Tampa Pest Library: Identify What You Have
Start with identification, because the treatment follows from it. A palmetto bug and a German cockroach need opposite approaches. Subterranean termites leave mud tubes from the soil, drywood termites leave frass pellets inside the wood. Each page below covers how to tell what you have, where it shows up in a Florida home, and what actually works on it.
Use this before you buy anything
Most of the money wasted on pest control in Tampa gets spent on the wrong product for the wrong insect. The store shelf is full of general purpose sprays, and several of the pests here get measurably worse when you use one.
These pages are short on purpose. Each one covers how to recognize the pest, where it shows up in a Florida home, why it is there, and what actually makes a difference. Where a common approach backfires, the page says so.
Roaches
Palmetto bug is the local name for the American cockroach. Large, reddish brown, flies, lives outdoors, wanders in. Perimeter work and sealing gaps.
German cockroach is small, tan, and it breeds indoors in kitchens and bathrooms. Baiting and follow-up visits. Completely different job.
Ants
Ghost ant is the tiny pale ant trailing along your bathroom counter. It buds when you spray it, which is why it keeps coming back.
Fire ant is the mound builder in the lawn that boils out when disturbed. Broadcast bait beats chasing mounds.
Termites
Subterranean termite comes up from the soil and builds mud tubes. This includes the Formosan termites established around Tampa Bay.
Drywood termite lives inside the wood with no soil contact and pushes out frass pellets. A soil barrier does nothing to it.
Rodents and mosquitoes
Roof rat is what is running across your ceiling after dark. It travels the soffit line and gets in through gaps the size of a quarter.
Mosquito breeding in Tampa is mostly happening in your own yard, in bromeliads, saucers and gutters that refill after every storm.
Still unsure
Bag a sample, note where you found it, and book a free inspection. We identify the pest on site before quoting anything, because the identification is what decides the treatment.
Common questions
Why does identification matter so much?
Because the wrong product can make a problem worse. Spraying a ghost ant trail with a repellent splits the colony into several new nests inside the wall. Treating a German cockroach like a palmetto bug means treating the outside of a house while the population breeds under the kitchen sink. Getting the species right is most of the job.
Can I send a photo instead of booking an inspection?
A clear photo helps and often narrows it down, particularly for termites, where mud tubes and frass pellets look nothing alike. It rarely settles the question on its own. Ant species in particular need a look at the insect and at the trail it is running, and scale is hard to judge in a picture.
What do I do with a sample before someone comes out?
Keep it. Put the insect, the wings or a pinch of the pellets into a small zip bag or a jar, write down where in the house you found it, and leave the pile of frass or the mud tube in place if you can. Vacuuming the evidence away before an inspection removes the most useful information in the house.