Pests Archive | Bug Out - Pest Control and Extermination Services

Firebrat

Firebrats in Florida

Firebrats are common throughout Florida, especially in urban and suburban areas. Ranging from 1/2 to 3/4 inch in length, these nocturnal pests thrive in warm, humid environments. They remain active throughout the year, but their numbers do dwindle in colder winters. However, they can survive indoors if they find a warm, sheltered spot. Their adaptability to indoor conditions allows them to persist as household pests, often damaging stored items such as paper, books, and clothing.

Firebrat Habitat

Firebrats love to be surrounded by warmth, making urban and suburban areas perfect habitats for them. These tiny insects are often found in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms within homes and buildings. They are drawn to heat sources like furnaces, boilers, and hot water pipes, where they seek warmth and moisture. Outside, firebrats take shelter under rocks, leaf litter, and in sheltered spots near buildings. As nocturnal pests, they are active at night and hide during the day to avoid light or disturbances.

Firebrat Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Firebrats are pests that can quickly reproduce and spread in your home, though they are typically not harmful. They don’t bite or sting, but they can contaminate food. These insects are known to damage household items like books, paper, fabrics, and even wallpaper by feeding on them. They can also taint stored food supplies. Additionally, firebrats may worsen allergies and asthma in sensitive individuals due to their shed skin and droppings. To reduce the risks of a firebrat infestation, it’s helpful to lower humidity, seal cracks and gaps, and minimize food sources. If you notice a significant number of firebrats in your home, contact local pest control experts for assistance.

Clothes Moth

close up of a golden brown clothing moth on blue and white cloth.

Clothes Moths in Florida

Adult clothes moths have a distinct, iridescent sheen on their wings. One species, known as the webbing clothes moths, feature golden or yellow wings with bright red or orange hairs on their heads. Casemaking clothes moths have a similar shape but differ in color, with brown or tan wings speckled with dark spots. Both species measure about a quarter of an inch long, though webbing clothes moths tend to be slightly larger. Their larvae are pale yellow or cream-colored with dark red or brown heads. These moths can inhabit vents and ductwork, where their larvae feed on trapped lint, hair, and debris. Unlike most moth species, clothes moths actively avoid light.

Clothes Moth Habitat

Clothes moths settle in areas with an accessible food source, often found in closets, storage boxes, chests, dressers, and taxidermy displays. Indoors, their larvae commonly infest wool clothing, carpets, upholstered furniture, and any old wool rug remnants they can find. Lint from wool rugs and pet hair accumulating behind baseboards, or in floor cracks, can also attract infestations. A common egg-laying site is the carpet beneath the back legs of a sofa, as it’s an area that often evades any vacuuming. While adult moths, pupae, and eggs do not feed, the larvae are responsible for fabric damage. They consume materials like wool, feathers, hair, leather, fish meal, lint, and other animal-based fibers. Items frequently targeted include scarves, coats, toys, rugs, blankets, sweaters, taxidermy mounts, and upholstered furniture.

Clothes Moth Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

The larvae are known to cause damage, as they feed on all of the mentioned materials. Casemaking clothes moth larvae carry a silk cocoon with them, expanding it as they grow. This disguise is made of the fiber they’re currently feeding off of, making them difficult to spot, and allowing them to feed unnoticed if you don’t catch them.

Guiana Striped Scorpion

Placeholder graphic with illustrated pests

Guiana Striped Scorpion in Florida

The Guiana Striped Scorpion (Centruroides guanensis) is a less common species in Florida, found mostly in the southern, warmer, and more humid areas like Miami-Dade, Collier, and Monroe counties. This scorpion typically grows between 1 ½ to 2 ¾ inches and features a yellow body adorned with a dusky pattern, although it may have different colors and patterns. Its sting is brief and painful, with effects lasting from one to five hours. Its venom is considered to be mild compared to other scorpion species.

Guiana Striped Scorpion Habitat

Known for their elusive nature, Guiana Striped Scorpions typically seek shelter under stones, bark, or dense plant life. They are most active at night, emerging to hunt for small insects and arthropods. They are not only found in Florida but also in Cuba, the Bahamas, and other Caribbean islands, where they thrive in similar warm climates.

Guiana Striped Scorpion Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Despite their venom being mild, the sting of the Guiana Striped Scorpion should not be underestimated. It causes a sharp, painful sensation upon envenomation, with lingering effects that can last from one to five hours. If you encounter one, it’s best to reach out to a professional scorpion exterminator for quick pest control.

Hentz Striped Scorpion

Hentz Striped Scorpion in Florida

The Hentz Striped Scorpion, scientifically named Centruroides hentzi, is found primarily in the southeastern United States, including Florida. A member of the bark scorpion family, it grows to approximately 1 ½ inches, exhibiting a light mottled brown coloration and a pale underside. Its diet consists mainly of insects like roaches and termites. Notably, this scorpion has sex-specific venom, a rare trait among scorpion species.

Hentz Striped Scorpion Habitat

Preferring sheltered locations such as beneath logs, stones, and tree debris, the Hentz Striped Scorpion can also be found as high as 20 feet on dead tree bark or at the base of pines. These scorpions are nocturnal, often emerging at night to hunt for prey like insects and arachnids. Its natural predators, including woodpeckers and tree frogs, help control the scorpion’s numbers.

Hentz Striped Scorpion Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Although their stings can be quite painful, they usually do not cause lasting harm or serious medical issues. This makes the Hentz Striped Scorpion less hazardous than other venomous species. They play an important role in the ecosystem, but it’s still wise to exercise caution due to their painful sting. If you encounter one, it’s best to call a professional scorpion exterminator for quick removal.

Florida Bark Scorpion

Florida Bark Scorpion in Florida

The Florida Bark Scorpion, or Centruroides gracilis, is commonly called the brown bark scorpion or slender brown scorpion. It boasts a reddish-black to dark brown body that can grow up to 6 inches in length, with reddish claws, yellowish legs, and a dark tail. This species lives for about 33 to 38 months and is often hunted by tarantulas. It feeds primarily on insects like roaches, termites, and crickets, offering a natural pest control benefit.

Florida Bark Scorpion Habitat

Although it’s called the Florida Bark Scorpion, it actually originates from Central America, not Florida. This nocturnal creature prefers hiding under boards in both newly built and abandoned structures. It is particularly attracted to warm, humid environments. In search of food, it will climb trees and squeeze into homes through any available cracks.

Florida Bark Scorpion Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Though the sting of the Florida Bark Scorpion is highly painful, it is not as venomous as those of their relatives in Central and South America. The pain from the sting can be intense but typically subsides after a few hours. Immediate symptoms of a sting include pain, redness, itching, and swelling, while severe reactions may lead to nausea, vomiting, shock, and even coma. If you find a scorpion, call a pest control expert for swift removal.

Solitary Ground Bee

Solitary Ground Bees in Jacksonville, FL

Solitary ground bees are commonly found in Jacksonville, FL, thanks to its ideal environment for species like mining bees (Andrena sp.) and sweat bees (Halictidae family). These bees prefer sandy or well-drained soils, which are abundant in the area. Their presence indicates a healthy, thriving ecosystem, but they can also become a nuisance around your home.

Solitary Ground Bee Habitat

Residential lawns, parks, and natural spaces are common nesting spots for solitary ground bees. They favor sunny, south-facing slopes and areas with minimal vegetation. These locations provide the perfect conditions for females to dig burrows and lay their eggs. If you see small soil mounds in your yard during early spring, they’re likely the nests of these bees, so there’s no need to worry.

Solitary Ground Bee Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Solitary ground bees are calm by nature and only sting when provoked. Females are capable of stinging but are less defensive than honey bees or yellow jackets due to their lack of a colony. Their primary focus is foraging and nesting, making them uninterested in human activity. Males are harmless as they cannot sting at all.

Reach out to your local bee pest control specialists if you notice signs of solitary ground bees.

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