Situated at the northern tip of Anna Maria Island, the city of Anna Maria offers fabulous beaches, incredible wildlife, and, regrettably, pests. These unpleasant invaders thrive in the year-round warm, tropical climate.
Unfortunately, cockroaches, rodents, mosquitoes, spiders, and other insects are familiar visitors across the area, and when it comes to property damage, these squatters can cause significant damage. Wood is the primary building material across homes in Anna Maria; pests such as termites, ants, and carpenter bees feed on the wood, weakening its structural integrity. Electrical damage appears when mice and rats chew on the wires. Carpeting, fabric, and even plastics can also suffer from gnawing critters.
Rodents that feed on human food can transmit several infections, bacteria, viruses, and serious diseases. People with allergies or asthma can suffer severe attacks if coming into contact with the contaminated areas.
Finally, pests that infest plants often devour the photosynthetic tissue, damaging the plant long-term. Anna Maria residents who notice holes in the leaves or stems of their plants may need to schedule a pest inspection.
Regular pest control minimizes the risk of pest infestation in the basement, bathrooms, and kitchen. Pest control companies perform regular checkups to ensure the pests stay away, minimizing potential damage to property, health, and landscaping. After all, prevention is key.
Anna Maria, Florida
The City of Anna Maria is the first community founded on Anna Maria Island. It remains a central gathering place packed with opportunities for the locals and tourists, including many historical sites.
Anna Maria Island was first discovered and settled by Native American tribes. The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto re-discovered it later in the 16th century. George Emerson Bean was the city’s first permanent resident.
The streets and foundations of the city were laid by Bean and Roser, who started the Anna Maria Beach company. The company constructed the famous Anna Maria city pier, which still stands on Pine Avenue.
Today, Anna Maria Island is known for its stunning beaches, world-class restaurants, and authentic shops. Noteworthy historic attractions include the Roser Church, Bean Point, and scenic views of the Gulf of Mexico. One of the best-known streets, the Bridge Street Pier, represents a famous historic site and a gathering area.
The city also features great bars for adults looking to unwind after a long day. The area offers stunning views of the blue ocean, features walkable dessert shops and waterfront piers. Anna Maria is a vacation favorite for local and international tourists.
Common Pests in Homes in Anna Maria
The Sunshine State hosts an array of pests due to its hot climate, especially during the summer. Typical residential and commercial property intruders include ants, spiders, mosquitos, wasps, fleas, ticks, mice, and rats.
Ants often look for shelter on higher ground once the rain starts and often head indoors searching for food. Fire ants belong to the most commonly found ant types in Florida. These ants create dome-like nests up to three feet in height, and their colonies can reach over 250,000 worker ants. Common places for ants to nest include windows, driveways, and yards.
Stinging insects such as mosquitoes, wasps, and bees make it hard to enjoy Anna Maria’s open spaces. Their bites can spread serious diseases to humans and pets. Their highest population is in summer when the insects can create nests in a home-opening, near the foundation, or under overhangs. It’s essential to watch out for the nests to avoid getting stung.
Other insects that cause concern are fleas. Fleas can jump tremendous distances, often propelling their tiny bodies up to 200 times their length. It’s simple for them to move from one host to another and into the environment. Their bodies have evolved to endure harsh conditions, and the hard outer coating makes them hard to crush. Fleas typically hide in the floor cracks, furniture, or bedding.
Spiders are among the most feared pests in Anna Maria homes. They prefer dark, cool places that make it convenient to spin webs and hunt for food. Except for the brown recluse and black widow spiders, most Florida spiders are harmless. Bites from either of these spiders can cause muscle pain, paralysis, and even death.
COCKROACHES
Cockroaches reside in cool, dark places and can live up to one year. The bugs spend most of the time in garbage cans, sewers, and similar areas where they pick up on germs, parasites, and bacteria. Anna Maria residents find cockroaches both inside and outside of their homes. Water and dampness attract the roaches, and homeowners can often find them under the kitchen sink, bathroom, or basement.
Leaving garbage cans open invites cockroaches, so it’s best to cover them with tight-fitting lids.
This pest typically heads indoors looking for water and food. Droppings inside the home resemble ground pepper and pose a health concern for the property residents, including the pets. Cockroaches can also cause dysentery, roundworm, viruses, fungus, tapeworms, and allergies. These bugs impose a particular risk for people with asthma.
BED BUGS
Bed bugs reach peak activity during summer as they thrive in hot, humid weather. They can lay colonies in mattresses, beds, cracks, or crevices inside a home. Since the insects are skilled at hitching rides in luggage, clothing, and shoes, they travel far and wide during peak vacation seasons. Common signs of bed bug infestation can include:
Small, red bites found in clusters
Blood spots
Brown streaks on fabrics
Casings lying between the mattresses or the head- or foot-board.
These common Anna Maria pests require immediate attention. Their bite makes the skin itchy and can also cause welts. Bed bug infestations take time to make their presence known, and the fall is the busiest time for their extermination.
TERMITES
Termites top the list of Anna Maria’s most common and dangerous pests. There are two types of termites common to the area.
Drywood termites live in dry wood above the ground.
Subterranean termites typically seek water-damaged areas of wood.
Both types destroy wood, resulting in uneven floors, warped walls, sagging ceilings, or bubbled wallpaper and paint.
Ridding a building of termites calls for the most aggressive termite solutions available, often only available through professional companies. However, due to the nature in which termites invade and the amount of damage they can cause, prevention is essential. That’s why professional pest control and extermination services should perform regular termite and other pest checks.
Signs You Need Immediate Pest Control in Anna Maria, FL
PROPERTY DAMAGE.
There are many sure signs of property damage. It may be gnawed rugs, furniture, clothes, or walls. There may be thin tunnels that appear along the walls. In the best pest infestation scenario, Anna Maria homeowners only have to get rid of a chewed sweater. However, far greater damage can occur once rodents gnaw on the electrical wires, creating a potential fire hazard.
URINE AND DROPPINGS.
Traces of urine and droppings in the pantry, kitchen, or other rooms in the house means there may be rats or mice present. The infected urine and droppings of the rodents can carry deadly diseases. Therefore, it’s essential to have a pest control professional ensure the rodents or pests are eliminated and their waste safely removed.
RUSTLING OR SCRATCHING SOUNDS.
The most common reason for rustling and scratching sounds in a house is a pest invasion. Often, a rodent invasion reveals itself with scampering noises across the ceiling or the walls.
PEST SIGHTINGS.
Anna Maria homeowners who see a cockroach, mouse, termite, or a bed bug anywhere in the house should know that there is most likely more than one on the property. Once infestations grow, colony members are forced out of the nest, ultimately appearing around the property.
UNUSUAL RODENTS.
Rats and mice are the most common home invaders, but larger rodents such as squirrels can also find their way into a house. The frightened animal can cause severe damage to the property and injury to the homeowner. A pest control professional knows how to deal with all types of rodents.
The nuisance of pest infestation doesn’t have to last forever.
Kinder Safe Pest Solutions provides reliable pest control to residential and business customers.
Give us a call, and our professional team will get down to solving your pest issue quickly and effectively.