Siesta Key’s year-long warm weather attracts visitors from across the US. Unfortunately, it also attracts pests such as cockroaches, ants, spiders, wasps, fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, bed bugs, and rats. The moderate temperatures mean these property invaders roam freely throughout the year. Unfortunately, most Siesta Key homeowners don’t consider pest control until an infestation occurs.
Once the uninvited guests make it inside, serious damage can occur. For example, termites eat wood and can cause structural damage leading to ceiling damage and uneven floors. Cockroaches spread diseases and chew through fabrics and paper, destroying wallpaper and furniture. And while wasps don’t cause much damage, they are a nuisance.
However, damage doesn’t only appear in buildings. Plants, pets, and humans suffer from pest infestations as well. Plants that are eaten and have holes in leaves and stems have a more challenging time recovering, while pets can respond to pest contamination with severe allergic reactions or even poisoning. Humans prone to allergies often experience rashes, welts, swelling, or difficulty breathing. As for the diseases, mosquitoes, fleas, and bed bugs transmit viruses, parasites, and bacteria.
Siesta Key residents can get rid of the pests with ongoing pest control inspections on their property. Prevention remains the best method of combating pests in the Siesta Key area.
Siesta Key, Florida
First settlers came to what became the Sarasota Key barrier island in the 1880s. Captain Louis Roberts and his wife, Ocean Hansen Roberts, remain the town’s most popular homesteaders. Numerous places in town were named after the couple. In 1906, the captain renovated the property and renamed it “Roberts Hotel.” Not long after, he formed the Siesta Land Company together with Harry Higel and E.M. Arbogast.
Higel eventually served as Sarasota’s mayor in 1916 and was an important figure in building the first Siesta Key Bridge in 1917 that connected it to the mainland. Until then, the only access to the area was by ferry or boat. The area was finally recognized as “Siesta Key” in 1952.
Today, Siesta Key is home to one of the most prestigious beaches in Florida. Popular travel websites and channels award the Siesta Key Beach with the top spot, and travelers from around the country and the world are lured by the family-friendly amenities and stunning natural landscapes.
The town hosts many restaurants and fine dining options for tourists and residents alike. In addition, its proximity to Sarasota makes it ideal for those who want to experience the beauty of the Gulf and stay close to urban areas.
Common Pests in Homes in Siesta Key
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 Siesta Key’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 Siesta Key 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. Siesta Key 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 Siesta Key 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 Siesta Key’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 Siesta Key, 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, Siesta Key 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.
Siesta Key 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.