What You Need To Know About Pests In Pompano Beach, FL
Florida is known as the sunshine state, and that sunshine is what draws people to our state to live and visit. Unfortunately, the warm weather and sunshine also attract many varieties of insects, rodents, and other pests to our Florida pest service area. In order to keep the many pests that call Pompano Beach home out of your Florida house, it is important to know which pests are most common, what they want, and how to keep them at bay. Turn to our pest guide to get a quick overview of the pests that call Pompano Beach home.
Ants
Many ants love to call Florida home because of its tropical climate. Ants commonly find their way onto our properties because they are opportunistic. They want to be where they can easily access food and their other basic needs. Unfortunately for Florida homeowners, our yards and homes are where ants feel comfortable. Carpenter ants, pharaoh ants, sugar ants, and white-footed ants are species that consistently find their way onto our properties.
Ants are social insects and invade properties in large numbers. Individuals may be small, but stopping them is difficult when you have thousands of ants working together. Ants communicate with each other by laying down pheromone trails. As ants are out and about searching for food, water, and shelter, they find their way into our homes and other structures. Their small size allows them to move in and out of tiny spaces. If given a chance, ants will continue to visit your home, and sometimes they will decide to stay and nest. Ants in our homes are always unwanted; they can cause structural damage, spread diseases, contaminate food, produce odors, and are, of course, a significant nuisance.
The following simple tips will prevent ants from easily entering your home.
- Place weatherstripping around windows and doors.
- Install door sweeps on all exterior doors.
- Place mesh screens over drains and vents leading into your home.
- Inspect your home's exterior from top to bottom and use caulk, steel wool, or another appropriate material to seal any openings you discover.
- Fill in spaces around wires, pipes, cables, and other utilities entering your home.
- Place all trash bags into containers with lids, pick up pet food, and maintain outdoor eating areas to avoid food odors attracting cockroach activity.
Bees
Bees live throughout Florida. Our state provides them with warm temperatures, plenty of water sources, and plenty of insects and flowering plants to use as a food source. Having bees visit your yard from time to time is inevitable, but having them swarm your yard daily while searching for food or flying back and forth to their nest is not. While bees may be an essential part of the ecosystem when they take over our yards, they are unwanted and dangerous pests.
Three of the more common bees to become an issue for Florida homeowners are the Africanized bee, carpenter bee, and honey bee. Bees are stinging insects, and like all stinging insects, they have a stinger extending from their hind end. When these pests are living or foraging for food in high-traffic areas of our yards, they pose a significant danger. As we move around our yards, stinging insects often view us as a threat to themselves or their nest, and their only form of retaliation is to sting. Not only are their stings painful, but the venom they inject can trigger severe allergic reactions. The presence of bees in your yard or home can also lead to structural damage:
- Carpenter bees nest in pieces of wood and, over time, cause damage to wooden structures on your property.
- If honey bees decide to nest behind your walls, the decaying nest and honey will cause mold issues and attract other insects to your home when the nest is eventually abandoned.
Partnering with a professional is the best way to identify the stinging insects present and safely and appropriately remove them from your yard. To solve your property's bee problems, call us at Great Southern Environmental Services.
Use the following strategies to make your Florida yard less attractive to bees.
- Stop bees from moving into your home to nest by sealing spaces you discover in exterior walls and the roofline. Repair damaged siding and place caps on chimneys.
- Eliminate standing water that bees could use as a water source.
- Remove fallen trees, overgrown landscaping, woodpiles, or other debris from your yard that bees could build a hive within.
- Make sure to stain, paint, or otherwise treat wooden structures on your property to make them less attractive to carpenter bees.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches live in dense populations throughout Florida. Their large numbers mean that cockroaches will end up in our homes at one time or another. A cockroach infestation doesn't mean that your home is dirty! Any food debris like a few crumbs under the toaster oven is an invitation for these scavenging pests. Cockroaches are prolific breeders, meaning just a few cockroaches getting into your home can quickly become a large-scale infestation that disrupts your ability to feel comfortable in your home.
Many roaches live in Florida; the three most common are the German, American, and Oriental cockroaches. While German cockroaches primarily live indoors, both American and Oriental cockroaches can establish populations in either our indoor or outdoor spaces. All three species have the following in common:
- They spread dangerous diseases, pathogens, and parasites that make people ill.
- They produce allergens that cause breathing difficulties, skin rashes, and trigger asthma attacks in susceptible people.
- They create a musty, unpleasant odor inside homes.
- They contaminate your family's food.
- They stain surfaces with their excrement.
- They are attracted to homes that provide food, water, and warm, humid living conditions.
Though cockroaches are common in Florida, you can't forget that they are dangerous pests, and at first sight, you need to take action and call a professional to eliminate them.
The following simple tips will help you avoid attracting cockroaches to your Florida home.
- Remove things from your yard that provide roaches with a damp, dark place to hang out, like leaf litter, fallen trees, dense mulch, and overgrown vegetation.
- Keep cockroaches from wandering from your yard into your home by sealing cracks in the foundation, placing screens over vents and drains, and placing weatherstripping around windows and doors.
- Food is the biggest attractant for cockroaches. Take away their easy access to food by properly storing food and trash inside and outside your home.
- Eliminate water sources by repairing leaky pipes and hoses, unclogging gutters, and using air conditioners and dehumidifiers to reduce humidity levels in your house.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are small biting flies that swarm around people and animals because their blood provides the female with the protein they need to create viable eggs. They find us after being attracted to our body heat, the carbon dioxide we exhale as we breath, and our movements, which is why swatting at these pests does little good! Mosquitoes feel at home in Florida, and let us all know by taking over our outdoor spaces and driving us indoors!
Mosquitoes are most prevalent in areas providing them with standing water and shade; in Florida, marshes, wetlands, densely wooded areas, and yards with a lot of trees and vegetation provide suitable habitats. Female mosquitoes lay their eggs on top of areas of standing water, so the more standing water around, the more mosquitoes there will be. Controlling mosquitoes and stopping them from taking over your yard is essential to the health and safety of you and your family. Mosquitoes deliver painful, itchy bites and spread diseases and parasites that can cause significant health problems in people and pets.
Help make your yard less attractive to swarms of mosquitoes with the help of the following suggestions.
- Partner with us so we can perform regular mosquito control treatments.
- Eliminate resting spots that mosquitoes will take advantage of in your yard. Keep the grass cut short, reduce landscaping plants, removing leaf piles and other yard debris.
- Store buckets, flowerpots, and other containers not in use either upside down or indoors.
- Keep gutters clear of debris that allows standing water to collect.
- Regularly empty and refill pet water bowls and kiddie pools.
- If you have a pool in your yard, make sure its water continuously circulates and is correctly treated.
- Plant plants in your yard known to deter mosquitoes, like citronella, lavender, and marigolds.
Rodents
Rodents love people, not because they want to help us or be our friend, but because they know wherever we live or spend time, they will be able to find food, water, and likely safe shelter. Unfortunately for rodents, we don't love them and do our best to guard our homes and businesses against them. However, these pests are formidable opponents because their small size, agility, prolific breeding habits, and desire to survive make them challenging to keep out of our Florida yards and homes.
Mice and rats like Norwegian roof rats make themselves well known to Florida homeowners. No matter how difficult it may be to make these pests understand that they aren't welcome, it is essential that you do. Mice and rats are not only annoying but are dangerous. These scavenging rodents feed in and travel through compost, trash, sewers, drains, and bathrooms meaning their bodies are covered in bacteria, parasites, and viruses. When they move into our homes, either after being attracted by food or shelter, they contaminate food, surfaces, dishes, and utensils with pathogens and allergens that cause illnesses in people.
The following simple tips will help you avoid attracting rodents to your Florida home.
- Regularly harvest fruits and vegetables from gardens and trees.
- Keep outdoor eating and cooking areas free of crumbs and leftover food.
- Cut back shrubs and bushes away from your home that could provide rodents with hiding spots.
- Never store trash cans, woodpiles, or construction materials next to your house.
- If you feed pets outside, pick up leftover food each evening.
Termites
Termites are a source of concern for homeowners all across the country, with Florida being a hotbed for termite activity. In our area, subterranean termites are most prevalent as they have high moisture needs, and our warm, humid climate allows these pests to feed and breed throughout the year. The damage termites cause and the cost of repairs are why these pests are so dangerous to have near, or worse, in our homes. Most home insurance policies don't cover termite damage, and so the cost of repairing termite damage is entirely left up to the homeowner. If you want an example of just how damaging these pests can be, these wood-eating pests cause more than five billion dollars in damages each year.
While termites damage our Florida homes and other structures, they are an essential part of the ecosystem when living outside in forested areas. When termites feed, they break down decaying trees and plant matter, encouraging new plant growth. While termites are most common in densely wooded areas, our yards and homes also provide these pests with a suitable habitat and feeding grounds. These pests create tunnels underground to move back and forth from food sources to their nest. As they tunnel through the damp soil around our homes, they will eventually find their way inside. Termites can feed on a home's structural wood for months or years without notice, causing significant damage in the process.
Avoid termite damage in your home by taking the following precautions in and around your Pompano Beach home.
- Address moisture issues to help prevent wood in or on your home from becoming water-damaged and offer a food source for subterranean termites.
- Repair damage to the foundation of your home.
- Instead of using wood mulch, use a non-organic material that does not absorb water.
- Make sure gutters and downspouts are in good working order to direct rainwater away from the perimeter of your home.
- Use air conditioners and dehumidifiers to reduce excess moisture from your home.
- Schedule a termite treatment for your Pompano Beach home.
Local Pest Protection You Can Count On!
With over 45 years of experience and an entomologist on staff, you can count on our family-owned business to take care of your family's pest control needs. We work hard to create a relationship with our customers built on trust. Our professionals are dedicated to the industry and meeting the needs of all our customers. If you are a Florida homeowner looking to maintain a property free of unwanted pests, look no further than the professionals at Great Southern Environmental Services. Reach out to us today to learn more about our industry-leading home pest control and commercial exterminator services in Pompano Beach, FL!
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