Osprey is an idyllic Sarasota County town with beautiful parks and stunning white-sand beaches. The hot tropical climate makes the city appealing to people from across the country. Unfortunately, pests such as mice, rats, ants, cockroaches, wasps, and spiders find the area perfect for starting colonies, too. The lack of cold winter temperatures encourages them to roam across residential and commercial properties all year.
Most Osprey residents don’t consider pest control services until they notice signs of infestation. However, the best way to avoid the nuisance is to prevent it in the first place. Once the damage occurs, it can cost a fortune to make repairs.
Common signs of pest infestation in a home include pest feces around the property, grease, furniture and wall structural damage, rustling sounds, damaged plants, and evidence of nesting. Once apparent, the homeowners should address the signs right away.
Insects create long-term damage to the plants and furniture, and termites can cause a building’s wooden elements to rot faster and collapse. Mice and rats transmit viruses, bacteria, and diseases that are dangerous to people and pets. The pets that come into contact with contaminated food or feces or are bitten by a pest risk poisoning or developing allergic reactions.
Osprey residents should consider scheduling quarterly pest control checkups for their properties to keep pest infestations and damage to a minimum. Ultimately, prevention remains the best way to deal with the issue in this tropical area.
Osprey, Florida
Located in Sarasota County, Osprey is a diverse community with plenty of luxury homes on the Intracoastal Waterway. Visitors and residents alike can explore some of its famous seafood restaurants, sports bars, or fine dining places.
Shoppers won’t be disappointed either, as the area is packed with village shops and malls. Most of the shopping in town takes place on Tamiami Trail on U.S. Highway 41. Some local restaurants are on “the Trail,” with popular waterfront dining options at the Spanish Point.
Osprey has over 4,000 residents, and it’s home to the iconic Historic Spanish Point, which has been incorporated into Selby Gardens right on the bay. There are stunning gardens and tours available all year long. In addition, the 30-acre museum and environmental complex include plenty of sightseeing opportunities such as the prehistoric shell mound, a homestead museum, chapel, boatyard, a citrus packing house, nature trails, and gardens.
Osprey is also known for the Blackburn Point Bridge, an Intracoastal Waterway one-lane bridge featured in the National Register of Historic Places.
This Sarasota County town has become ever more popular to families who desire small-town living and want to experience the beauty of the Gulf Coast to the fullest.
Common Pests in Homes in Osprey
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 Osprey’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 Osprey 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. Osprey 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 Osprey 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 Osprey’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 Osprey, 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, Osprey 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.
Osprey 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.