Florida pest infestation rankings: Bed bugs, cockroaches, carpenter ants. Who's No. 1?

Mark H. Bickel, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read

We are surrounded by insects and rodents in Florida. Big rodents like rats. Tiny insects like ants. Ugly insects cockroaches. Some might even say some insects here are beautiful — like a butterfly.

People living in Florida can become obsessed with insects. Social media is filled with photos of insects people post, asking "What is this?" No doubt countless homeowners are going to Google to search a wide-range of insects to find out more about some of these creepy-crawlers.

A study by pest removal experts at Excel Pest Services revealed that Florida is America's second worst state for pest problems. The study analyzed the most common types of pests in Florida, as well as the worst states in the U.S. overall for pest infestations.

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What makes Florida the second worst state for pest problems?

Cockroaches like to infest the bathrooms and kitchens of peoples' houses. They thrive in warm, wet conditions.
Cockroaches like to infest the bathrooms and kitchens of peoples' houses. They thrive in warm, wet conditions.

  • There are on average 24,000 pest-removal related searches made in Florida alone each month, according to Google data from the last 12 months. (Note: Texas is No. 1, according to the study.)

  • Florida has 77 landfills, 47,300 farms, 934 pest removal companies - the most of any state, and over 34,000 restaurants. Combined, these factors make it a breeding ground for many varieties of pests and more prone to infestations than almost any other state in the country.

  • Florida is the worst state for carpenter ant infestations, with 1,300 searches for carpenter ant eradication methods made on average each month in the state.

  • Florida is also the second worst state for silverfish, spiders, termites, and millipede infestations.

  • Silverfish pest removal searches had the biggest increase year-on-year, with a 40% rise in people trying to get rid of them this year vs. the previous 12 months.

The top 10 most searched-for pests in Florida in the last 12 months:

Rank

Pest

Average number of searches per month

1

Bed bugs

5,400

2

Fleas

3,600

3

Ants

2,400

4

Termites

1,900

5

Cockroaches

1,900

6

Silverfish

1,600

7

Carpenter ants

1,300

8

Rats

1,300

9

Spiders

  880

10

Mice

  720

What they are saying about Florida's pest infestation

Ryan Fowley, COO and pest removal expert at Excel Pest Services commented on why Florida is more susceptible to pests than other states:

“The severity of pest infestations in US states is primarily influenced by climate, geographical location, and urban density. Warmer states like Florida experience higher pest activity year-round due to their warm, humid climates which provide ideal conditions for pests. Colder states see a significant reduction in pest populations during the winter months."

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: What are the Top 10 most searched insects in Florida?