Florida pests infest your property?
These type of insects are not the type you can get out of your home on your own. Instead, visit our website at insectfree.com and give Earth’s Best a try and see why we’ve been trusted by our community for three decades. You can call us at 1-800-634-1313, or visit out website
Why Earth’s Best?
Launched in 1994, Earth’s Best Natural Pest Management set out on a mission to revolutionize pest management. Over the years, we’ve become adept in alternative pest control, consistently offering the most advanced and extensive range of services and information. Our unwavering commitment is to protect your children, employees, pets, and the environment. As we stand on the cusp of our significant 30th anniversary in 2024, we look forward to celebrating this remarkable milestone.
