Now, if you look and see the date that this was written in, you’ll probably have to pause and think. Why exactly would I write about cold weather pests when it’s 90 degrees outside? Well, it’s simple. Time stops for no man. In the blink of an eye, the few non-evergreen trees in Florida will drop their leaves. Fall is coming, and with fall comes livable weather. But after that? Well, it’s rare, but it does get cold. Cold enough to kind of contain some of Florida’s more pervasive pests. Flying ones like mosquitoes. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t cold weather Florida pests, and that’s what we’ll be talking about today.
Cold Weather Florida Pests
Now, even though the sunshine state is known for many other things, cold weather isn’t one of them. Snowbird flocks heading south for the winter, beaches that are soft and sand, and most of all warm weather. But parts of the state, especially from about central Florida up, we can experience cold snaps that bottom out at around fifty degrees. And when if we’re cold, they’re cold. They of course being the cold weather Florida pests. So what we’ll do today is break it down pest by pest, and go over some info regarding each of them.
Rodents
We’ll not go too far into this one because we want to keep it focused more on insect pests. But starting in the fall, if there’s a cold snap, rodents and small mammals can have a harder time keeping warm. And if you happen to be the kind of person to turn on the heat the second it’s below 70 degrees outside, it’s safe to say that your home will seem like a nice haven for these guys. So don’t be shocked to see things like rats, bats, mice, possums, and other small animals try to make their way inside as the temperature dips.
The best way to deal with rodent issues is exclusion-based methods. Nobody likes the idea of having tons of poison in their home. And when you do successfully poison a small animal, one of two things will happen and both are, frankly, bad. Either they’ll die in your home, oftentimes in places, you can’t reach that only a delirious, dying mouse can, and begin to rot. That process can stink your house up horribly for months, and a dead rodent is much more of a disease spreader than a live one.
The other thing that happens is that the small animal escapes, and either dies out in the open or to a predator. Either way is bad. Their bodies will still have poison circulating in them, meaning that any scavenger or predator that finds that body will likely consume it and die. The humane options of capture, release, and exclude, is always going to be less messy.
Cockroaches
Alright, now let’s really get into the meat of the matter. Not only is the cockroach probably the most common home invader in the state, that activity only increases as the seasons move towards cooler temps. Roaches are like reptiles, meaning that this cold weather Florida pest can’t regulate its own body heat. That means when those occasional cold snaps do hit, they’re going to beeline straight for shelter. And if that means a warm, tall house with plenty of space and insulation, all the better for a roach!
Cleanliness is a virtue. That really goes double if you live in the Southeast. One of the best ways you can make sure that the few who do sneak in, it’s Florida let’s be honest (you’ll always have at least one or two), don’t have the resources to stay and breed is to keep your home clean. And if you have any holiday parties towards the end of the year, make sure your guests clean up after themselves as well. Remember, roaches can live off of leaky pipes and dead skin cells. So if you throw a rager that leaves sticky drinks on the floor, food wrappers in the pool, and grease splatters on the oven from cooking- you’ve just created an all-you-can-eat roach buffet.
Bed Bugs
Remember those snowbirds I mentioned above? Yeah, they can be a problem too. In fact, Florida’s massive tourism industry is the source of quite a few nasty pests. The primary one being the dreaded bed bug. Bed bugs are a prolific infester, especially of hotels, resorts, and any popular travel destinations like Disney or Universal. And Florida sees millions of tourists every year.
And not only that, but these are bugs that will never be affected by weather patterns. They’re entirely indoor cold weather Florida pests, so even if something catastrophic happened and we reached sub-zero temperatures in the Sunshine State, as long as humans can live somewhere, bed bugs can live somewhere.
These guys are a terror to get rid of once established. A single female bed bug can lay over five hundred eggs in her lifetime, up to a thousand or more if she lives to rare but not unheard of ages. The second you get a sign of these in your home, you need to contact a specialist immediately. Even chucking your entire bed won’t get rid of them, as they can live in any place tight enough for them to safely reproduce. In fact, even loose carpet threading can prove a prime shelter for that female mentioned above. Don’t wait, if you have bed bugs, act immediately.
Cold Weather Florida Pest Finale: Silverfish
And finally, we’ll finish with a bit of tame pest. I call these guys tame because they’re small, don’t really bite, and aren’t disease vectors. But, who wants any creepy crawlies in their home? I sure don’t.
The biggest issue caused by silverfish is their chewing and eating habits. They’ll eat old papers, photos, books, and anything made out of starchy material, including wood. The presence of this pest can also indicate a leak or potential mold problem because they love living in and around moist environments. So if you see tons of these guys in your home, be prepared to have to deal with that.
