If you’ve lived in or around the central Florida region for any amount of time, you’ll know about the bugs. The Sunshine State is home to more than just beautiful beaches and a summer that never ends. Oh no, you know we’ve got bugs out the butt too. That’s why today we’ll discuss some of the most common pests in the area, some Dover pest control tips, and what to do if you find yourself dealing with an infestation.
Dover Pest Control: Overview
Alright, let’s get down to brass tacks. The most important thing in pest control is knowledge. From both the owners and the pros, knowing what you’re up against and how to deal with it will always be your number one method of prevention. So, let’s get started with the always exciting…
Cockroach
Florida’s climate is great for bugs. But that goes double for this pest in particular. Snowless winters, humid heat, and warm temps all year round make it one of the cockroaches’ favorite states in the union. According to the HUD, South and Southwestern Florida have some of the densest roach populations in the entire United States. Their report found that thirty percent of Florida homeowners report an infestation each year. In central Florida, Tampa in particular, that number almost reaches forty percent!
Cockroaches are a bad pest to have, also. Sure, they may not crawl all over you or drink your blood. But this is a pest that lives in its own poop. They’re vectors for many infectious diseases that infect humans. This includes things like Cholera, Dysentery, and even the Bubonic Plague! Not only that, but they can do real damage to your property. If any of your homes is made out of wood or paper, the roaches will literally start to eat your home. They consume the starch they can find in things such as book bindings, cardboard, ceiling boards, paper, and wallpaper.
Not only that, but as someone that suffers from cockroach allergies, I can tell you firsthand how bad that can be.
The National Pest Management Association reports that 63% of homes in the United States contain cockroach allergens. In urban areas, that number rises to between 78% and 98% of homes. Typical cockroach allergy symptoms are coughing, ear infection, nasal congestion, sinus infection, and wheezing. In many cases with cockroach allergens, these symptoms become chronic, lasting beyond typical seasonal allergies.
And finally, these are a pest that can get out of hand quickly. Cockroaches emit pheromones that attract other roaches. This is compounded by the fact that female roaches give birth to large broods. One female German cockroach and her offspring can produce upwards of 300,000 roaches in a year.
Mosquitoes
Up next on the list is likely the OTHER most prolific pest in the state. That’s right, the blood-sucking winged menace; mosquitoes. These are easily one of the most troublesome insects in Florida. They carry serious diseases, thrive in our environment, and it seems that there’s a new invasive species with new invasive diseases every year.
The most threatening of the invasive Florida pests is probably the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Both of which are vectors of the Zika virus. In fact, these species are both carriers of many diseases such as Zika, Dengue, Malaria, West Nile, and EEE- a disease that causes swelling in the brain.
The good news is that SOME level of home control is possible for mosquitoes. For example, always make sure to get rid of standing water on your property. Mosquitoes breed in water, so that old tire or that birdbath that you’re not rotating regularly is quickly becoming a hotspot to breed dozens of generations of these pests before it dries out even once.
They’re also attracted to lights, which is why when you open your door at night they will swarm you for a nice feed. However, UV light traps and bug zappers are proven to be ineffective for mosquito control. In fact, methods like that tend to kill more beneficial insects than pests. Yellow bulbs are the best when it comes to not attracting mosquitoes. The light produced at this wavelength is less visible to mosquitoes, so they’re not as successful in using it to locate a meal. Another good reason to look into some Dover pest control, no?
Bed Bugs
And finally, we have the only pest on our list that doesn’t love Florida’s weather quite as much. But, it doesn’t even have to. This pest is an indoor pest, and will have you running for some Dover pest control even faster than the other two. That’s right, we’re closing out with the infamous bed bug.
Bed bugs are small, clear, brownish insects that are oval in shape and roughly the size of an apple seed. When they feed, they grow exponentially and their thin exoskeleton turns a reddish hue when filled with your blood. This is far from a victimless crime, even if the bed bug isn’t a vector for many diseases. For example, you can develop itchy welts after a bed bug bite. Scratching these, even unconsciously, can lead to serious infections. And that’s only if you’re not allergic to them. Some people bitten by bed bugs have ended up in a hospital bed from the intensity of their allergic reactions.
And even if you can avoid infection or an allergic reaction, this pest is still problematic. They’re some of the quickest multiplying infesters or bugs of any kind you’ll find in your home. Female bed bugs lay one to five eggs a day and can lay up to five hundred in a lifetime. The long and short of it means that a handful can become thousands within a year easily. So if you see one of these pests, jump on the issue quickly and stomp it down fast.
Dover Pest Control: Call now!
But don’t rely on doing it alone. Contact a professional pest control expert who can judge the situation and create a plan to better protect you and your family not just right now, but in the future as well. If you have a pest control issue, visit our website or call us now at 1-800-634-1313 for help.
