Residential Pest Services – Call an Exterminator Today!

Ants

Fire Ants, both sting and bite causing a painful and itchy reaction and a welt capable of scaring. Small pets, children, and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. In addition, anyone with severe allergies or notable sensitivity to stings, should take care to avoid possible fire ant bites and carry an EpiPen. Pest control around homes and lawns is also effective at preventing fire ant bites. Exterminating using natural products can be very effective against fire ants for those with chemical sensitivity. Ghost Ants or “Sugar Ants” are perhaps the most common problem in and around residential properties in St. Lucie and Martin county. These tiny, nearly transparent ants are often found on the sinks and countertops of kitchens and bathrooms. They enter homes looking for protection and once inside look to satisfy their constant need for water. They thrive on the flowering plants common in South Florida landscapes such as Ixora and Hibiscus. Homeowners will often try to eliminate these pests without professional help. Sometimes use of over the counter pest control baits such as Terro can be effective, unfortunately, often they are not. These ants present little threat to human health.

Cockroaches

The infamous “Palmetto Bug” is the most widely occurring cockroach pest in Florida. This is probably because there really is no such thing as a “Palmetto Bug” and this name gets attached to several different species of cockroach found in South Florida. The American Cockroach is likely the species of roach most often referred to as a Palmetto Bug. This roach is sometimes referred to as a Water Bug as well. Though water bugs are an actual family of insect, they are unrelated to cockroaches. Despite the name, the American cockroach is not native to the Americas and was brought over from Africa by humans soon after European colonization. Despite not being native, this roach is abundant in our area. Thriving on our hot and humid climate and feeding on nearly anything. They flourish in the moist conditions found in mulch beds and watered lawns. The “Palmetto Bug” is certainly a common residential pest in Port St Lucie. It is also common for these roaches to live inside sewers and in septic tanks. For this reason, it is very important that drain traps be kept completely covered if they are not in use. This is a common problem for seasonal “snowbird” residents while they are away from their homes in the summer. There are however, many things homeowners can do to protect their home from these invaders. Here are 5 Free Things You Can Do To Avoid Pest Problems , a list of things that can be done FOR FREE to help prevent Palmetto Bugs from entering and living inside your house. Other common cockroaches found on the Treasure Coast that are often classified as Palmetto and Water Bugs are the Florida Woods Roach and the Smokey Brown Cockroach. Though both of these species of cockroach are common and widely distributed throughout Florida, they are less commonly found indoors than the American Cockroach. They feed on a wide variety of organic material, including decaying plant matter, and require even higher levels of moisture than their American Cockroach cousins.

Fleas

Flea control is very important to pet owners on the Treasure Coast. Flea season is essentially year-round in South Florida and even topical flea treatments may not be sufficient in preventing a flea infestation. Treating pets this way also exposes pets to chemicals to a greater degree than having a yard treated. You also don’t get the added benefits a yard spray provides such as eliminating ants, ticks, and mosquitoes as well. Avoiding exposure of pets to environments likely to have fleas can be an important factor in flea control and prevention. Pet boarding kennels are often a breeding ground for pet parasites. Dog parks and public spaces with a high level of pet traffic, also are very likely to have fleas present. Flea pest control companies in St Lucie and Martin County will often advise clients against taking their pets to dog parks. Green Pest Services has had clients that ended up with a flea problem because of taking their pets to The Town of Tradition dog park and Lyngate Park. It is unfortunate that this is such a problem but fleas are a part of life in Port St Lucie and residents should be aware of these flea hotspots in our area. This doesn’t mean it’s necessary to keep pets indoors at all times. An ongoing residential pest control service of residential lawns can effectively prevent flea infestations around homes. Once a flea problem has established itself inside of a home, control can become much more difficult with considerable inconvenience to homeowners. Preventive measures are absolutely key.

Ticks

Like fleas, ticks can pose significant health risks to both people and pets. Carriers of Lyme disease, tick borne diseases are beginning to receive they increased public awareness they deserve. Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever are debilitating diseases that can seriously impact quality of life and even are potentially fatal. Exterminating ticks in Port St Lucie will typically require a professional pest control company. Unlike fleas that stay near the ground, ticks climb into trees and bushes and drop down onto people and pets when looking for a meal. This means spreading over the counter pesticides on a lawn will have little effect on a tick population about a home. Topical treatment of dogs along with extensive shrub, tree, and yard spraying are necessary to exterminate ticks once established.

Termites

The most damaging and costly threat to homes on the Treasure Coast is Termites. Subterranean Termites and Drywood Termites are prevalent in our area. In recent years very damaging and quick spreading Asian and Formosan Termites have been found in our area. These invasive species of termite have massive colonies reaching numbers in the millions. Colonies of this size can do incredible damage to structures very quickly. The Treasure Coast has seen incredible growth in recent years, particularly in Port Saint Lucie, and because Florida law requires new construction be treated for termites, many new homeowners are living under a false sense of security. These treatments are for subterranean termites only. Not only that, pre-construction termite treatments are often performed using the cheapest chemicals possible. These products typically have the least residual, leaving property exposed to termite infestation within just a couple of years. Moreover, subterranean termites are not the most common type of termite infestation found in Saint Lucie and Martin County, drywood termites are. The treatments performed at the time of construction offer no protection whatsoever from these pests as they fly and do not require contact with the treated ground in order to thrive. There are treatments to the wooden structures of homes – particularly trusses – that can be performed to prevent these kinds of infestations. These kinds of treatment persist for the life of the wood so long as the treated structures remain dry. Beyond termites, there are other wood destroying organisms (WDO) that can infest wood in homes. Recent the neighborhood of Vitalia in the Town of Tradition saw an outbreak of Old House Borers in the attics and trusses of their newly constructed homes. A preventative treatment would have saved much money and aggravation.

Spiders

Spiders are a problem pest all over the United States and although we don’t have to deal with tarantulas in South Florida, we certainly have our fair share of spiders. Large Wolf Spiders, Black Widows, and Brown Recluse are all present on the Treasure Coast. And every home owner has had to deal with their fair share of Daddy Long Legs in their garage. A professional exterminator will be able to provide helpful information on how to naturally prevent spider problems without the use of chemicals. Mechanical and environmental means of control are limited, however. A residential pest control service can help prevent poisonous and painful spider bites as well as unsightly cobwebs.

Bed Bugs

Bed Bugs are parasitic insects that feed on the blood of humans. They are almost entirely dependent upon people for transmission from one location to the other. Hotel rooms, cruise ships, cars and planes, all provide opportunities for bed bugs to become hitch a ride and find new hosts and locations to infest. Unfortunately, incidents of bed bugs have been on the rise for several decades now, primarily due to their resistance to traditional pesticides. Bed Bugs are resistant to nearly all pest control products sold to homeowners for bed bug control. For this reason, a professional bed bug exterminator’s knowledge in essential. Extremely reclusive creatures, bed bugs are masters at avoiding detection, making control without experience even more difficult. There are natural, and organic methods of control available for bed bugs. Diatomaceous Earth is commonly employed by homeowners looking for non-toxic pest control of bed bugs, but unfortunately DE is largely ineffective. There are however chemical free mineral dusts available to professional exterminators that can effectively kill bed bugs.