Our Pest Library

What You Need to Know About Pests in Crawfordville, FL

You can use our pest guide below as a helpful tool to win the fight against pests in your Crawfordville, FL home. Insects, rodents, and other pests have a place in the ecosystem, but not in our houses!

Ants

Ants are pests that most people in Florida come into contact with almost daily. Individual ants may be tiny, but the large groups that they live in can quickly take over our indoor and outdoor spaces. Like other pests, ants thrive in Florida; our region's most common ants include carpenter ants, big-headed ants, black ants, and crazy ants. With so many species in our area, it is no wonder they regularly end up in our homes!

Ants are omnivores and can eat many of the same foods we do. To feed their large colonies, ants are constantly out searching for food, and unfortunately, our yards and homes provide them with multiple food sources. These social insects are excellent communicators and lay down pheromone trails to tell other colony members where they have discovered food or water sources. Controlling ants is difficult because once they find something that will help ensure the success of their colony, they keep returning. 

To discourage ants from making their way onto your property, we have put together a list of helpful prevention tips below: 

• Maintain gardens and fruit trees.
• Remove excess fruits and vegetables that fall to the ground. 
• Make sure to pick up any uneaten cat and dog food.
• Keep outdoor eating areas free of leftover food.
• Keep outdoor and indoor food prep areas clean.
• Ensure all trash is in containers with locking lids.
• Regularly clean out food and sticky liquids from trash cans.

Cockroaches

Most cockroaches are dark (reddish-brown or black), have oval, flattened bodies, and have antennae as long or longer than their bodies. These insects can squeeze their bodies into small spaces, making them difficult to keep out of our homes. An interesting cockroach fact is that they like the feeling of something solid on all sides of their body – the tighter the space, the better for cockroaches!

In Crawfordville, FL, the following species of cockroaches can invade your property:

• American cockroaches
• Australian cockroaches
• German cockroaches
• Smokey brown cockroaches
• Wood cockroaches
• Oriental cockroaches

Cockroaches thrive in warm, humid climates, making Florida a place where these pests live in large populations. These pests can find their way into any of our homes. Preventing cockroaches is a year-round commitment for any Florida homeowner.

Ongoing professional pest control services are the best way to prevent issues with these unpleasant pests. In addition, we suggest reducing potential food sources by maintaining a clean kitchen, regularly vacuuming your home, and wiping down its surfaces. It is also important to never leave perishables on counters or tables. Reduce humidity levels that these pests thrive in by using air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and ventilating fans.

German Cockroaches 

German cockroaches are particularly troublesome pests, primarily due to their rapid reproduction rate and their ability to develop resistance to common pesticides. These factors make them exceedingly difficult to eliminate once they've established a presence in a home or building. Their small size also allows them to easily hide in cracks and crevices, evading treatments that may capture larger, more visible pests.

Because of the specificities required to remove German cockroaches, there are different techniques used that require more skill and time. If you are dealing with a German cockroach infestation, give our team a call today. We will inspect the situation and create a customized plan to help resolve the issue.

To prevent German cockroaches from invading your home, follow these tips:

• Prioritize cleanliness and reduce clutter.
• Ensure food is stored in sealed containers and that crumbs and spills are cleaned up promptly.
• Regularly inspect and seal any potential entry points – such as gaps around doors and windows or openings where pipes enter walls – around the home.

Fleas and Ticks

Fleas, as well as deer, lone star, and dog ticks, are outdoor pests whose sole source of nutrition comes from the blood of their human or animal hosts. Fleas and ticks complete their life cycle fastest in warm, humid temperatures, making Florida a place where these pests thrive. Our warm climate also allows many wild animals to be active year-round. The fleas and ticks that feed on them move to our indoor and outdoor spaces on the backs of rodents and other wild animals. 

Though fleas and ticks are tiny and may seem insignificant, they are dangerous pests. Fleas and ticks spread diseases and parasites that make people and animals ill through their bites and can make spending time outside unpleasant. Once fleas or ticks find their way into your Crawfordville yard, it is only a matter of time before you, your kids, or your pets, come into contact with them and potentially introduce them into your home.

Year-round flea and tick control completed by a professional is essential when living in Florida. In addition to regular pest control treatments, maintaining your lawn can go a long way in controlling these pests; keep your grass cut short and remove areas of yard debris. Make your property less attractive to wildlife by keeping lids on trash cans, removing bird feeders, and eliminating areas of standing water. Also, if you own pets, please ensure they are treated with a year-round flea and tick preventative. 

Flying Pests

Bees, mosquitoes, wasps, and yellow jackets all fly and can take over our Florida outdoor spaces, posing a threat to people. Flying pests become permanent fixtures in our yards because they provide them with nesting sites and access to food and water. These opportunistic pests take advantage of any outdoor space that meets their basic needs. 

Bees, wasps, and yellow jackets are types of stinging insects. They use their stingers to capture their prey and defend themselves. The venom that stinging insects inject with their painful stings is potent enough to trigger allergic reactions in people. On the other hand, mosquitoes are biting pests. Females use their elongated mouthparts to pierce the skin of people and animals to consume a blood meal. After being bitten by a mosquito, most people develop a red, itchy welt. 

Flying pests are annoying and challenging to keep out of our yards. The best way to keep them away would be to place an invisible shield over your property, but that isn't practical! Partnering with a local and experienced professional is the best way to keep these pests at bay. For the best flying insect pest control in Crawfordville, get in touch with us today!

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes present a unique challenge when it comes to pest control. Their ability to breed in any standing water, no matter how small, allows their populations to skyrocket during warmer months. Furthermore, their flying capability makes it difficult to contain them within a specific area; they can easily move indoors through open doors and windows. 

Mosquitoes are known to carry and transmit various diseases, making their control not just a matter of comfort but of public health. 

To minimize the risk of mosquito infestation, we recommend following these tips:

• Eliminate standing water – i.e., water from flowerpots, buckets, barrels, and pet water dishes – around your property, as these are potential breeding grounds. 
• Install window and door screens to keep mosquitoes out of your home. 
• Use outdoor insect repelling lanterns and apply mosquito repellents when spending time outdoors to reduce the chances of being bitten.

Rodents

When talking about rodent infestations, many think only homeowners in cold climates have to worry about these pests. But rodents – such as roof rats, Norway rats, and mice – live successfully throughout Florida and regularly wind up in our homes and outbuildings. These curious and adaptable creatures regularly enter our houses to escape extreme weather, nest, or forage for food. Sharing your home with rodents is not only unpleasant, but it is also dangerous. They spread allergens and pathogens, contaminate food, and cause structural damage. 

Rodents are shy nocturnal creatures, so you are much more likely to notice signs that they are in your home before spotting the actual rodents themselves. Common signs of a rodent infestation include hearing squeaking or scratching sounds behind walls, finding gnaw marks, and discovering their dark rice-like feces throughout your house. Keeping rodents out of our Florida structures is tricky because they can find their way inside through any small opening they can squeeze their body through. 

For the best way to control and prevent problems with rodents, reach out to Florida Sun Termite and Pest Control. Our professionals understand the behaviors of rodents living in Florida. They work with you to solve any current problems and offer a long-term solution to keep them from re-invading your home. Our rodent control solutions include thorough inspections and the placement of baits and traps to remove unwanted guests from your Florida home. To learn more about rodent control in Crawfordville, please call today.

Spiders

Many types of spiders thrive in Florida; some, like the black widow, pose a danger to people, while others – like banana spiders, brown widow spiders, garden spiders, jumping spiders, and wolf spiders – are more of a nuisance. Spiders don't necessarily want to live inside our homes but often end up there after following their insect prey indoors or because they happened across an entry point. 

It is important to understand that spiders are predators and feed on various insects. If there are large numbers of spiders on your property, there is likely a widespread pest problem that you need to address. Things that are most likely to attract insects and then hunting spiders to your property include standing water, outdoor lights, dense vegetation, and open containers of trash or leftover pet food. 

We have put together a quick overview of our most helpful spider prevention tips. Use them in conjunction with our year-round pest control services to stop Florida spiders and insects from taking over your Crawfordville property. 

Our spider prevention tips include:

• Maintain your garden and regularly harvest fruits and vegetables.
• Keep the grass in your yard cut short and cut back trees and shrubs from your home's exterior.
• Remove areas of standing water that attract the insects that spiders love to feast on. 

Carefully inspect your home's exterior and use silicone caulk to seal up cracks and crevices that offer entry points. Call today to keep common household spiders out of your home!