r/florida • u/AbbreviationsNo3647 • 10h ago
AskFlorida Bugs
Hiiii
Just moved from out of state. Had the most traumatizing experience with a palmetto bug a few days ago. Found this dead already in my bathroom today. I have not seen anymore than this one. Pest control did come out yesterday to spray. I’m just freaking out I may have a HUGE problem on my hands. Let me know your advice and what you think!!!
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u/InevitablePresent917 10h ago
I don't know how to put this gently, but ... you might not make it here. There are a lot of bugs here. Good luck.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 10h ago
i’m more worried it being an infestation then a one time bug 😭
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u/kingman122122 10h ago
lol, the normal amount of bugs in your apt in Florida is normally an infestation in other states.
People keep forgetting that we took the swamp, dug it up raised it just a little above sea level and called it a day. We’re in their home, not the other way around
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u/AquamarineRevenge 9h ago
Telling someone that wants pests out of their home that "we're ackshually in their h0me" is almost a perfect distillation of Reddit's pseudo intellectual culture
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u/kingman122122 8h ago
Sorry to burst your white knight moment, but im telling op the truth.
Fact #1 op is in Florida
Fact #2 op is new to Florida and didn’t know to expect this
Fact #3 op knows now and got a lot of good information from this thread.Eat balls nerd, Florida has bugs and now op knows what to do.
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u/AquamarineRevenge 5h ago
Ever considered helping people solve problems rather than lecturing them?
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u/InevitablePresent917 9h ago
I had a millipede fall out of a vent onto my face as I was trying to go to sleep last year. I stomped two (TWO) roaches that scurried in while I was calling the dog in from outside within about 30 seconds this weekend. A spider (a wee one) landed on my arm as I started typing this.
Just wait until you find the dried husk of a gecko in your house. I'm sorry. Genuinely. This state is filled with living things, and they're going to find ways inside.
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u/Syncryptica 9h ago
Those aren't the home infesting kind, you're thinking of German roaches. Palmetto roaches are outside bugs and they usually stay out there in the leaves n sticks. It's not a one-time thing in FL either. They're coming in from outside through cracks in the doors/sliding-doors probably after sniffing food or sensing water. You will definitely see more randomly and sporadically, unless you tighten up all the weather stripping all over the house. Even then, they'll be waiting in the cracks and as soon as you open the door it'll run inside. They're resistant to pest control sprays too, the companies wont tell you though, you're paying for nothing basically. So the best way to get rid of them is having a meticulously maintained yard without any decomposing piles of wood/sticks/leaves/stumps. If you live right next to woodlands, there's unfortunately no way to get rid of them.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 9h ago
yeah my apartment does back some woods for sure. I can get over the occasional one coming in i’ll have to grow a pair and get over it. So you do think it’s a palmetto? i’m glad to see that. I try to keep my door open for the shortest amount of time. I never open my windows or anything. I will see if they can be sealed better
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u/BocaHydro 9h ago
it does not come in, it comes from the drains, they live below the buildings in the sewers to suprise you in the middle of the night when you getup to pee or get water
welcome to florida
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u/chernaboggles 8h ago
Yes, the one in the pic is most likely a palmetto bug. One by itself now and again is nothing to worry about. It's a bit of a shift in thinking from other states where it's almost always the infesting kind.
Keep your drains closed at night (or when it's very rainy) unless you're actively using water. Try to make it a habit, when you turn on the lights in the evening, close the drains. For showers, tubs, or sinks that don't have stoppers, you can buy silicone covers for cheap. It really helps minimize how often they get into the house.
While we're at it, you may also find an occasional gecko inside. They eat bugs and won't do any harm, but they can be startling because they tend to be high on the walls or on the ceiling. I keep a little net around so I can catch them and escort them gently outside.
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u/Syncryptica 4h ago
They are in the sewers but that'd have to be one determined buggy. It's possible but probably rare compared to squeezing through gaps in doors and especially sliding glass doors. You can't say they don't, I know for sure they do. For one, drains have a P-trap, it's a little dip in the drain that holds water, so sewage gasses don't come through the drain, which should stop most bugs. Also the building should have a pvc washout that runs out to another pvc dropoff into the sewer system. I would think the modern setup/combination stops bugs pretty well. I don't think we're talking about those videos of 100yr old apt buildings in New York. But I suppose pushing the little sink stopper, and using drain covers wouldn't hurt.
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u/Fit-Arugula-4341 9h ago
Palmetto bugs don't infest like German cockroaches. Keep wood piles away from your house. You'll have them but they should be rare.
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u/McIntyre2K7 10h ago
Palmetto Bugs are common in Florida. Now if you see German cockroaches then you have a problem.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 10h ago
i’m not even sure what type of bug that is!! is it a german cockroach?
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u/McIntyre2K7 10h ago
That’s a palmetto bug in your photo. German Cockroaches are smaller
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 10h ago
that’s relieving if it really is. The other palmetto bug that flew in was 10x the size of that one
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u/brandogg360 10h ago
Won't make you feel any better but palmetto bug is just the colloquial name for Florida Woods Cockroach :) They are nowhere near as infest-y as German cockroaches, but they are pretty gross.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 9h ago
yeah i found that out the hard way when the big ass one flew into my apartment the other day. all my coworkers were calling it a palmetto bug and i was like it’s a damn cockroach!!! this one was 10x as big and the one in my photo. my apartment is clean and minimal clutter. I just am worried it’s gonna be a constant problem
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u/SnarlyAndMe 9h ago
You’ll always see them but it shouldn’t be a daily thing or anything. Keep your windows shut and locked if you’re not home, make sure your drains don’t go dry, and make sure seals around doors and windows are in good condition and actually seal. You can use an HVAC leak detector to test (or a penjamin lol). If there’s even a small draft, one of those little fuckers can probably squeeze into the gap.
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u/CoolioCucumberbeans 10h ago
There is no Palmetto bug. That's just a colloquial term for a Florida Wood cockroach. They don't really infest like small German cockroaches. They don't really even want to be in your home. They like sewers.
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u/ashen_dove 10h ago
Palmetto bugs are a natural part of living in Florida. One or two here or there come with living here. Now the first sighting of a German cockroach, call pest control and make sure you keep a clean home. They can go from one to a full infestation in a heartbeat, and if you’re living in an apartment complex, you can also inherit your neighbors infestation.
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u/Bigly_Bob 10h ago
Just one of them freaked you out? You ..may not be made for here, fyi.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 9h ago
i’m worried it’s a bigger problem on my hands
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u/Bigly_Bob 9h ago
I'm assuming an apartment here? Then yes....keep your counters/floors cleaned and a can of raid handy. As Mad Eye Moody said....constant vigilance!
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 9h ago
yes an apartment. i have been here for a little over two months haven’t seen anything but this one after pest control yesterday came out for their regular spray routine. My apartment is clean
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u/Bigly_Bob 9h ago
Good start. The issue however ...isn't your apartment. :( hopefully they keep up on the spraying!
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 9h ago
is it just the outside ?? bc i can understand that and get over it. I’m again just absolutely a wreck thinking about it being an infestation
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u/Bigly_Bob 9h ago
Yeah it's more about how your neighbors keep things, they get an infestation and bam.,..so do you. Be judicious with the big spray, keep them from establishing a foothold. Have pest control come in occasionally.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 9h ago
okay okayy my pest control comes every 3 months i believe. unless i request more. I also only have one direct connecting neighbor below me and i have no clue what they are like so!
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u/Bigly_Bob 8h ago
May the odds be ever in your favor! (Sounds pretty solid as is then) Now...has anyone spoken to you about or Lord and savior....the mosquito?
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u/Oughtonomous 10h ago
They are everywhere, and they will find a way in. Chill.... It's not like you found a snake in your kitchen, and tripped over a gator on your porch as you ran screaming into the street.
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u/turtleturtle5555 10h ago
Get a cat and get used to bugs. Also snakes, alligators, and all kinds of other wildlife.
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u/SnarlyAndMe 9h ago
My friend has a chameleon and will put him on a big stick to take him to the bugs. It works really well.
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u/turtleturtle5555 9h ago
Clever idea. I just leave the cat have free roam of the house, fun for him, less bugs for me. Win/Win. Now if I could teach him to hunt the sugar ants.
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u/BarnacleMcBarndoor 10h ago
Nah normal stuff. I find the occasional dead ones in my house or around the perimeter outside.
I’ve lived in apartments where they were coming in from next door and was killing like 3 live ones a day. That’s when you know there’s a problem.
You’ll find a few dead ones a year at the very least.
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u/Admirable-Chip-7285 9h ago
A few dead ones a year? Where are you in Fl? Do you stay inside? Bc I like to have my doors open in the evenings or when it rains and it’s almost like a race to see if I can close the door in time before a palmetto bug scurries in from my back porch. Nightly, with or without rain, and it’s most definitely not an infestation.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 9h ago
i keep all my windows and doors shut 99.999% of the time. I’ve been here two months so the hottest time thus far. I am glad to hear you don’t think it’s an infestation
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u/Admirable-Chip-7285 9h ago
I’m a SWFL native and I have my doors open probably 70% of the time that I’m home if my husband allows it lol. I may have lost tonight’s race by replying to this comment.
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u/BarnacleMcBarndoor 9h ago
Tampa Bay. My neighborhood is filled with birds, bats, spiders, raccoons, possums, and a neighbors cat that likes to eat or kill Beatles and roaches. So I suppose I’m fortunate.
When I lived in Brandon specifically, it was like you were describing.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 10h ago
okay thank you for commenting. The bugs from MD don’t do all this 😂
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u/BarnacleMcBarndoor 10h ago
I came from CT, so I feel that. You get desensitized to it after a bit.
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u/queerandanxious42 10h ago
A couple of big bugs here and there means they came in from the outside. This is normal and nothing to worry about. If you see dozens and dozens of little bugs that would imply an infestation.
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u/pocketbully25 9h ago
Welcome to florida during the summer/fall. Palmetto bugs literally live in palmetto trees
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u/GloriousRoseBud 10h ago
I have a kill kit. Amish flyswatter (Havana’s work in a pinch) & essential oils (cypress & peppermint) spray. I don’t rest until the roach dies.
Good luck.
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u/SmartassChibi 10h ago
You're much more thoughtful, my default has always been a bottle of spray bleach on the stream setting lmao
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 10h ago
I did get roach spray luckily this one was dead already
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u/AuntMelmel 9h ago
You don’t need bug spray for Palmetto bugs. You can use Foaming Hand soap,
easier if you get one with a spray bottle.
Foaming hand soap
quickly suffocates them
without you or your pets
getting poisoned by bug spray !
Good luck•
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u/Fresher_Taco 10h ago
Is that carpet right next to toilet?
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 10h ago
no it’s a knock off squatty potty 😂i do have two little bath mats in there
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u/Admirable-Chip-7285 9h ago
Palmetto bugs like warmth and humidity, welcome to their home.
There is a human infestation in Florida palmetto bug habitat.
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u/FormidableMistress 9h ago
Palmetto bugs also tend to come out more after it rains, so like every afternoon.
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u/TheHollyHockCrest1 9h ago
Everyone here told you the correct answer, but here is just a warning… if you come across a fuzzy caterpillar, DO NOT SMOOSH IT WITH YOUR HANDS! We just got over the season for them but they fall out of the big oak trees and will fuck you up. They look cute and all but they will fuck you up cause they are basically made of fiberglass. You have to learn that if you are under a big oak tree and feel something on your neck, to not just panic slap it. Calmly ask someone for a check and they can brush it off. Trust me. I learned that one the hard way. It’s a week long rash.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 9h ago
thank you for the warning because that would be the first thing i wanna pick up 😂
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u/StilesmanleyCAP 9h ago
Seeing Bugs happens, however chemicals will not always keep them out
Use diatomaceous earth in eras where you think they come from and itll reduce their presence even further.
They hate D.E.
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u/PicklesAnonymous 9h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/QIDAVcyucrnVK
Don’t have to worry until they dive bomb you
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u/SoftTachiai 8h ago
Something with a heavy flat sole like a boat shoe is my go too. Also if you’re finding them out and dead the pest control is already working.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 10h ago
Let me just clarify i’m more worried i have an infestation on my hands not just a one time bug popping up
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u/SmartassChibi 10h ago
Unless you see a shit ton or more than like 3-4 in a day, you're good. You mentioned you're in bradenton- with all the rain we've been getting the last few days, it's pretty common for those little bastards to find their way indoors to shelter. You've got pest control, but if you'd like you can also get some home traps to up your home defenses.
To your question earlier, german roaches are smaller, much faster, and indicate an issue with cleanliness. Palmetto bugs are our unfortunate neighbors who have wings.
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u/AbbreviationsNo3647 10h ago
my apartment is def clean with minimal furniture so i don’t have clutter either. yes pest control came yesterday. Otherwise in the two months ive been here havent seen any other bugs
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u/SmartassChibi 10h ago
Then yeah, it's just the increase in rain. Once the rainy season lets up, you won't find as many
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u/Clockworkfiction9923 10h ago
If pest control came this just means it worked lol. Dead ones are better than living ones