Pests don't wait. Protect your home today.
Miami Shores Pest Control for Historic Homes and Tree-Lined Streets
Family-run, licensed and insured pest control in South Florida.
$50 OFF your first service + FREE inspectionNew customers · No code needed · No expirationMiami Shores is a village known for its tree-lined streets and historic homes, many from the 1920s and '30s, with Barry University on its west side and Biscayne Bay on its east. The Miami Shores Country Club golf course, which opened in 1939, runs through the middle of town, and on most streets the canopy of oaks and palms nearly meets overhead.
Older homes have character, and they also have more gaps: wood windows, old vents and settled foundations that let palmetto bugs, ants and rodents in. A heavy tree canopy gives roof rats and spiders easy access to rooflines. Pro-Spray is a family-run, Licensed & Insured South Florida company. We treat historic homes carefully, with kids and pets in mind, and we explain everything we find. Call or text 833-845-9284 for a FREE inspection and $50 off your first service.
Mediterranean Revival and other older homes
Many Miami Shores homes were built in the Mediterranean Revival style, with barrel tile roofs, stucco walls, arched windows and decorative vents. Others are 1940s and '50s ranch homes and cottages. They're well built, but decades of settling, storms and remodeling leave their mark. Barrel tile roofs have open ends where rats and birds can get under the tile. Decorative clay and metal attic vents may have lost their screens. Original wood casement windows and French doors rarely seal tightly. Plumbing has often been rerouted more than once, leaving old holes in walls and floors.
During the FREE inspection, we look at all of it: the roof edges and tile ends, attic vents, crawl space openings if there are any, door thresholds, window frames and plumbing penetrations. We treat where pests live and the routes they use, and we tell you which repairs would help most. In a historic home, we're careful about where and how we treat so we don't damage finishes. If you're planning to restore windows, replace a roof or open walls during a renovation, let us know, because that's often the best moment to seal old gaps for good.
Roof rats under the canopy
The same oaks and royal palms that make the village so beautiful are the main highway for roof rats. They run along limbs that touch or hang over the roof, travel power and cable lines between houses and move into the attic through gaps at the soffits, under barrel tile or through old vents. Fruit trees in the backyard, like mango, avocado and citrus, give them food.
The most common sign is scratching or running in the ceiling at night. You may also find droppings in the attic or garage, chewed fruit on the ground or gnawed wires. Our rodent service starts by finding how they're getting in. We set traps and tamper-resistant bait stations placed where kids and pets can't reach them, seal the openings we find and follow up. Trimming limbs back several feet from the roof is one of the most important steps. See rodent control.
Palmetto bugs in shady yards
Shady, leafy yards stay damp, and leaf litter, mulch and tree holes are where palmetto bugs live. Older homes with cast-iron drain lines can also have cracked pipes and dry floor drains that let them up from the sewer. They show up in bathrooms, kitchens and garages, especially after heavy rain or on hot nights. Rake leaf litter back from the foundation, keep drain stoppers in at night and run water in unused drains once a week. We treat the exterior around the foundation, the gaps they use and the interior spots where they appear.
Ants in older homes
White-footed ants nest in trees and landscaping and trail inside along wires, pipes and window frames, often appearing in kitchens and bathrooms by the hundreds. Florida carpenter ants, the large reddish-and-black ants that come out at night, nest in hollow tree limbs, palm boots and damp wood, and they sometimes move into wall voids or window frames where wood has gotten wet. They don't eat wood, but they hollow out damp wood to nest. Fire ants mound up in sunny lawns and along sidewalks. We use baits that ants carry back to the colony, treat fire ant mounds around the home one by one and treat the yard areas around the house where ants are nesting.
Spiders in the canopy
Big trees and porch lights mean lots of spiders. Most are harmless: orb weavers that string webs between trees and eaves, including the big golden silk orb weaver in late summer, and house spiders in the corners. Brown widows are common under patio furniture, in garages and around outdoor equipment. We remove webs within reach and treat the areas where spiders hide.
Mosquito control in Miami Shores
Shady yards and bromeliads make Miami Shores a comfortable spot for mosquitoes. Bromeliads, plant saucers, birdbaths, gutters full of leaves and tree holes all hold water. The Asian tiger mosquito breeds in those small containers and bites during the day, especially in shade. Our monthly service uses a backpack fogger on the shaded resting areas, like hedges, the undersides of leaves and under porches, and we put larvicide in water that can't be dumped. Clean leaves out of gutters, since clogged gutters are a mosquito nursery. The schedule is customizable, and we offer one-time event sprays before a garden party. See mosquito control.
Bayfront homes
The homes on the east side of the village, near Biscayne Bay, add seawalls, salt air and no-see-ums to the mix. No-see-ums breed in the wet soil and mud along the shoreline and bite at dawn and dusk, slipping through ordinary screens. Rats travel along seawalls at night. We pay extra attention to the bay side of those properties.
Barry University and student rentals
On the west side of the village, near Barry University, some homes are rented to students and staff. Rentals with turnover can bring in German cockroaches with used furniture and appliances, and bed bugs with luggage and secondhand mattresses. We work with landlords to treat between tenants and with renters who need help now. See bed bug treatment.
Old garages and detached outbuildings
Many older homes have a detached garage, a studio, a workshop or a cottage in the back. These outbuildings are often less sealed than the main house, and they collect stored boxes, paint, tools and garden supplies. Palmetto bugs, spiders, mice and the occasional Florida bark scorpion like them. We include outbuildings in the inspection and treat them along with the house. Keep stored items in sealed plastic bins and off the floor so you can see along the walls.
Homes along the golf course
Homes that back up to the Miami Shores Country Club course get open views and a lot of extra visitors. Wide turf areas and their edges attract fire ants that move into the yards nearby, wildlife crosses the course at night, and the ponds and shaded tree lines give mosquitoes resting space close to the back patio. We focus on the side of the property facing the course, treat fire ant mounds around the home and the shaded edges where mosquitoes rest, and check the back of the house for gaps where rodents could slip in. We don't treat the course itself, just your home and the yard areas around it.
Wasps in eaves and barrel tile
Paper wasps love the sheltered spots older homes offer: under deep eaves, inside the open ends of barrel tile, behind decorative shutters and in the hollow tops of fence posts. Mud daubers build their tube-shaped mud nests on porch ceilings and in garages; they rarely sting, but the nests are messy. We treat and remove wasp nests around the home, and we let you know about any spots where nests keep coming back.
Leaf litter, gutters and the canopy
All that shade comes with a lot of leaves. Leaf litter piled along the foundation holds moisture and shelters roaches, ants, centipedes and pillbugs. Gutters packed with leaves breed mosquitoes and give ants and roaches a damp nesting spot right at the roofline. Raking a clear strip along the foundation and cleaning gutters a few times a year cut down on pests noticeably.
Pets and fleas
Miami Shores is a walking village, and dogs are everywhere. Cat fleas come home on pets and develop in carpets, pet beds and shady corners of the yard. Raccoons and opossums that travel the canopy and yards also leave flea eggs behind. We treat inside the home and the shaded yard areas where fleas develop, and pets need a vet-approved flea product at the same time.
After storms
After tropical storms and heavy rain, fallen limbs and soaked leaf litter give pests new shelter, palmetto bugs come up from flooded drains, rodents move into attics and garages, and mosquitoes hatch about a week later. Our guides to rodents after a hurricane and post-flood pest control explain what to watch for.
Common pests in Miami Shores
Roof rats under the tree canopy, palmetto bugs in shady yards and older drains, white-footed and carpenter ants, spiders, mosquitoes in bromeliads and gutters, no-see-ums near the bay, and German roaches and bed bugs in some rentals.
Starting with an inspection
Every job begins with a FREE inspection, and in a historic home, we take our time. We explain what we found and what we recommend in English or Spanish. You can take $50 off a one-time first service or choose the $125 quarterly plan. There are no contracts and no cancellation fees. Bug Free Guarantee: If pests come back between visits, so do we, at no extra cost.
Services for Miami Shores
- Pest control for roaches, ants and spiders
- Mosquito control
- Rodent control
- Bed bug treatment
- Plans and pricing
Nearby, we also serve North Miami, Biscayne Park and El Portal.
Pests don't wait. Protect your home today.
Pro-Spray is a family-run, Licensed & Insured pest control company (Florida license JB 258079). Hablamos español.
- $50 off your first service + FREE inspection (no code needed, no expiration)
- No contracts and no cancellation fees, just a simple service agreement
- Bug Free Guarantee: If pests come back between visits, so do we, at no extra cost.
Call or Text 833-845-9284 | Contact us
Miami Shores Pest Control FAQs
Do you work on older and historic homes?
Why do I hear scratching in my attic?
Can rats get under barrel tile?
My house backs up to the golf course. Will that bring more pests?
Do you have cancellation fees?
How do I schedule?
Pests don't wait.
Protect your home today.
Get $50 OFF your first pest service and a FREE inspection & estimate. Ongoing protection is $125 quarterly (about $42/month), with no contracts and no cancellation fees.
Prefer to text or email? Text us · info@prospraypest.com