The year-round sunny weather and tropical climate that attract many people to Palmetto, Florida, also attract unwanted pests. These intruders can cause property damage and health issues when not treated. Utilizing a targeted approach helps eliminate pest infestations in homes and commercial buildings and prolongs the life of a dwelling and its residents.

Getting rid of pests is essential in ensuring everyone’s safety. Millions of Americans are allergic to insects that sting, and thousands end up in emergency rooms due to insect bites. In addition, rodents that leave feces around the home can cause illness, and pests carry bacteria and viruses that may require long-term treatment.

Hardly anything is more unsettling than knowing that termites eat through wood or mice infest the walls. As insurance companies typically don’t cover pest damage, prevention is critical.

Palmetto homeowners who notice pests on their property should sanitize the surfaces and contact a professional pest control service for extermination. Specialists can help detect problems before the property suffers any further damage. Regular pest control checks can give Palmetto peace and ensure a higher quality of life.

Palmetto, Florida

Palmetto’s history dates to the mid-19th century, when the first settlers arrived. Fertile ground and a suitable climate appealed to young couples who began building a community.

Samuel Sparks Lamb, a famous merchant, arrived in 1868. He named the city after the “Palmetto State,” or South Carolina, his home state, and earned the moniker the “Father of Palmetto.”

Today, Palmetto is one of the most desirable places to live in Florida. The city is known for its Emerson Point, Felts Audubon Preserves, and Detwiler’s Farm Market.

Palmetto offers tourists and families plenty of fun opportunities, including action-packed excursions and attractions, white sandy beaches, and endless shopping. It’s a small area with plenty of natural beauty and gorgeous ocean views. Visitors can step back in time and spend a day at the Manatee County Agricultural Museum or stargaze at the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park.

Common Pests in Homes in Palmetto

The Sunshine State hosts an array of pests due to its hot climate, especially during the summer. Typical residential and commercial property intruders include ants, spiders, mosquitos, wasps, fleas, ticks, mice, and rats.

Ants often look for shelter on higher ground once the rain starts and often head indoors searching for food. Fire ants belong to the most commonly found ant types in Florida. These ants create dome-like nests up to three feet in height, and their colonies can reach over 250,000 worker ants. Common places for ants to nest include windows, driveways, and yards.

Stinging insects such as mosquitoes, wasps, and bees make it hard to enjoy Palmetto’s open spaces. Their bites can spread serious diseases to humans and pets. Their highest population is in summer when the insects can create nests in a home-opening, near the foundation, or under overhangs. It’s essential to watch out for the nests to avoid getting stung.

Other insects that cause concern are fleas. Fleas can jump tremendous distances, often propelling their tiny bodies up to 200 times their length. It’s simple for them to move from one host to another and into the environment. Their bodies have evolved to endure harsh conditions, and the hard outer coating makes them hard to crush. Fleas typically hide in the floor cracks, furniture, or bedding.

Spiders are among the most feared pests in Palmetto homes. They prefer dark, cool places that make it convenient to spin webs and hunt for food. Except for the brown recluse and black widow spiders, most Florida spiders are harmless. Bites from either of these spiders can cause muscle pain, paralysis, and even death.

COCKROACHES

Cockroaches reside in cool, dark places and can live up to one year. The bugs spend most of the time in garbage cans, sewers, and similar areas where they pick up on germs, parasites, and bacteria. Palmetto residents find cockroaches both inside and outside of their homes. Water and dampness attract the roaches, and homeowners can often find them under the kitchen sink, bathroom, or basement.

Leaving garbage cans open invites cockroaches, so it’s best to cover them with tight-fitting lids.

This pest typically heads indoors looking for water and food. Droppings inside the home resemble ground pepper and pose a health concern for the property residents, including the pets. Cockroaches can also cause dysentery, roundworm, viruses, fungus, tapeworms, and allergies. These bugs impose a particular risk for people with asthma.

BED BUGS

Bed bugs reach peak activity during summer as they thrive in hot, humid weather. They can lay colonies in mattresses, beds, cracks, or crevices inside a home. Since the insects are skilled at hitching rides in luggage, clothing, and shoes, they travel far and wide during peak vacation seasons. Common signs of bed bug infestation can include:

  • Small, red bites found in clusters

  • Blood spots

  • Brown streaks on fabrics 

  • Casings lying between the mattresses or the head- or foot-board.

These common Palmetto pests require immediate attention. Their bite makes the skin itchy and can also cause welts. Bed bug infestations take time to make their presence known, and the fall is the busiest time for their extermination.

TERMITES

Termites top the list of Palmetto’s most common and dangerous pests. There are two types of termites common to the area.

  • Drywood termites live in dry wood above the ground.

  • Subterranean termites typically seek water-damaged areas of wood. 

Both types destroy wood, resulting in uneven floors, warped walls, sagging ceilings, or bubbled wallpaper and paint.

Ridding a building of termites calls for the most aggressive termite solutions available, often only available through professional companies. However, due to the nature in which termites invade and the amount of damage they can cause, prevention is essential. That’s why professional pest control and extermination services should perform regular termite and other pest checks.

Signs You Need Immediate Pest Control in Palmetto, FL

  • PROPERTY DAMAGE.

    There are many sure signs of property damage. It may be gnawed rugs, furniture, clothes, or walls. There may be thin tunnels that appear along the walls. In the best pest infestation scenario, Palmetto homeowners only have to get rid of a chewed sweater. However, far greater damage can occur once rodents gnaw on the electrical wires, creating a potential fire hazard.

  • URINE AND DROPPINGS.

    Traces of urine and droppings in the pantry, kitchen, or other rooms in the house means there may be rats or mice present. The infected urine and droppings of the rodents can carry deadly diseases. Therefore, it’s essential to have a pest control professional ensure the rodents or pests are eliminated and their waste safely removed.

  • RUSTLING OR SCRATCHING SOUNDS.

    The most common reason for rustling and scratching sounds in a house is a pest invasion. Often, a rodent invasion reveals itself with scampering noises across the ceiling or the walls.

  • PEST SIGHTINGS.

    Palmetto homeowners who see a cockroach, mouse, termite, or a bed bug anywhere in the house should know that there is most likely more than one on the property. Once infestations grow, colony members are forced out of the nest, ultimately appearing around the property.

  • UNUSUAL RODENTS.

    Rats and mice are the most common home invaders, but larger rodents such as squirrels can also find their way into a house. The frightened animal can cause severe damage to the property and injury to the homeowner. A pest control professional knows how to deal with all types of rodents.

The nuisance of pest infestation doesn’t have to last forever.

Kinder Safe Pest Solutions provides reliable pest control to residential and business customers.

Give us a call, and our professional team will get down to solving your pest issue quickly and effectively.