Pest control in Jacksonville, built around Formosan termites

Formosan termites in Duval County

The UF/IFAS Extension brochure for Duval County names Formosan termites as concentrated in Riverside. A colony can hold several million termites and forage up to 300 feet from its nest, and once established the species has not been eradicated from an area.

The first sign most homeowners see is a mud tube on the foundation or a tree trunk. The second is cotton-like material on bark. Both are worth a photograph and a call, and neither should be broken or sprayed before a technician has seen it.

Because the colony can reach a house from a tree or a stump on the lot, the inspection checks the outside as well as the framing, and the plan sets a schedule of checks rather than a single date.

• Photograph mud tubes and bark material with a scale object.
• Check trees, stumps and woodpiles once a season.
• Keep landscaping and woodpiles a foot from the foundation.
• Repair leaks promptly and direct gutters away from the house.
• Book an inspection when a sign appears, not at the next sale.

Mosquito season in the city

The City of Jacksonville lists Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti as active from about the end of April to the end of September. The city's Mosquito Control Division covers all of Duval County and provides its service free to residents.

A yard plan works best when it starts before the window opens. Emptying containers, clearing gutters and filling low spots remove most of the breeding sites, and they cost nothing.

A private yard visit covers the shade, the shrubs and the containers on the lot. The city program covers the wider area, and a resident who sees a problem across several yards can request an inspection through the division.

• Empty buckets, saucers, toys and tarps after rain.
• Clear gutters so water does not sit in them.
• Request a city inspection for a problem across several yards.
• Book a yard visit for the resting areas before the peak.

Rentals and homes for sale

Only 57.6 percent of Jacksonville homes are owner-occupied, against 67.6 percent for Florida, so a larger share of homes here are rented. Rental owners and buyers both need a dated record of the inspection and the treatment.

A rental owner needs a reporting route for tenants, a schedule of inspections between tenancies and a file that outlasts any one tenant. A buyer needs a termite inspection timed to the purchase, with a report that names what was seen and what could not be reached.

The record is the common thread. Whatever the owner or buyer decides, the written history is what makes the next decision easier.

• Tenant reports go to the owner with a photograph.
• Inspect at each change of tenant and at each sale.
• Keep the inspection, treatment and repair records together.
• Ask what the report cannot promise.

Licensing and the paperwork to ask for

Pest control in Florida is licensed under Chapter 482 of the Florida Statutes, administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. A licensed business needs a certified operator, and a customer should ask for both before work begins.

The license number and the operator's name are the first things to ask for, and they can be checked with the department. A plan in writing and a treatment record after each visit are the next documents to keep.

The state's rules can change, so the department's own pages are the current source. This site does not guarantee any provider's paperwork, and the customer should check it.