Living on a Canal in Broward: The Pest List for New Owners

Living on a canal in Florida comes with a pest list the listing never mentions. No-see-ums and mosquitoes come off the water and the mangroves at dusk. Roof rats travel the seawall, the palms and the dock. Palmetto bugs live along the seawall, in the drains and in the garage full of boat gear. None of it means the house has a problem. It's what living on the water looks like here, from Fort Lauderdale's isles to the canals of Dania Beach, Pompano Beach, Lighthouse Point and Deerfield Beach, and most of it is handled from the land side with a regular plan.

A first-month walk-around

Do this once in your first month, and again each season:

• The seawall cap and the planting behind it. Thick ground cover, vines and debris along the seawall give rats and roaches cover. Keep a clear strip.
• The dock box and dock lights. Clear out cardboard, rags and old bait from the dock box, and check the lights for webs.
• The garage full of boat gear. Get bins with tight lids, keep stored items off the floor where you can, rinse coolers and bait buckets right after a trip and replace the garage door's bottom seal when it's worn.
• The lanai screens. Patch tears and check the door closes all the way.
• Palms and fruit trees. Trim dead fronds and keep branches off the roof.
• Drains and low spots. Clear leaves from yard drains and tip out water after rain.

How we handle canal home pest control

We treat the land side of your property: the foundation, the entry points and the spots pests use for cover. We never treat the canal, the seawall face or the water, and we never apply anything over or toward it.

For mosquitoes, we use a backpack fogger for a barrier treatment of the shady spots where they rest, larvicide on breeding spots and, on monthly mosquito plans, larval traps with a growth regulator, like birth control for insects. We never treat the canal, the river or the Intracoastal. Monthly mosquito service is recommended, especially in rainy season, and the schedule can be adjusted.

For roof rats, we inspect for entry points, set traps and tamper-resistant bait stations, and seal the gaps rodents are using with exclusion work. Inside the home we use traps only, never loose bait. We seal the entry points ourselves; we don't repair roofs, wood or tile. We'll tell you how many visits your home is likely to need. Keep kids and pets off treated areas until dry, and follow your technician's instructions.

Docks and boat slips are a separate add-on, not part of a standard home plan. Docked boats are treated on board, in the galley, cabins and bilge, with bait and crack-and-crevice work. In the bilge we use only gel bait or bait stations, never a liquid spray, so nothing gets pumped overboard. See roaches on a boat.

Buying a canal home? We don't do wood-destroying organism (WDO) inspections, so for that part of the purchase you'll need a company that does.