You know, I’m pretty excited for spring this year. I have a bin going for compost and a garden that needs tending. But good growing and planting doesn’t just come with the spring. No sir, the pests come too. That’s why today we’ll be discussing Florida Spring Pests.
Florida Spring Pests: The usual suspects
We’ll go insect by insect for this list. Today we’ll be starting with an old favorite…
Cockroaches.
Cockroaches, yep. These horrible little insects come in all shapes and sizes. There’s also more species of them than you can shake a stick at. The most common infestors you’ll find in your home are the german cockroaches. These roaches are about half an inch long, dark brown, and have to black lines running down their back.
These pests are entirely reliant on humans for survival. They’re attracted to warm, humid environments that will provide them with food and water. They’ll eat almost anything as well. Things like wax, gum, grease, trash, and pet food are some of their favorites.
German roaches are distributed around the world and most commonly found in apartment houses, restaurants, hotels and motels. Once inside, they hide during the day in the dark and moist areas of the building and come out at night to forage for food.
German roaches are extremely destructive inside homes and buildings. Not only do they contaminate with their feces, but they can also feed on books, book bindings, and other soft items. They also transport bacteria, germs, and pathogens they picked up from other unsanitary places. German roaches also emit a powerful allergen that can aggravate allergies and asthma in some people.
Then we have the American cockroach, aka the dreaded…
Palmetto bug
The American roach has the distinction of being Florida’s biggest cockroach. Ranging in length from 1-1/2” to 2”, this large black and brown flying roach has several nicknames, a few of which are; “The Florida State Bird” or “a roach on steroids’. Not only are they easy to distinguish by their size, but they also have recognizable markings: a yellow shield on its head with black markings.
Inside, American roaches hide in dark, secluded areas during the day and then come out at night to look for food and water. Outside in Florida, the Florida Palmetto Tree is their favorite den. They are also attracted to warm, damp areas–under mulch and in flower beds. In a city setting, American roaches are also very common in sewer systems. Extreme weather (very wet, very dry) will drive these roaches indoors.
The damage that American roaches inflict on humans is mostly emotional. These large flying roaches seem to put fear in the hearts of most Floridians. However, they can be a health danger. They tend to frequent filthy places like sewers and garbage cans where they pick up pathogens and germs that hitch a ride into your home. Some of the more common disease-causing bacteria that American roaches can bring into your home include Salmonella, E. coli, and Streptococcus.
Up next, we have probably my least favorite insects that exist in this state due to just how vicious they are.
Biting Yellow Flies
Yellow biting flies are one of the fiercest types of flies present in the world. These flies are mostly found in the south-eastern parts of the U.S. from New Jersey to Texas; Bahamas; Mexico to Costa Rica. The physical appearance of these flies is very much similar to deer flies and hence anyone can easily get confused while identifying them.
As the name suggests, these are yellow bodied flies and the most important thing about them is, their ability to bite (however male species do not bite). Their bites are painful, itchy and may also cause swelling in some cases.
Yellow flies prefer warm and humid weather conditions and are most active during the day time just before the twilight. They mostly stay near large water bodies where they can lay eggs and hence are mostly found in forests near streams or lakes.
Adult yellow flies are predominantly yellowish in color and about 1 – 1.2 cm long. The front pair of legs are black in color while the other pairs are yellowish–gray. The wings are clear with black stigma and brown or tan patches near the apex of the wing, and this is the thing that helps them to distinguish from deer flies, which have these brown or tan patches across the middle of wings.
Yellow flies prefer to stay in the areas that are shady and fairly moist; like around edges of forests near rivers or creeks. They usually avoid open sunny areas. Yellow flies are famous for their painful and itchy bites. Females have a biting behavior as they need to obtain a blood meal before laying eggs. This blood meal helps them to get adequate protein in for the egg development process.
Their mandibles and maxillae penetrate the skin in a scissor-like action and their saliva has anticoagulant properties thereby enabling them to draw lots of blood. Similar to horse flies, yellow flies are also attracted to dark moving objects and carbon dioxide, and this is how they locate their prey.
Florida Spring Pests: What To Do?
Honestly, the best thing you can do for your home is to be vigilant and know when you need help. Most pests flourish in untended environments, and human pollution and waste can lead to their population blooming out of control. If you do things like composting on your property, make sure you’re doing it correctly. Or if you have things like old tires around your yard, make sure to empty them of standing water. Pretty basic steps will keep you from losing your mind to biting or infesting pests. And if push comes to shove, don’t be afraid to call in a pest control specialist to help you out. At the end of the day, a layman can’t do much about an infestation. That’s why you call the pros, especially if they don’t use unsafe chemical pesticides, to help you out.
