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Pest companies respond to increased calls for insect, rodent issues post-hurricanes

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Published  November 15, 2024 6:32pm EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Pest problems on rise amid hurricane cleanup

Ariel Plasencia reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Bay area pest companies have been busy after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. 

"Huge shift in environment and that just stirs everything up," said John Harlow, the owner of Tier 1 Pest Solutions. 

Harlow said the storms disrupted the homes and environments of many insects and bugs.

READ: Pinellas leaders call on Army Corps of Engineers to speed up beach renourishment after hurricanes

"Water starts flooding around – just like it brings the debris, it brings the bugs with it," Harlow said. "So it starts moving the tree branches, little pieces of the environment. The closer they get to your home, the easier it is to gain access."

Harlow said some of the trees that fell during the hurricanes were already weak from termites, who now have nowhere to go. 

"That colony is now looking for a new place to hide, new food to munch on. So they're looking at your house as the potential habitat for them in the future," Harlow said. 

In the weeks following the storms, Tier 1 Pest Solutions told FOX 13 that other clients discovered existing termite damage.

MORE: Tampa cleaned up more than half of the city's hurricane curbside debris: 'Please stay patient with us'

"Hurricane comes, you start ripping drywall out of the house, and you see all this damage that you had no idea that it was even there," Harlow said. "So, it's not necessarily that the termites are increasing. It's just more that people's awareness is increasing of the problem." 

Sometimes termite treatment can be quick and easy, he added. 

"If it's just an isolated problem, we can drill in, treat that area, and the problem solved," Harlow said. "But if you let it go for long enough, you're going to have to tent the entire house, and obviously no one wants to do that."

In addition to termites, pest companies are also warning residents about rodents. 

"We've had a lot of instances where there's openings that were created by damage from the storm where rodents are getting in," Tier 1 Pest Solutions general manager David Gallagher said. 

READ: Water quality becomes concern for advocates charting new path forward after hurricanes

Experts rely on UV black lights and heat sensing equipment to track rats and other rodents. 

"Especially now that we're getting into the fall time, that's when rodents like to get inside to start to nest, to prepare for the wintertime," Gallagher said. "People can hear them in the attics. They’ll hear them in the walls." 

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