The bay has every pest Florida has. One call gets it out of the house.
Termites in a Seminole Heights bungalow, rats in the oaks over a Carrollwood roof, German roaches in a St. Petersburg kitchen, mosquitoes at every lanai after a storm. Licensed local companies that treat the colony and seal the house, in English or Spanish.
- Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Carrollwood, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park
- English and Spanish
- Calls answered 24/7
Eastern subterranean termites fly on warm afternoons after rain; the Asian species flies at dusk from February. Mud tubes on the stem wall are the sign.
Drywood termites fly from April; Formosan colonies swarm after sunset with a May peak. Shed wings on a sill mean the colony has been there for years.
The rainy season brings two thirds of the year's rain. Aedes mosquitoes breed in every bromeliad and saucer within a week of each storm.
The first cool nights send roof rats from the oaks, palms and citrus into attics and soffits. Scratching after dark is the sign.
German roaches in kitchens, American roaches from the drains, ghost ants on the counter and big-headed ants along the slab never take a season off.
Six jobs, each with its own page
Something crawling through the house today goes straight to the phone. For everything else, the page says what the job looks like when it is done properly and what to have ready when you call.
Pests in the house right now
A swarm at the window, a rat over the bedroom, roaches by the dozen, a wasp nest at the door. A licensed company today, and what to do until they arrive.
See the page
Termite inspection and treatment
Drywood, eastern subterranean, Formosan and Asian. The inspection, tent or spot treatment, soil treatment or baits, and what the warranty covers.
See the page
Roaches, ants and bed bugs
German roaches in the kitchen, the big ones from the drains, ghost and big-headed ants, fire ants in the yard, bed bugs from a trip.
See the page
Rat and rodent exterminator
Roof rats in the attic and the soffits, Norway rats at the seawall, mice in the garage. Trap, then seal every entry, then trim the trees.
See the page
Mosquito control
Yard treatments, breeding-site removal and larvicide, with the two counties' programs explained and their numbers.
See the page
WDO inspection for a home sale
The wood-destroying-organism report a lender or buyer asks for, on the state form, by a licensed inspector, dated close to closing.
See the pageThe Tampa Bay pest index
Which one you have decides who comes, what they bring and what the warranty says.
Drywood termites
Inside the wood itself, no soil contact. Hexagonal pellets under a pinhole in a window frame or the fascia. Tent or spot treatment.
Termites →Subterranean and Formosan
Up from the soil through mud tubes. Formosan colonies run to millions and can nest above ground in a wet wall. Soil treatment or baits.
Termites →Asian subterranean
Confirmed in South Tampa in 2023, the northernmost point on the Gulf coast. Flies at dusk in late winter. Treated like Formosan.
Termites →German roaches
Small and tan, in kitchens and behind appliances, the species that moves between apartments. Gel baits, never sprays.
Roaches and ants →Roof rats
Florida's rat. Comes in off the oak limb or the palm frond at the roofline. Trap, seal with hardware cloth, trim.
Rats and mice →Aedes mosquitoes
Breed in a bottle cap of water and bite in daylight at the lanai. The species behind the 2026 dengue alerts in both counties.
Mosquitoes →Bed bugs
Arrive in luggage, used furniture or from the next unit. Inspection first, then heat or residual treatment over two or three visits.
Bed bugs →Big-headed and ghost ants
Sandy piles along the driveway and tiny pale ants on the counter. Colonies with many queens; baits, and the neighbor's yard matters.
Ants →Two counties, two mosquito programs
Each county inspects, treats breeding sites and runs truck and aerial treatments by neighborhood. Neither treats inside your fence; that is the yard work on the mosquito page.
Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Services
Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Carrollwood and the rest of the county
- (813) 635-5400Service requests by phone or the county's online form; a property inspection at no charge, and a spray map of planned and recent treatments.
- Dengue response, 2026Locally acquired dengue from July brought nightly aerial and truck treatments over South Tampa, Brandon, Palm River and Carrollwood and a local state of emergency in September.
- MosquitofishGiven away in spring and summer for ponds and water features that cannot be drained.
Pinellas County Mosquito Control
St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park and the beaches
- (727) 464-7503Requests by phone, by email to [email protected], or through the county's report-a-problem app. The office is on US 19 in Clearwater.
- Dengue alert, 2026The county's first locally acquired dengue cases in more than fifteen years, in Palm Harbor in August, brought door-to-door inspections and dawn truck fogging in Palm Harbor and St. Petersburg.
- TiresThe residential tire disposal fee was waived through October 2026 as a breeding-site measure.
What each house era brings
The bay's housing runs from 1910s bungalows to subdivisions still being built, and each era has its own pests.
Bungalows and frame houses
Hyde Park, Seminole Heights, Old Northeast in St. Petersburg. Wood window frames, fascia and attic framing with a century of drywood history. Tent or spot treatment, and a WDO report at every sale.
Block houses on slab
Carrollwood, Pinellas Park, the older parts of Largo and Clearwater. Subterranean termites at the slab edge and the plumbing penetrations, roof rats in the mature oaks and citrus.
Subdivisions and condos
Brandon, Carrollwood Village, the condo towers of Clearwater. Original termite treatments long expired, German roaches and bed bugs moving between units, big-headed ants in the lawns.
New slab homes
Riverview, Waterset, the new streets toward Valrico. Pretreated slabs whose warranties lapsed, bait stations as the sensible renewal, retention ponds and lanais full of mosquitoes.
What to ask any pest control company in Florida
Florida licenses the trade through the Department of Agriculture. These are the questions that turn a quote into something you can compare.
- The business license and the ID card. Every pest control business holds a state license, with a JB number, and every technician carries a state identification card with a photo, shown on request. Source →
- The categories. General household pests, termites and other wood-destroying organisms, lawn and ornamental, and fumigation are separate certifications. A tent needs the fumigation category. Source →
- The lookup. The state publishes every company license and its categories. Look the company up before the first visit. Source →
- What is being applied. The product name and the label, which says what to do about people and pets during and after.
- For termites, the species and the warranty. Which termite, which treatment, and whether the warranty covers retreatment only or repair too, with the annual renewal cost in writing.
- For a WDO report, the form. A real estate inspection goes on the state form, FDACS-13645, and the report says what was visible and accessible on the day. Source →
Across Hillsborough and Pinellas
Each area has its own page: the houses, the termites they bring, the county program, and the questions people there ask.
Questions people ask
Do I need a tent for termites?
Only for drywood termites, and only when the colonies cannot be found and treated in place. Subterranean, Formosan and Asian termites are treated in the soil or with baits, never with a tent. A licensed termite company names the species before it names the treatment.
What is a WDO inspection?
A wood-destroying-organism inspection on Florida's state form, reporting visible evidence of termites, wood-boring beetles and wood-decaying fungi. VA loans require it in Florida, many lenders ask for it, and buyers of older houses order it on their own. It is an inspection, not a treatment, and it is dated close to closing.
The county sprayed my neighborhood. Why do I still have mosquitoes?
The aerial and truck treatments target the species that rise after rain and the dengue response. The mosquitoes at your lanai in daylight are Aedes, breeding in small containers in your yard and the neighbors' yards. Dumping those weekly and a yard treatment handle them.
Is the rat in my attic a pest control job or a wildlife job?
Rats and mice inside a structure are pest control work under the company's state license. Raccoons, squirrels and opossums in the same attic are wildlife under Florida Fish and Wildlife rules, and the company should say which it is before quoting.
One-time treatment or a plan?
A specific event is a one-time job with its follow-ups. General pests around the bay come back without an exterior treatment on a schedule, which is why quarterly plans exist. Ask what the plan covers, what it excludes and what cancelling takes before signing.
Is it safe for kids and pets?
Licensed companies apply registered products according to the label, and the label says what to do about people and pets during and after. Ask for the product name and the re-entry time, and follow it.
Need an exterminator? Call 000-000-0000
Say what you are seeing, where in the house, and which part of Hillsborough or Pinellas you are in.