Don't let the cool, dry weather fool you. Bugs and pests are still lurking around Southwest Florida.
"Our bugs never go away, we don't have a dormant season in Florida, especially in tropical south Florida where we live," said Ivan Starkey, owner of Fort Myers Pest Control.
Starkey says with more food being served, and more people around eating it, bugs may invite themselves over for a bite.
"No see-um (bug) issues, obviously outside mosquitoes are still an issue in some places of Southwest Florida right now, ants will always be an issue especially when you have your Thanksgiving dinner all laid out."
Starkey says the sooner you put away left overs and clean dirty dishes, the less likely your home will be infested.
"Due your diligence, wipe your counters down, our biggest call after the holidays are ants invading their homes," said Starkey.
Ants and roaches aren't the only issue, bed bugs are also a problem this time of year.
They could be tracked into your home by human guests, especially if they stayed in a hotel room the night before arriving at your house.
"If one travels with you it's going with you no matter where you go."
You may not realize you have the bed bugs until after your skin breaks out. Although most people don't react to bed bug bites you can avoid becoming a statistic by inspecting mattresses and mattress covers and putting your clothes in the dryer.
"To kill a bed bug it has to be 111 degrees, so you put anything in a dryer at high heat for 30 minutes and that's way over 111 degrees."
Starkey recommends getting rid of any cardboard boxes in your home that you aren't using. Cardboard can provide a safe haven for roaches.
