Bug Doctor Minute;The pest magnet in your yard

Fruit tress are a treasure to most people and there’s nothing like just picked mulberries on your cereal or freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning. In Florida citrus trees are just about everywhere and it’s not uncommon for my customers to have many fruit bearing trees giving them fresh fruit right from their own yard. Of late the coldest winters on record has really taken it’s toll and many trees have died or been damaged in the longer than normal freezes. This has caused the the citrus fruit to go bad and made it inedible but no one has told the many pests that also feed on it yet. Much of the now sour food is still on the tree or sitting on the ground rotting away and this is bringing pests like rats, gnats, ants, roaches and med flies in by the hordes. We often get calls for pesky gnats or pests and find this abandoned fruit to be the source.

This problem of rotting food from trees is not just a Florida problem either. Almost every other state has their brand of a fruit bearing tree or bush and if not properly maintained these will also invite pests for the free meal. As populations grow and the food begins to disappear these unwanted guests begin looking for other sources of food and so often this means inside our homes. In pest control we are taught to always try and identify the source of the infestation and eliminate it. If you have fruit trees or bushes on your property this may be one of the first places you’ll want to check. In my video I’ll show you a quick example of a food source that could sustain tens of thousands of gnats and flies and why it is so important to clean it up.

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