I currently live in the south and I have a friend that lives in the state of Florida. I was talking to my friend the other day on the phone and he tells me that his home is very clean but that he gets roaches all the time. When I asked him to describe the bug to me he said it was a large and dark brown. I asked him if they had 2 light circles on their upper part of their thorax. After looking at it again he said yes. I said you have American Cockroaches aka Palmetto Bugs.
This leads me into the question, do all houses in Florida have cockroaches? No, although cockroaches can be found in most climates and live in many places, there is no way that all the homes in Florida have cockroaches. I mean no one in their right mind would stay there if this was true. However, cockroaches will thrive in humid places. They are drawn to moisture and food sources.
One thing to know is that palmetto bugs which they are called by the locals are actually a member of the American Cockroach family.
Read more to find out more about palmetto bugs, roach prevention, roach treatments, and pest control in Florida!
Do Palmetto Bugs Infest?
Palmetto bugs do infest. They will usually infest palmetto trees. After they have infested these trees however they can easily access your home if the trees are close enough or the infestation is big enough.
Palmetto bugs like I mentioned above are a member of the American Cockroach family, and they do carry disease. If you get an infestation near or in your home, you will want to get rid of the problem as quickly as you can.
How To Prevent Roaches In Florida?
Just like most other states roach prevention is treated very similarly.
I hope you find my content helpful in the prevention of roaches for your home in Florida!
The best offense is a good defense and that is certainly the case when it comes to preventing roaches from getting into your home. Here is the game plan.
Roach prevention will start with an inspection of your home.
You will want to look outside around your home and make sure that there is no standing water in areas of your yard or crawlspace. If this is a problem you are having you will need to remediate this because moisture is the number one reason you get roaches.
You will now continue your inspection by making sure you don’t have any leaky pipes or clogged drainage.
Also, make sure that your gutters are free of clutter. A gutter that is overfilled can invite roaches to create harborages withing the leaves needles or sludge in your gutter.
The next step is to make sure that there is no foliage that is touching your home. If you have a way for roaches to bridge over pest barriers they can make their way on or into your home.
You will also want to make sure that the trees near your home have a 4-foot gap between your home, and that they do not directly hangover your rooftop.
Keep your yard cut back and don’t allow for overgrowth. This can create a massive size harborage for more than just roaches and it is vital in keeping them away.
Make sure your home is sealed properly this will include screens on windows, screens on gable vents, rubber seals around windows and doors that should be repaired or replaced.
If you have a crawl space, is the crawl space door able to seal when it shuts? Are all the vents around your home sealed properly and no holes in the vents?
Is there a hole where your HVAC system hoses come in from the exterior wall? If there is you need to silicone, spray foam, or caulk it as soon as you get a chance.
Sanitation is key. Make sure all outdoor trash receptacles are cleaned and don’t have stuck on trash or juices in them. Do the same for your inside trash can.
After doing all that it is good to provide your home with a pest barrier as maintenance for your large investment.
My very favorite chemical to use for roach prevention outside your home is Demand CS. Demand has an active ingredient called lambda-cyhalothrin.
This has one of the fastest knockdowns for pests and is an industry-standard among pest control companies.
One of the biggest reasons for its popularity is the number of bugs it has the potential of eliminating.
The next thing that makes it so great is the amount of time that it lasts. Demand has microencapsulation technology that allows the chemical to release over time and as a result of this technology it assists in taking care of pest issues for a long time between treatments. (see the current price of Demand CS on DoMyOwn.Com).
In Florida, it rains somewhere almost every day. You know the saying that goes “if you don’t like the weather wait 5 minutes”. With that in mind there is another chemical I want you to get to help prevent roaches.
This chemical looks like sand it is a water-soluble granule called Howard Johnson’s Bifenthrin Granules. The idea behind the application of a water-soluble granule is that you will be able to treat more areas.
It is good to get a hand spreader or a shaker bottle and apply these granules around the foundation of your home. As soon as the grass is watered or the rain hits the granules they will activate and turn into a liquid chemical that helps with the prevention of roaches. Make sure to use this product as directed.
Treating around tree trunks and non-blossoming bushes will help as well.
(see the current price for Howard Johnson’s Bifenthrin Granules on DoMyOwn.Com).
That is really everything you would need to do to prevent roaches in Florida.
I have been a pest control technician for several years and in that time I have found that neglecting to upkeep your home and property will slowly come back to bite you literally.
How To Get Rid Of Roaches
The most obvious way to get rid of roaches would be to hire a pest control company to eliminate cockroach infestations.
It will take several services to get rid of the problem and can be extremely costly.
You can attempt to treat the roaches yourself:
German Roaches: This will be an interior treatment and you will use a chemical called Temprid SC. Temprid is an amazing chemical, it has two active ingredients that allow for a quick knockdown of roaches. (see the current price for Temprid SC on DoMyOwn.Com)
You will mix the label suggested amount into a 1-gallon spray can.
Along with the Temprid, you will want to get another chemical called NyGard IGR. Nygard is a growth regulator that helps to stop the next roach generation from happening by retarding the current generation’s reproductive process. (see the current price for Nygard IGR on DoMyOwn.Com).
By using Temprid and Nygard together at a rate of every 2 weeks to one month between each treatment you will get rid of all the roaches in a matter of 3-5 treatments if the label is followed correctly.
The label will tell you the appropriate places to treat the amount to use, how you should store the chemical and how to dispose of it.
Palmetto Bug Treatment: Since we know now that palmetto bugs prefer to live in palmetto trees and in humid environments, this is the area we will need to focus on to help get them away from your home and property.
The things I will mention here will be a little bit of a repeat of roach prevention, but this is more directed in the elimination of palmetto bugs.
Treatment:
Use Howard Johnson’s Bifenthrin Granules around all tree trunks and around the foundation of your home.
Next, make sure that all the gutters are clear of debris and they flow well.
The next thing is to treat the outside of your home’s foundation with Demand CS. Make sure to fan spray a 1-3 foot barrier all the way around your home. Treat around all windows, doors, downspouts, lights, and piping. Make sure not to spray this chemical in standing water or down drains as it can contaminate waterways.
Make sure that you have no standing water outside or underneath your home.
Last make sure that all foliage is cut away from your home at least 4 feet back.
Does Everyone In Florida Need Pest Control?
I would say that since Florida does not sustain freezing weather during the winter months that getting rid of pest populations will prove to be difficult.
Most people that I have met or know that live in Florida tell me that they have a pest control service, or they constantly apply pesticides on their own.
Which leads to my question. Does everyone in Florida need pest control? Yes, at some point or in some form or another if you live in the sunshine state, you will need to have some type of pest control to keep your home and property protected from pests.
Florida is one of the most humid states in the United States and is the home of billions of pests including but not limited to cockroaches, mosquitoes, stinging insects, and lots of exotic wildlife.
Summary
My final thoughts are that people that don’t have roach issues will not usually shout it from the rooftops. Roaches are a big issue in Florida and it will continue to be that way probably forever. You can hire a pest control professional to take care of this for you and that is a great way to keep the issues away from your home. I do also advocate for the do it yourself individuals that have the tenacity to get it done on by themselves. I hope this article was helpful and has given you some insight on what it takes to keep roaches away and what you should expect from that treatment.
So as always:
“Thanks for buggin’ out with me”
