In most of the country, pest season ends when it gets cold. In Florida, pest season is every month with a name. You have 12 months to manage insects, rodents, and a rotating cast of wildlife that wants to share your home.
Here’s what you’re actually dealing with — and the most effective way to deal with it.
The Florida Pest Threat List
Subterranean Termites
The most expensive pest problem in Florida, bar none. Subterranean termites (Reticulitermes and Formosans) cause billions in damage annually in Florida. Unlike drywood termites that live in the wood itself, subterranean termites live underground and build mud tubes to reach your home’s wood framing.
Signs to look for:
- Mud tubes (pencil-width dirt tunnels) along your foundation, block walls, or garage walls
- Hollow-sounding wood when you tap on baseboards or door frames
- Discarded wings near windowsills in spring — a termite swarm means a mature colony is nearby or inside
What works: Licensed termite treatment — either liquid barrier (Termidor is the industry standard) or bait stations (Sentricon). Get a termite bond from a licensed pest control company. This is a monitoring and treatment service contract that most mortgage lenders require anyway. Annual cost: $150–$300. Termite damage repair: $5,000–$50,000.
German Cockroaches
The small, fast ones that live inside your home (not the big palmetto bugs that wander in from outside). German roaches reproduce at a terrifying rate — a single female produces 400+ offspring in her lifetime. If you see one during the day, you have dozens more.
What works: Gel bait (Advion Cockroach Gel, available at hardware stores) placed in cracks and crevices — under the sink, behind the refrigerator, inside cabinet hinges. Do not use spray roach killers — they scatter the population and make gel baiting less effective because the roaches avoid treated areas.
Florida Carpenter Ants
Large black ants (up to 1/2 inch) that excavate galleries in wood. Unlike termites, they don’t eat the wood — they just hollow it out. They prefer wood that’s already been softened by moisture, which is why they’re often a symptom of a water leak or moisture problem.
What works: Find and fix the moisture source first. Then treat with a perimeter spray around your home’s exterior and seal any cracks larger than 1/16 inch around windows, doors, and pipes.
Palmetto Bugs (American Cockroach)
These are the large, fast roaches that Floridians euphemistically call “palmetto bugs.” They live outside in mulch, palmetto fronds, and leaf debris, and wander inside looking for water. They are not an infestation indicator — they’re a sealing issue.
What works:
- Keep mulch at least 6 inches away from your foundation
- Seal gaps around pipes, AC lines, and cable penetrations with expanding foam
- Treat the exterior perimeter monthly with a residual spray
The Perimeter Defense: The Most Important Thing You Can Do
Professional pest control companies base their entire business model on this: a well-maintained chemical barrier around the exterior of your home blocks 80% of all pest entry. You can DIY this quarterly with products like Suspend SC or Temprid FX (available at pest supply stores, not big box stores).
Application: Spray 3 feet up the foundation, 3 feet out on the ground, and treat the weep holes in block foundations. Reapply after heavy rain.
When to Call a Professional
- Any sign of subterranean termites — professional treatment is not optional
- A German cockroach infestation that doesn’t respond to gel baiting in 2–3 weeks
- Any wildlife inside your attic (squirrels, raccoons, rats) — these require trapping and exclusion work
- Bed bugs — DIY treatment is almost never effective
A Note on “Organic” Pest Control
Essential oil sprays and diatomaceous earth have their place (DE is effective against ants and crawling insects on surfaces) but they do not replace perimeter chemical treatment in Florida. The pest pressure here is simply too high. Use integrated approaches — seal entry points, manage moisture, and use targeted chemical treatment where needed.
See our recommended pest control products on the recommended products page.