Florida's Common Household Pests

Florida has carpenter ants which have a reddish-yellow head and thorax with a black abdomen. They are also called Bull ants. They are ¼ to ½ inches long and nest in logs, stumps, or dead trees The wood usually has contact width soil and moisture. Their favorite seems to be construction wood that's been damaged by termites and decay. The ants don't eat the wood, but use it as a place for nesting. They feed on honey dew from sap-sucking insects, live on dead insects, and food found around houses. A nest can contain many thousand ants and can last for many years if not destroyed. Sometimes they infest the dead wood parts of living trees. Abe sure and traced a trail back to the nest so it can be treated. Spray your baseboards, window sills, door frames, etc with Darsban, Diazinon, or Baygon.

Another pest is wild bees. There are many species. The most common are black, orange and yellow. They nest in a variety of places. All are not colonial, some do live alone. The bumble bee nests in the ground with a simple lifestyle. If you don't bother them, they won't bother you. Carpenter bees look like bumble bee, even though they nest differently. You can find them around wooden fences, patio covers, wood singles, etc.

To establish a nesting site, the female bores into wood at a right angle to the surface. The cit is usually ½ to 1 inch deep about ½ inch wide. For example, the size of a dime. The leaf-cutting bee is usually blamed for stealing leaf hunks off of rose bushes. They nest in the ground and use leaf hunks to line their home. Wild bees do a good job of pollinating.

Cockroaches are pests that people love to have. An estimated 3000 species are in the wood. They are also known as water bugs, croton bugs, and palmetto bugs. They damage fabric, books, and destroy food. They chew on flowers. They leave an offensive odor on things. they like a moist environment. All of them are nocturnal. They hide during the day and search for food at night. They are some of the oldest insects because there are fossils dated to 200,000,000 years ago.

Love bugs are another pest of Floridians. They are small black flies that have red chests. The adults do not sting or bite. They feed on nectar of plants. The larvae feed on decaying plant material which converts to organic compounds to be used by growing plants. Love bugs come out twice a year. First outing is in late April/May for around four to five weeks. Second outing occurs late August/September.

Another pest is wild bees. There are many species. The most common are black, orange and yellow. They nest in a variety of places. All are not colonial, some do live alone. The bumble bee nests in the ground with a simple lifestyle. If you don't bother them, they won't bother you. Carpenter bees look like bumble bee, even though they nest differently. You can find them around wooden fences, patio covers, wood singles, etc.

To establish a nesting site, the female bores into wood at a right angle to the surface. The cit is usually ½ to 1 inch deep about ½ inch wide. For example, the size of a dime. The leaf-cutting bee is usually blamed for stealing leaf hunks off of rose bushes. They nest in the ground and use leaf hunks to line their home. Wild bees do a good job of pollinating.

Cockroaches are pests that people love to have. An estimated 3000 species are in the wood. They are also known as water bugs, croton bugs, and palmetto bugs. They damage fabric, books, and destroy food. They chew on flowers. They leave an offensive odor on things. they like a moist environment. All of them are nocturnal. They hide during the day and search for food at night. They are some of the oldest insects because there are fossils dated to 200,000,000 years ago.

Love bugs are another pest of Floridians. They are small black flies that have red chests. The adults do not sting or bite. They feed on nectar of plants. The larvae feed on decaying plant material which converts to organic compounds to be used by growing plants. Love bugs come out twice a year. First outing is in late April/May for around four to five weeks. Second outing occurs late August/September. They mate almost immediately when the female emerges. The female lines only 2 to 3 days. They are a real nuisance to drivers. They fly on windshields all the time, even walkers get annoyed. They get inside the refrigeration equipment on trucks causing overheating. They can mess the paint up on a car from their droppings.

Mosquitoes are probably the number one pest of Floridians. Mosquitoes have history in the state. In 1850, Florida had its first fever epidemic, malaria. Jacksonville, Florida was isolated from the world due to this crisis and pests in 1857. In 1888 the city had a population of nearly 20,000 and by Thanksgiving 5,000 who had the fever. Mosquitoes are attracted to people for lot of reasons. It may be the carbon dioxide they give off, the color of their clothing, perfume, aftershave, and their blood. It seems that dark or blue colors attract them. If you dress in white at twilight, you may attract mosquitoes. To detour them try liquid repellents or foggers. Empty all containers that can hold water, they are drawn to moisture.

sources: http://www.flaentsoc.org/fespestweblinks2.html, http://www.crittergitter.com/Pests/Index.aspx