They are the “Peskiest Pests.”
Peskiest Pest is a broad term for some of the worst culprits for general annoyance, lawn and ornamental damage in South Florida.
Some culprits on our list include some of the more notorious vermin around our neighborhood lawns:
- Grasshoppers
- Ants
- Mosquitoes
Grasshoppers: Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (Romalea guttata)
- Multiply quickly
- Eat grass/ flowering plants
- Target citrus plants
In Florida, these grass eating fiends breed like mad in the earlier spring months. By the time summer rolls around, there are usually enough of them to amass a large army hell-bent on terrorizing your lawns and ornamentals.
Outside of bugging your home, they are well known for their ability to hurt citrus production, as this variety of grasshopper eats the leaves off of citrus plants from both native to ornamental decorative foliage.
Ants: Crazy Ant (Paratrechina longicornis)
- Invade homes
- Swarm electronics
- Can endanger property based on species
Mosquitoes: Southern House Mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus) Western Encephalitis Mosquito (Culex tarsalis)
Main Issue:
- Biting
- Buzzing
- Spread diseases
It would not be a fair list if we couldn’t describe the buzzing terror of mosquitoes and their potential to drive away any semblance of a fun summer season.
Known as the number one pest of South Florida. Mosquitoes make front lawns and backyards near uninhabitable because of their habit of biting the living daylights out anything with a pulse.