Bug problems in rental (Tampa: house, job transfer, buying)

[pixiedustNJ]

I will try to keep this to the point.
I'm really just looking for some opinions i suppose

My husband and i moved here from NJ for a job transfer in October. We are renting a home. Since moving in, we have had a pest control company coming on every 2 months in addition to having the lawn treated. When we moved in, we had roaches. Not palmetto bugs, little roaches. They were behind the fridge. We found them in large numbers in the kitchen and then occasionally in other parts of the house. That issue is mostly under control.

I now am finding ants crawling out of the faucet in the bathtub. We have already caulked where possible and no relief . This afternoon, i found hundreds of ants crawling in and out of holes in the garage.
Im seriously allergic to bees, and im fairly sure there are hornets making a nest nearby. Roof perhaps.

The lawn/sidewalk /driveway is often crawling with ants regardless of the amount of poison being laid out. Im beyond sick of dealing with this. Landlord is useless, will not assist.

Question 1. Are these normal issues or is this house perhaps just more at risk since it really has undergone zero maintenance other than what we have done since moving in?

And 2, can anyone suggest a good pest control service? We are using orkin now but not very satisfied at all. They dont seem to even take our concerns seriously.

[just_visiting 9]

Perhaps an arsonist could help. But seriously, the bugs were here first and if the house is infested due to age or lack of care, then time to move on, but fumigate your stuff first.

[EngGirl]

Exactly! It's Florida after all. And when it's getting wet inside, you see more bugs trying to move in with you LOL
We had a negative experience with Orkins, so I advise you to stay away from them. I actually had more luck spraying myself every moths using some sprays from Home Depot.

[sinatras]

The people who tell you "it's Florida, deal with it" are incorrect. You most certainly do NOT have to deal with any of these bug issues. The problem is you have not found the right pest control company. Call Rick Ricker pest control. After much trial and error (Orkin sucks) I found them to be the best. They keep my home 99.9% bug free. I find a bug every 6-8 months and it's always dead.

During the winter the bugs are mostly not an issue in general. I would say that bug season starts in May and ends in October.

[pixiedustNJ]

Originally Posted by sinatras

The people who tell you "it's Florida, deal with it" are incorrect. You most certainly do NOT have to deal with any of these bug issues. The problem is you have not found the right pest control company. Call Rick Ricker pest control. After much trial and error (Orkin sucks) I found them to be the best. They keep my home 99.9% bug free. I find a bug every 6-8 months and it's always dead.

During the winter the bugs are mostly not an issue in general. I would say that bug season starts in May and ends in October.

Thanks for your reply. I will definitely look into them. None of my friends or family here have any of these issues so i really didn't think it was a "Florida thing". It seemed rather excessive especially considering we have a service and the house was bug bombed before we moved in since i wasn't sure how dirty the old tenants were. Turns out, they were disgusting. ..

[Beacher23]

Yeah i'm having a cockroach problem myself, and have had pest control come twice in the past month or so to spray, but they still keep coming. I didn't have this problem in the winter, but soon as summer came i've been seeing them more and more, and it's not like i don't keep my place clean because i definitely do! I didn't have this problem when i lived in Rocky Point next to the water, but i think now that i live right next to the woods and near a couple lakes i'm getting all sorts of crazy critters but mostly cockroaches.

[Sicilee]

Next rental, make sure the lease states that the landlord is responsible for pest control. Had a similar situation, in another state. Learned!

[just_visiting 9]

I did some research, the Tampa Bay area is top in the country for cockroaches. Heck, there's even a place named Cockroach Bay! Go ahead, try and kill trillions of those bugs.

[smarino]

Boric acid. Just buy a big 'ol bag online, sprinkle it around the baseboards, around the outside of the foundation, and under things in and out of the home. Unless you eat it or snort it, it won't hurt you, but will take care of the little creepies just fine.

Pest control companies are worse than the pests! They will under treat your home and you'll have to have them come back over and over again. They always push you into signing a long term contract too. I have lived in Florida for many years and don't think lawn spraying does anything, as the bugs and ants tend to live under the ground or in out of the way places. Make sure your home is clean inside and doesn't have sugar or other foods left out.

If all else fails, use this in all the little cracks and crevices along w/ the boric acid. Very little smell, and it has a residual effect that will last 30 days or more (unless washed off). If you have a lot of area, better to buy the large size in a container and mix it and apply it yourself w/ an inexpensive pump sprayer. Either way, this should take care of your problem and cost a lot less than the pest control companies. You have to allow a little time for things to work out, it won't happen overnight.

https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Press.../dp/B004HD14RE

[cjrudy]

My wife and I were in the same position when we rented a house for a year before buying. The rental company (SunCove) took care of the lawn service , pool service and pest control.

That translated into a crappy looking lawn, barely usable pool and hot tub and yes, bugs, bugs, bugs. We saw the signs and flyers how pest company was there for service every few months but it was obvious they did nothing. I ended up treating for bugs myself using products from Lowes etc.

Good luck.