Tenant Resources · Home Care

    Pest Prevention & Troubleshooting

    Florida has a 365-day pest season — there's no winter die-off. The good news is that most pest issues respond well to a handful of consistent habits. The other good news is that under Florida law, your landlord (us) handles serious extermination. This guide covers both.

    Estimated time to read: ~10 minutes

    Don't stack retail pesticides or exceed label rates.

    Pesticide overuse harms you, pets, and children, and can void landlord-provided pest control coverage. If you want to use a product, start with EPA-registered bait stations (Terro for ants, Combat for roaches) used as directed. Anything stronger — call us.

    Never disturb a fire ant mound.

    Fire ant stings can cause severe pain, anaphylaxis in sensitive people, and dozens of stings in seconds if you stand on or near a mound. Mounds appear as raised dirt piles (no central opening). Wear closed shoes in the yard, especially in summer. Treatment of mounds in lawns is generally an owner responsibility — submit a request.

    Don't sweep or vacuum dry rodent droppings.

    Rodent droppings and urine can transmit hantavirus and other diseases. Wet the area with disinfectant first, wear gloves, and dispose carefully. Submit a maintenance request the same day you notice rodent signs (droppings, chew marks, scratching in walls).

    Why This Happens

    Florida Is Pest Country

    Most of the U.S. gets a winter pest die-off — freezing temperatures knock back populations of roaches, mosquitoes, and ants. Florida doesn't. Our average winter lows rarely drop below the 40s; coastal Brevard rarely sees freezes at all. That means every species is breeding year-round, indoor moisture and food are constantly attractive, and outdoor populations are always pressing at your doors and windows. The solution is consistency — sanitation, sealing, and moisture control done every week, not in panic mode when you see something. This page covers the playbook.

    Tenant role

    • Sanitation (counters clean, trash out, dishes done)
    • Sealing entry gaps (caulk, door sweeps)
    • Eliminating standing water for mosquitoes
    • Reporting issues promptly
    • Following pest-control vendor prep instructions when scheduled

    Landlord role (Florida Statute 83.51)

    • Routine extermination (cockroaches, ants, rodents)
    • Bed bug treatment in multi-unit buildings
    • Wood-destroying organisms (termites)
    • Outdoor fire ant mounds in lawns
    • Repairing entry gaps (damaged screens, broken seals)
    Do These Every Week

    The Habits That Prevent Most Pest Problems

    Most pest control fails not because pests are unusually clever, but because sanitation and sealing slip. The list below covers ~90% of indoor pest prevention.

    1. 1

      Wipe counters every night. Crumbs, food residue, and pet food smell attract roaches and ants. Empty the sink — don't leave dishes overnight.

    2. 2

      Take trash out daily — or at minimum to the garage. A bag of food waste left overnight is an open invitation.

    3. 3

      Store food in sealed containers. Cereal, pet food, sugar, flour — anything not in glass or sealed plastic is bait.

    4. 4

      Fix leaks immediately. Roaches and ants need water more than food. Drip under the kitchen sink? Submit a maintenance request.

    5. 5

      Weekly broom-sweep of exterior structural areas. Spider webs and insect debris collect around doorways, porches, patios, lanais, eaves, soffits, garage doors, and exterior light fixtures — especially in Florida. A weekly sweep with a long-handled broom or webster duster keeps these areas clean and reduces spider activity considerably. Brush out exterior light fixtures monthly to clear dead insect debris.

    6. 6

      Empty standing water weekly outside. Plant saucers, kids' toys, buckets, gutters, pet bowls. Aedes mosquitoes (the Florida disease vectors) breed in container water as small as a bottle cap.

    7. 7

      Caulk entry gaps under sinks. Where pipes enter walls is the #1 indoor entry point for palmetto bugs and ants. A $4 tube of caulk handles most of it.

    8. 8

      Don't bring cardboard inside from outside. Cardboard harbors roach eggs — break down outside or at the recycling bin, don't store in the home.

    If a habit isn't on this list, it's optional. If it IS on this list and you skip it for two weeks, you'll see results. Florida pest control is about consistency, not intensity.

    By Pest

    What To Do, Pest By Pest

    Palmetto bugs (American cockroaches)

    Large (1.5"+) reddish-brown roaches, usually single, found near doors, garage entries, or drains — especially during rainy season. These wander in from outside; they're not breeding indoors. Solution: seal entry gaps (door sweeps, weatherstripping, caulk around pipes), keep outdoor lights to a minimum (they're attracted to light), and report damaged screens or broken seals. Single sightings = entry issue, fixable. Multiple per week = submit a maintenance request for inspection.

    German cockroaches

    Small (½") light-brown roaches with two dark stripes near the kitchen at night. These breed indoors and indicate a real infestation — they don't wander in from outside. Submit a maintenance request promptly. Do NOT try retail sprays — they cause the population to spread to harder-to-treat areas. Professional treatment is fast, safe, and far more effective.

    Ants (sugar ants, ghost ants, Argentine ants)

    Tiny trails on counters or along baseboards. Indoor ants almost always indicate (a) a food source (clean it) and (b) an entry point (find it and caulk it). Terro Liquid Ant Bait (EPA-registered, available everywhere) used as directed works well — place stations along trails, let ants take bait back to the colony, don't disturb. Don't spray; spray kills foragers but not the queen. If ants persist after a week of bait + sanitation + sealing — submit a request.

    Mosquitoes

    Florida has year-round mosquito pressure, with Aedes species (Zika, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile carriers) being aggressive daytime biters. Eliminate ALL standing water on the property weekly — plant saucers, kids' toys, buckets, gutters, pet bowls, even bottle caps. Repair damaged window and door screens (submit a request). Use EPA-registered repellent (DEET, picaridin) outdoors at dawn/dusk. Mosquito populations on the property are an owner responsibility — submit a request if a chronic problem.

    Spiders & webs around the home

    Cobwebs around doorways, porches, patios, lanais, garage doors, eaves, soffits, exterior light fixtures, and other structural exteriors are routine in Florida — spiders set up where flying-insect traffic is highest. Most Florida spiders are harmless (orb weavers, house spiders, jumping spiders, cellar spiders) and actually eat mosquitoes, palmetto bugs, and lovebugs you'd otherwise deal with more of. Routine exterior housekeeping is the solution:

    • Weekly: broom-sweep exterior structural areas. A long-handled broom or webster duster (the fluffy round one on a pole, $10 or less at any hardware store) clears webs from door frames, soffit corners, eave overhangs, porch/patio ceilings, lanai screens and trim, garage door tracks, and any other reachable exterior structural surface. Webs go back up within a few days — that's normal. Sweep again next week.
    • Brush out exterior light fixtures monthly. Wall sconces, porch lights, post lights, and any exterior fixture accumulates dead insects and webbing inside the housing. With the bulb off and cool, remove the cover, brush out the debris (a small paint brush works well), and replace the cover.
    • Hose down hard-to-reach areas after sweeping. A garden hose on a gentle spray clears webs from soffit corners, eaves, and behind exterior fixtures without chemicals. Best done in the morning so surfaces dry through the day.
    • Sweep before working in an area. If you're installing a doorbell, hanging a wreath, working in the garage, or using the patio after a while away, broom the area first. Spiders dropped onto a workspace are unpleasant for everyone.
    • Don't crush spiders inside the home with bare hands. Use a paper towel, or capture under an inverted cup with a paper card and release outside. Most Florida indoor spiders are harmless and beneficial — released outside, they continue to eat mosquitoes and other pests.

    When to submit a maintenance request instead:

    • You see a black widow (shiny black body with a distinctive red hourglass on the belly) — uncommon in Florida but present; not aggressive, but a bite warrants medical attention
    • You see a brown recluse (light brown with a darker fiddle/violin shape on the back) — rare in Florida but possible
    • An exterior light fixture is broken, hot to the touch, or unsafe to clean
    • Spider activity persists in a specific area after several weeks of consistent weekly housekeeping — that may indicate a nesting issue inside a structural void or behind exterior siding that requires professional treatment

    The two Florida spiders worth identifying on sight: black widows (shiny black with a distinctive red hourglass on the belly) and brown recluses (light brown with a darker fiddle/violin shape on the back). Both are uncommon but present. If you see either, do not handle. Photograph from a safe distance, capture under an inverted cup if you can do so safely, and submit a maintenance request. Every other Florida spider you're likely to encounter is harmless.

    Bed bugs

    See Safety Section above — do not bug-bomb, do not move furniture, do not spray. Signs: small itchy welts in a line on your skin, dark spots or bloodstains on sheets, small reddish insects in mattress seams or behind headboards. Submit a maintenance request in writing immediately. Florida Statute 83.51 includes bed bug treatment in multi-unit dwellings. Professional treatment with a specific protocol is the only effective approach.

    Rodents (mice, rats)

    Uncommon in well-sealed Florida homes, but possible — especially after storms displace outdoor populations. Signs: small rice-grain droppings, chew marks on food packaging, scratching sounds in walls at night. Submit a maintenance request promptly. Don't sweep or vacuum dry droppings (hantavirus risk). Mice fit through pencil-width gaps; rats through quarter-sized gaps. Sealing those gaps is part of the treatment.

    Your Protection

    Pest Control Under Florida Law

    Florida Statute 83.51(2)(a)1 requires landlords in multi-unit dwellings to provide reasonable extermination of "rats, mice, roaches, ants, wood-destroying organisms, and bed bugs." This duty cannot be waived by lease. For single-family homes and duplexes, the lease controls — if silent, the landlord pays.

    Sea Dog generally handles routine extermination for properties we manage. Schedule and coverage vary by property and lease. If your lease includes pest control, scheduled treatments will be communicated in advance, and you should follow the vendor's prep instructions (move boxes from baseboards, clear under-sink items, etc.).

    What this means for you: for any pest issue beyond basic sanitation — submit a maintenance request through the tenant portal. Don't spend money on retail products before checking with us.

    Spiders specifically: Florida courts generally do not classify spiders as "vermin" under F.S. 83.51. Routine exterior spider and web maintenance — weekly broom-sweep of doorways, porches, patios, eaves, soffits, and other reachable exterior structural areas; monthly cleaning of exterior light fixtures — is tenant housekeeping and is not on the landlord's scheduled extermination. Sea Dog will address infestations that go beyond routine: persistent activity in a specific area after several weeks of proper housekeeping, identification of a black widow or brown recluse, or evidence of nesting inside a structural void. For all other cases, the routine sweep described in Section 4 is the standard.

    The Line

    When To Submit A Maintenance Request

    Submit a request when any of these apply:

    • Any sign of German cockroaches (small striped roaches near kitchen at night)
    • Any sign of bed bugs (in writing — promptly)
    • Any rodent sign (droppings, chew marks, scratching)
    • More than occasional palmetto bug entry
    • Persistent ant problem after a week of sanitation + bait + sealing
    • Wasp or hornet nest on the structure
    • Suspected termites (mud tubes, swarmers, hollow-sounding wood)
    • Fire ant mounds in the lawn (single-family rentals)
    • Damaged window or door screens
    • Gaps you can't seal yourself (around plumbing penetrations, attic access, etc.)
    • Chronic mosquito problem after eliminating standing water
    • Anything that scares you, anything that won't go away, anything you're not sure about
    • Bug-resistant yellow-spectrum exterior bulbs (tenant-requested, owner-approval-required). Standard exterior light fixtures attract flying insects, which in turn draw spiders to feed on them. A common adjustment some tenants choose to make is swapping the existing bulb(s) for a yellow-spectrum LED bulb that emits a wavelength less attractive to many flying insects. This is one option among several and is not a guaranteed solution — actual results vary by location, fixture, and insect population. Bulbs cost roughly $8–$15 each depending on type and quantity, plus labor for installation. If you'd like to request this change, submit through the tenant portal. Owner approval is required and is not guaranteed. Where approved, Sea Dog can facilitate the bulb purchase and installation and bill the cost to your tenant ledger — no charge to the owner. We'll confirm the bulb selection, installation scope, and total cost with you in writing before any work is performed.

    Submit a maintenance request with photos

    Tenant maintenance line

    9-1-1 for emergencies — call 9-1-1 first.

    Year-round season

    No winter die-off in Florida. Plan to do prevention every week, every month, every year. The intensity ramps up June–September with summer rain.

    Lovebugs (Apr–May, Aug–Sep)

    Lovebugs swarm twice a year for 3–4 weeks each. Harmless but messy. They're attracted to lights — minimize exterior lighting during peak swarms. They etch car paint if not washed off promptly. They die off naturally; no treatment needed.

    Post-hurricane pest spikes

    Storms displace pest populations. Expect more rodents, more roaches, and more mosquitoes in the weeks after a major storm. Clear authorized storm debris promptly per lease/HOA — debris piles are massive pest harborage. Report new pest activity within a few days of any major storm.

    Avoid These

    What NOT To Do

    When In Doubt, Submit A Request.

    Florida pest issues are routine for us. We dispatch a licensed pest control vendor — fast, safe, and far more effective than retail products.

    If a pest situation is an emergency (anaphylaxis from a sting, snake in the home, large wild animal in the home) — call 9-1-1 first. Then contact Sea Dog once everyone is safe.

    More From The Library

    Browse all troubleshooting guides

    Self-help guides for tenants, by Sea Dog.

    What This Guide Is Built On

    Sea Dog's guides draw on authoritative public-health and extension sources. For pest prevention we reference UF/IFAS Florida Extension, the CDC (rodent disease, mosquito-borne illness), the EPA (Integrated Pest Management, pesticide registration), Florida Statute 83.51, and FDACS landlord-tenant guidance.

    This guide is educational and does not modify your lease. It is not professional pest-control advice. If a step does not resolve your issue, or if you have any safety concern, stop and submit a maintenance request through the tenant portal or contact Sea Dog at the tenant maintenance line. In any conflict between this guide and your signed lease or applicable Florida law (Florida Statutes Chapter 83), your lease and Florida law control.