Anthills are a common sight in Florida backyards, but few of us ever stop to think about what is going on beneath the surface of an anthill. Children are often tempted to kick ant hills apart and assume the colony is taken care of, but that is almost never the case.

If you’ve ever seen an ant farm, you know how deep below the surface many ant colonies will go. Usually, the portion of the anthill that you can see is only a small part of the entire anthill.

This incredible video shows you just how intricate and large an anthill can become. By pouring molten metal into the opening of an anthill, we can see the size and complexity below the surface.

WATCH: Casting a Fire Ant Colony with Molten Aluminum (Cast #043) (youtube.com)

Pretty neat, right? While it looks cool, it also goes to show that just dispersing the visible portion of an anthill does just about nothing to actually remove ants from your property. There are many effective remedies for some ant infestations, but some colonies can persist despite your best efforts.

Florida Pest can actively manage ants, termites, and many other common household pests, no matter how deep in your yard they live.

This fall, the lizards are leaping and the frogs are hopping! There is a lot of frog and lizard activity being reported throughout Florida, and people are curious about what they can do about it. Here are a few suggestions to keep them from creeping you out, one way or another.

Try to remember, most lizards and frogs are beneficial. They eat insects and other small living things that many people would consider pests. Some say reducing insect pressure may help reduce frog and lizard pressure around your home, but it’s doubtful. Mind you, the diet of lizards and frogs is not exclusively insects, but if you’re desperate to see fewer creepy crawlers, you may want to try the following.

Turn off outdoor lights at night or use yellow bug lights. Keep curtains closed when lights are on inside. The idea behind this is to make your home less attractive to nighttime insects, and hopefully hungry frogs and lizards, as well.

Remove standing water outside as much as possible. Insects love water, and so do most frogs and lizards. Many frogs will seek out water to lay their eggs. By eliminating water sources on your property, it should make it less appealing for insects, frogs, and lizards. Remember to check your gutters. They may be clogged and holding water in them, as well.

People often ask if there is something that can be applied to make the frogs and lizards go away. Sorry to say, there is not. Even an insecticide application will probably not give significant results. As mentioned previously, insects are only a portion of the diet of lizards and frogs.

If lizards and frogs are getting into your home, they should be sealed out. Look for any small gaps and cracks that a frog or lizard could slink through. Check around exterior doors and windows. Garage doors seem to be exceptionally vulnerable to lizard and frog entry. By sealing your home from lizards and frogs, you will also be preventing most insects and rodents from barging into your home, as well.

Hopefully, some of the previous suggestions will help to give you relief from unwanted frogs and lizards. If not, there is a glimmer of hope! Winter is around the bend and their activity should diminish in the colder weather.

Over the past few months, you may have begun to notice small tunnels of dirt appearing on the ground or even weird-looking bugs with crazy front feet. Well, the weird-looking bugs are making the tunnels. They are called mole crickets.

Mole crickets spend most of their time on the ground. The damage they cause to turf is primarily from their tunneling. They do feed on the underground parts of the grass though, so if populations get high, the turf may be harmed.

It’s important to know the lifecycle of the mole cricket, as that will determine the best way to control them. These insects are most destructive in late August through early October. Individual tunnels may exceed 10 feet in length. Adult mole crickets begin to appear in mid-September. By late November, they comprise more than half the population. Control can be very difficult to achieve in late fall, but there are products that can be used.

If you notice tunnels and/or mole crickets on your property, we can help. Contact us today for an inspection.

This summer has given us plenty of rain in many parts of Florida. With the rainfall and the warm seasonal weather come these little worms that love to eat healthy grass and the leaves of trees. These worms are known as Sod webworms and Fall webworms.

Sod webworms are lawn caterpillars that feed on grass blades. Their feeding causes the turf to turn brownish in color and often gives the infested area a scalped appearance (like it has been mown too short with a lawnmower). The first sign of damage can be easily overlooked. Small irregular brown patches may appear first. As the caterpillars mature and grow in size, the damaged area increases and, at times, seems to show up overnight. That’s because Sod webworms are inactive during the day and feed at night, out of sight. Brown patches can be caused by many other factors such as Chinch bugs, lawn diseases, drought, etc., so an accurate diagnosis is very important.

Remember to look up while you’re outside. In late summer or early autumn the other webworm, known as the Fall webworm, may appear on the scene. Fall webworms are seen on a variety of trees such as pecan, hickory, maple, etc. They form a web around themselves and their food (leaves) at the end of branches. This web protects them from birds and parasitic insects such as wasps. Fall webworm infestations in your trees can be unsightly and could be damaging to the trees.

Cut the grass and drain any standing water.
Tallgrass provides a shady haven for many types of insects. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, which hatch after only 24-48 hours.

Instead of decorating with flowers, which can attract stinging insects, try decorating with herbs such as rosemary and sage. Many insects do not like the smell of these herbs, so they act as a natural repellent.

Use a natural insect repellent. Cinnamon, clove, peppermint, and garlic oil may be effective for keeping ants away. Many people also say that dryer sheets can be an effective repellent for insects. Just rub down the table and chair legs with the dryer sheets or place them on the counter where ants are likely to travel on their way to food.

If possible, serve food and drinks indoors. If yours is an outdoors-only event, use containers with lids or mesh covers. By leaving food outside uncovered, you are giving nearby insects a compelling reason to crash your party in force. If you serve your food inside, the scent will travel less and be harder for them to detect. If you would prefer to serve food outdoors, you can use containers with lids or purchase mesh covers that will prevent bugs from being able to chow down.

Keep garbage and empty drink bottles in a bin (with a lid) away from guests to help keep yellowjackets, ants, and flies from buzzing around. One’s trash is a yellow jacket’s treasure! Yellowjackets love garbage, particularly tossed out meats and sugary substances.

Imagine walking outside and witnessing thousands of tiny, red, fast-moving dots on your sidewalk, driveway, and even the exterior walls of your house.  That would be a little unnerving, wouldn’t you think?

This is an event that takes place almost every Spring and early Summer in many locations throughout Florida.  At this point, you may be saying to yourself, “Yeah, that happened at my house a few years ago.  What could they be?  Are they Clover mites?  Are they Spider mites?  Maybe we’re being invaded by Bird mites and the itching is going to last for days!”  Nope, it’s none of those.  What we’re dealing with here is an Erythraeid mite from the genus Balaustium.  Some call them Balaustium mites.

These are actually beneficial, eight-legged creatures that prey on other mites, small insects, and pollen…Yes, pollen!  If you suffer from pollen allergies each Spring, you may come to appreciate these little red dots.  You may also see them on your ornamental shrubs, especially around the anthers of flowers.

Balaustium mites are commonly seen from April through May.  Under the right conditions, you might even see them as early as February.  There are some records showing activity as late as October through December, as well.

The control of these beneficial mites is not usually needed, because they’re only seen in large numbers for a short while.  If they invade the interior of your home; however, control may become necessary.  At that time, contact us. We can help!