Lanai and Pool Cage Pests in Parkland

Look at every screen panel at the bottom corners, where mowers and pets wear them out. Check the gap under the screen door and the spline holding the screen in its frame. Small tears are an open door for wasps and roaches. Re-screening a few panels is cheaper than treating the same problem every month.

Lanai lights draw insects from the whole yard, and spiders set up where the food is. UF/IFAS lists entryway corners, the undersides of outdoor chairs and eaves among the spots brown widows like. Turn off lights you don't need, and flip chairs over to check underneath now and then. See spider and wasp control.

Ants nest under pavers and in potted plants on the lanai. Roaches hide in the pool equipment area, around the heater and in the drain. Pots on saucers hold water for mosquitoes. A quick sweep through those spots once a week helps.

• Patch screen tears and fix the door sweep
• Lift pots off saucers or empty them after rain
• Keep the equipment pad clear of leaves
• Check the top rails of the cage for wasp nests

If you're finding brown widow egg sacs regularly, wasps keep rebuilding, or ants are coming up through the pavers faster than you can bait them, call. A provider can treat the cage frame, the paver joints and the outside perimeter in one visit. Ask about ant control at the same time.