What’s dark brown, winged and lives in even the cleanest of homes in Florida? If you said a palmetto bug, you are correct! If you didn’t (or even if you did), you can learn more about Florida’s most hated pest below.

Difference Between Palmetto Bugs and Cockroaches?

Quite simply, a palmetto bug is another name for the American cockroach. This species is the largest of the domestic cockroaches, averaging around four centimeters long. While German roaches are the most common roaches found across the country, American roaches are the second most prevalent. You can find palmetto bugs indoors in Florida, especially in commercial settings. In the northern states, palmetto bugs are found more often in steam heat tunnels or inside of large buildings.

Believe it or not, the American cockroach arrived in this country in 1625 from Africa. As with many other pests, cockroaches have mostly been spread through commerce. Although you are more likely … Read Full Post »

Arachnophobia is widespread among people all over the world, including in Florida. As a matter of fact, some of the most common Florida spiders seem to be extra terrifying. Despite their sometimes frightening appearance, many of these arachnids are not dangerous—at least not to homeowners. However, the ability to identify those which can hurt you and those which can’t will give you peace of mind and help avoid any medical emergencies.

Here’s a list of the most common species found throughout the Sunshine State. Thankfully, these varieties aren’t dangerous to humans:

Crab Spiders

Don’t confuse this arachnid with the spiny-backed orb weaver, which is shaped like a crab. This type of spider gets its name from the way it holds its front two pairs of legs to the side, like crab pincers.

Crab spiders also tend to scuttle sideways and backward, similar to the beach-dwelling crustaceans. This arachnid does not spin webs. Instead, a … Read Full Post »

Most homeowners do their best to keep any bugs out of the house. Unfortunately, some bugs are arguably worse than others, and some are harder to detect. Termites fall into both categories: They are some of the most destructive insects around—the National Pest Management Association estimates they cause American homeowners five billion dollars worth of damage each year—and since they build their colonies out of sight, they can quickly go undetected for long periods. If you’ve never seen a termite, you might wonder, What do termites look like in Florida? Learning the answer to this question will help you identify these undesirable pests before they cause costly structural damage to your home.

As do termites in any state, termites in Florida look a lot like giant ants with wings. There are some subtle differences between termites and flying ants, however. Adult termites are dark brown or … Read Full Post »

You can’t keep your home free of insect invaders if you don’t know much about Florida’s different types of household bugs. Most residents are surprised to learn that our state is an ideal habitat for a long list of these tiny creatures, including roaches, beetles, flies, cicadas, ants, bees and wasps, earwigs, moths and butterflies, mantids, crickets, grasshoppers, as well as several other types of uninvited insect guests.

While many of us have noticed an ant crawling behind our morning cup of coffee or even a roach scurrying along one of the surfaces in your bathroom late at night, other creatures may lurk inside your home that you aren’t as familiar with. That’s when it’s good to arm yourself with knowledge, so you can identify what you are seeing and know how to evict these critters from your home. In this post, we’ll discuss two of the Sunshine State’s most problematic … Read Full Post »