Meet The Enemy!

Common pests around Tampa, FL, with sourced facts. Bars are a relative visual guide, not measurements. Amazon links are affiliate links (we may earn from qualifying purchases); for an active infestation, call first.

American cockroach (palmetto bug)

SizeAbout 4 cm (1.6 in) long

Life cycleUp to about 700 days

Growing upNymphs take 6–12 months to mature

Cold limitAdults could not survive several days at 10°C (50°F) or below

Where found: Sewers, basements, crawl spaces, porch cracks, foundations and walkways next to buildings.

The largest cockroach routinely found in homes, often called a palmetto bug or waterbug. It is common in warm climates, and studies found adults could not survive several days at 10°C (50°F) or below, which is why mild southern winters suit it.

What it means for your home: Big roaches inside usually came in from outdoor harborage; seal foundation and porch gaps and call a pro if you see them often.

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Sources: Wikipedia

Photo: Termiteman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

German cockroach

Size1.1–1.6 cm long

Egg case18–50 eggs (average about 32)

Egg to adultAbout 50–60 days in ideal conditions

HabitatLives near people; cannot survive severe cold

Where found: Indoors near human dwellings: kitchens and other warm, sheltered spots.

Probably the most widely troublesome domestic cockroach, and it reproduces faster than any other residential cockroach. Females carry the egg case until just before hatching, which shields eggs from many treatments. Survival of just a few eggs can rebuild a population.

What it means for your home: Control must be comprehensive and sustained; a kitchen or restaurant sighting usually needs a professional plan.

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Sources: Wikipedia

Photo: Bagous, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Florida woods cockroach (stinkroach)

Size30–40 mm long, up to 24 mm wide

Defense sprayOily, foul spray aimed as far as 1 m (3.3 ft)

Egg case13–16 mm with 18–24 saw-like teeth

Adult lifespanMore than a year

Where found: Leaf mulch, woodpiles, rotting logs, tree cavities and under palmetto fronds; storage sheds and pump houses.

A big, slow, wingless native roach Floridians often call a palmetto bug. When harassed, adults spray an oily secretion that irritates skin and eyes. UF/IFAS notes it rarely colonizes indoors, so one inside is usually a stray carried in on firewood or wandering in from mulch.

What it means for your home: Usually an outdoor visitor: pick it up with a paper towel, not bare hands, then reduce mulch and woodpiles next to the house.

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Sources: UF/IFAS · Wikipedia

Photo: Arturo Santos, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Asian cockroach

Size13–16 mm long

Egg caseAverages about 38 eggs

Egg to adultAbout 65 days

Yard numbers30,000 to 250,000 per acre reported

Where found: Shaded lawns, leaf litter and fresh mulch beds; flies to lit porches, windows and doorways at dusk.

It looks almost exactly like a German cockroach, but it flies well and lives outdoors. It was first identified in the U.S. in 1986 in Lakeland, and early surveys found it across more than 900 km² between Tampa and Lakeland.

What it means for your home: Indoor sprays miss it; UF/IFAS says yellow or sodium-vapor outdoor lights and pelleted bait scattered in mulch beds work best.

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Sources: UF/IFAS · UF/IFAS

Photo: Natasha Wright, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 us.

Smokybrown cockroach

Size32–35 mm long

Water lossLoses moisture about twice as fast as the American roach

WarmthActive when temperatures are above about 20°C (68°F)

Egg case11–14 mm; a female can produce 10 or more

Where found: Tree holes, mulch, woodpiles, gutters and attics; flies toward lit doors and windows at night.

A uniformly dark, shiny mahogany-to-black roach with full wings in both sexes. It dries out easily, so it lives where humidity is high, which is why it is one of the most common "palmetto bugs" in humid Southern neighborhoods.

What it means for your home: Trim branches off the roof, clean gutters and keep mulch back from the slab; frequent indoor sightings deserve a perimeter treatment by a pro.

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Sources: Wikipedia · UF/IFAS

Photo: Len Worthington, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti)

Adult lifespan2–4 weeks

Egg survivalDry eggs viable over a year

BitingMost at dusk and dawn, but can bite any time

BreedingLays eggs in water containers

Where found: Around homes: buckets, planters and any container holding water.

An invasive mosquito that can spread dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya. Only females bite. Its eggs survive dry for over a year, so they re-emerge after cold or dry spells.

What it means for your home: Dump and scrub water containers weekly; treat standing water you cannot drain.

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Sources: Wikipedia

Photo: James Gathany, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Red imported fire ant

Worker size2.4–6.0 mm

Queen eggsUp to 1,500 eggs per day

Queen lifespanAbout 2 to nearly 7 years

Colony500,000 to 2,000,000 ants

Where found: Soil mounds in lawns and open ground; mating flights in spring and summer, usually two days after rain.

An invasive ant named for its burning sting. Mature colonies can hold up to two million ants, and mounds can damage yard plants and pipes. Baits sprinkled on mounds are a common control method.

What it means for your home: Mounds in yards, playgrounds and around pipes are a sting risk; bait treatments work over weeks.

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Sources: Wikipedia

Photo: Stephen Ausmus, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Formosan subterranean termite

Swarm seasonLate March to July in Florida

ClimateEggs do not hatch below about 20°C (68°F)

Damage speedCan severely damage a structure in about 3 months

AppetiteLarge colonies eat about 400 g of wood a day

Where found: Soil, damp wood, wall voids and trees; swarmers fly to lights at dusk.

An invasive subterranean termite whose range is limited to the warm southern U.S. because its eggs need warmth. Swarmers are caramel-colored and about half an inch long, and they swarm at night around lights. Large colonies can do serious structural damage fast.

What it means for your home: Get a termite inspection, especially in older or moisture-prone buildings, fix leaks, and keep wood off the soil.

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Sources: Wikipedia · NATS termite survey

Photo: Photo by Scott Bauer., Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.