The beautiful weather in Florida (and nice tax laws) make it one of the most desirable places to live. The beach is always close and there’s a lot to do.

But, South Florida comes along with a lot of common household pests. Just like us, spiders, ticks, lizards and ants can’t resist it.

In fact, Florida is home to 32 different species of ants alone.. Just wait until we get into spiders. Also, some of these common pest species are invasive and are harmful to the Florida ecosystem. We’ll detail the most common Florida pests, how to identify them, what to look out for and a little surprise treat at the end for the scariest pest in Florida.

The Most Common Household Pests In Florida

Below is a list of some of the common pests you’re likely to find in your home. You will read about their characteristics and why you probably need to get rid of them before they wreak more havoc on your property. We also included some of the best pest pictures to help you identify them.

1. Ants

Ants make the top of our list because they are the most common Florida Pest. Every home in Florida has had to deal with ants at one time or another. Ants can be incredibly harmless, or they can cause a lot of problems in your kitchen, bathroom, garage, basement, or utility room. Some of the most common species of ants are listed below.

 

Ants are very invasive, can get to places with ease, and if they aren’t handled they can infest areas. Common types of ants in South Florida are:

  • Fire ants
  • Carpenter ants
  • Argentine ants
  • Big-Headed ants
  • Acrobat Ant

People can suffer from allergic reactions to ant bites such as itching or swelling. Fire ants are typically found outdoors and are more of an annoyance in your backyard than your home.

This is a picture of a Fire Ant which you want to be aware of. Fire Ants are tiny little destructive creatures. They’re usually found in flat and sunny areas, especially during summer. These ants can eat through paper and sting badly when they are accosted by an intruder. You will usually find them around your driveway, window, garage, and almost anywhere else in your home that receives a good amount of light. 

The last thing you want to have in your home are these pesky little creatures. If you have a toddler in your home, you’d best call a pest control & management company because the sting from these ants can cause severe pain.

2.Cockroaches

Also popularly referred to as roaches, these pests are naturally seen as insects that are only found in dirty and unhygienic places like waste bins, sewers, toilets, and many more. Imagine having these in your home. They can give visitors the wrong impression about you and your hygiene level. 

Cockroaches are found everywhere there’s waste in Florida. They can migrate from the sewer where they feed to homes. There’s a good chance they’re in your home right now, hiding around dark corners and areas till it’s late in the night. With cockroaches in your home, you can never be sure of how healthy your groceries are.

 

cockroaches in florida

Cockroaches are one of the single-most popular pests in all of Florida. Up to 90 percent of all homes are affected by them and they carry dangerous bacteria like Salmonella or E. Coli. They also trigger asthmatic reactions in people, especially young children.

 

3. Ticks

Much like spiders, ticks also can do some serious damage to humans and pets alike throughout Florida. It is important that you check yourself, your children, and your pets for ticks on a regular basis. This is especially true if you spend a lot of time outside near trees. Sometimes, people don’t discover ticks until they have bored deep into them, their child, or their pet.

gulf coast tick featured

The gulf coast tick is very common in Florida displayed in our picture above.

4. Termites

Termites are bad, but drywood termites are the worst. They are not called dry wood termites for nothing. They wreak their havoc on dry wood, forming colonies, and eating up furniture, fences, roof wood, window frames, and just about any wooden structure that is above ground level. 

If you have drywood termites in your home, aside from the damage they cause to wood, you would notice a hollow sound on some parts of your drywall as well as peeling paint. These termites will drill holes through any wooden object in your home till it becomes weak from the inside.

Drywood Termites

Contact a pest control company as soon as you notice these pests before they destroy your property any further. Florida Environmental will be there to help with your dangerous drywood termite problem.

5. Rats

House mice and rats are fairly common in Florida. There are two types of rats that are not only common but also are known for their destructive tendencies in homes, the Norway rat and black rat. Mice typically avoid bright lights while rats are mostly blind. Rats have made up for it with ultrasonic hearing. Mice and rats need to be dealt with because of their history of transmitting diseases to humans and because of the damage, they cause to electrical wires, insulation, and roofs.

Who can help me with wildlife control west palm beach?

 

6. Mice

Mice are very unfriendly animals. These pests enter your house mainly for food and shelter and you know that means they’re not leaving if they find your home comfortable. They can eat into clothes, food, books, money, and any other chewable material. They’re often referred to as wasteful pests. 

Picture of mice in florida

Mice are mammals and can breed in warm areas. They give birth to around five to six pups at a time and these can grow up in your home and become even more destructive. They’re also known to carry a deadly disease known as Lassa fever. Don’t give these animals a chance to form a colony in your home. 

7. Millipedes and Centipedes

There are about 8,000 (eight thousand) species of centipedes and 12,000 (twelve thousand) species of millipedes and any of these can be found in your Florida home. These pests can burrow holes into the ground or furniture, while also discharging disgusting and smelly liquids in a bid to drive off predators.

 

centipedes in florida

Although they do not pose any form of danger to humans, they can make your home difficult to live in with their scary appearance. You can get rid of them today by calling an expert pest control & management company.

8.Crickets

If you have holes anywhere around your furniture, window, door, or floors, you can rest assured there’ll be crickets to fill those up in a matter of time. The pest control technique to prevent crickets from entering your home usually starts with filling up those holes and making sure every cricket in that house is exterminated.

Crickets are very noisy insects and shouldn’t be found in your home. They’re known to be barn and farm pests. When found in your home, it gives a scary outlook of your home, making it seem like there can be just about any other kind of deadly and venomous insects like scorpions.

9.Flies

Just like cockroaches, flies are also found in filthy places like the sewer, dump, waste bin, and several others. They carry a deadly disease known as cholera and can infect your food and groceries. Flies don’t have any venom and are not known to bite. However, they pose a serious threat to your health and that of your family members.

To control flies in your home, the entire house and nearby areas have to be swept out. Our pest management services can help ensure that no fly is found in your Florida home for months. We do it one time and we do it thoroughly.

10. Iguanas

Lizards and iguana’s in particular are a major pest problem that Florida residents have had to deal with.  They leap, and can get into homes or apartments, swimming pools, palm trees and can become a very big problem. They can sneak in through vents, pipes, windows, doors, and any other small opening in your home. They are an issue because they can cause some serious health issues in humans. Salmonella can be contracted after coming in contact with an iguana or their droppings.

Iguana invasive species florida

11. Moths

Homeowners love to turn outdoor lights on at night. Not only is it nice to light up your property, but it is also a security measure. However, having lights on right next to entry doors can attract bugs like moths. Moths can easily enter your home when you open the door if they are hovering around the door and see a light on inside the home.

Moth

12. Horse Flies

Horse flies are the most common flies that are found in Florida homes. Horseflies often get into homes that have swampy backyards or a lot of trash that isn’t secured in a closed trash receptacle.

horse fly

13. Bed bugs

If discomfort was a living thing, you bet it would be bedbugs. These insects are demons both in the day and at night. There is nothing like a good night’s rest when you have bed bugs in your home. Bed bugs feed off human blood and are usually found on sofas, beds, and other furniture. 

bed bugs

The scary thing is that the female bed bugs lay eggs every day. This is why, once your home is infested with just one female bed bug, you can have thousands of them there in just a few more months. Bed bugs are carried around by unsuspecting visitors who have them in their homes. You can attempt to kill these creatures yourself but it takes the knowledge of an expert to prevent already laid eggs from hatching.

14. Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are pesky little blood-sucking insects that nobody wants to have in their homes, especially during the summer in Florida. Although they breed in small ponds and dirty water, they can be seen in your home even when it’s dry. Mosquitoes are deadly insects as they carry a transmissible disease known as Malaria. As tiny as these insects are, they can make bedtime uncomfortable.

 

mosquitos in Florida

Mosquitoes will hide in warm locations during the day and wait till it’s nighttime to wreak serious havoc. They don’t destroy property but are highly bothersome at nights when you should be relaxing and preparing for the next day. You need to call a pest control and management expert before you and your kids contract any of these deadly diseases.

15. Spiders

The award for Florida’s scariest pet goes to… You guessed it.. Spiders! Spiders are also very common in Florida. Venomous spiders can produce symptoms of intense pain, cramping, sweating, nausea, vomiting, and more. You might not think twice about seeing a spider in your home. You likely kill it and dispose of it. However, if you constantly see spiders in your home, it might be time to call an experienced exterminator from Florida Environmental Pest Management in West Palm Beach. We can inspect your property to ensure that there isn’t a spider’s nest in your home with hundreds of spider eggs. Here are some pictures of some of Florida’s largest spiders.

 

Florida Spider

Banana spider

Banana Spider

Wolf Spider

Wolf Spider

For more Florida pests, you can check our pest database.

16. Silverfish

Silverfish, unlike the other things mentioned on the list, are not something that usually both people themselves but more their belongings. They eat materials that are high in protein, starch, or sugar. Infestations grow slow but once they swarm can be difficult to handle. Silverfish are light gray insects with many appendages.

Where can I find a good Delray Beach pest control?

Commonly asked pest questions:

What are the worst bugs in Florida?

  • Red Fire Ants otherwise known as (Solenopsis Invicta) is considered to be an extreme nuisance because of how much they make you itch and the way they infest areas. They are mostly harmless but are common enough in Florida and annoying enough to cause real problems.
  • The Formosan Termite (Coptotermes formosanus) – Formosan termites are extremely destructive and require a professional termite control service to irradicate.
  • Spiders are the scariest, but not the worst.

What bugs are biting in Florida right now?

Right now, you might encounter the following biting bugs anywhere in Florida:

  • Biting Midges (No-See-Ums)
  • Red Fire Ants
  • Mosquitoes
  • Bed Bugs
  • Florida Carpenter Ants
  • Bees and Wasps
  • Ticks
  • Chiggers
  • Yellow Flies
  • Spiders

Why do Pests Love Florida?

There are many things that make Florida the perfect home for pests. Here are the top reasons.

  • Warmth
  • Humidity
  • Travel
  • Food

Florida is welcoming to pests because of the warmth and humidity. In addition, many people travel to Florida and bring bugs with them. This is why we have an invasive species problem in Florida. There is also lots of food for pests in Florida because of the agriculture and environment.

What are the tiny bugs in my Florida House?

Are you encountering tiny black ants in the kitchen of your Florida house? If so, these are known as pantry pests. These pests are quite small and usually black in color. They can be carpenter ants, bean weevils, and rice weevils. These bugs can infest your cereal, rice, flour, peas, beans, and grains.

pest control in florida

Should You Worry About Pest Management?

Household pests can dwell in any home. They’re probably already in yours as you read this article. They can be prevented. However, before the prevention activity takes place, it is ideal to first clear out the existing ones. 

Hiring a company like Florida Environmental Pest Management that has extermination solutions that are environmentally friendly and safe for your children and pets goes a long way. We just ask that your pets be secured prior to our arrival. You can let them out at least one hour after we have finished spraying the final room in your home. If you need to be out of the home for the extermination appointment due to fumigation, we will notify you well in advance so you can make the proper arrangements.

Work with the best pest control & management company in Florida

Florida Environmental Pest Management company is your best bet for pest control and management. We make conscious efforts to ensure that we deliver a thorough sweep out and extermination of pests. Some qualities that help us stand out include:

  • 100% guarantee: working with us, you can rest assured we will leave you with a 100% pest-free and habitable home. We take pride in our dedication to the job and desire to only offer the best services.
  • Highly skilled and experienced staff: every staff we send to work for you has spent years in the pest control industry, helping homes achieve a completely pest-free environment. We also educate our staff on the best ways to handle a range of pest situations.
  • Proactive approach: we don’t wait till your entire home is pest-infested. We thoroughly inspect the environment for any signs of dangerous, destructive, or pesky pests. You never know if they’re lurking around but we do because we take a proactive step to fishing them out.
  • High-quality products: we use only the best products in the market. We want to ensure that our products don’t cause any form of discomfort to our customers while also making sure that the products can completely wipe out all kinds of pests. We don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach. We use specific products for different pests.

You can take a look at our services to your home, office, or warehouse. We are dedicated to purifying your environment as we would our own. We treat your home like it’s ours. Your satisfaction is our concern.