🐿️🐜 What to Expect From Animals & Pests Before and After a Hurricane (And How to Deal With Them)

Living in Florida (or anywhere hurricane-prone), you learn pretty quickly that humans aren’t the only ones prepping for a storm—nature feels it too. And sometimes? Nature shows up in your attic, under your door, or on your baseboards. Here’s what we’ve learned through real-life hurricane seasons—and how we handle it.

🐦 Before the Storm: Animals Know

Watch the trees. Squirrels and birds go into overdrive before a storm—collecting, storing, and scrambling. It’s wild to see, but it’s also a great cue that something’s coming.

At Cat5Prep, we’re all about helping our furry and winged friends out. That’s why we install tightly fastened squirrel boxes and birdhouses ahead of hurricane season. Secure them well and they’ll likely be used—it’s happened more than once in our own yards.

🏚️ After the Storm: Opportunists Move In

Squirrels may be cute, but they’re crafty. If your roof takes damage or you’ve got any openings post-storm, they’ll absolutely sneak in. This is why it’s important to document your damage for insurance—and then secure your home immediately afterward. If you wait, you might be filing a second claim… for animal intrusion.

🪳 The Bug Boom: What to Expect

Roaches, ants, and more come out in full force after a storm—especially once the water recedes.

• Wood roaches are most common (thankfully not the nasty German ones), but you’ll still want to address them fast.

• Ants will show up in droves—especially fire ants, and especially in your yard.

Here’s how we tackle the post-storm pest influx:

Our Favorite DIY Pest Control:

✅ Diatomaceous Earth
We line it around windows, doors, garage entry, and hidden areas in the laundry room. It’s safe, natural, and effective.

✅ Advion Gel Bait
Roaches can’t resist it. Place it in corners, under cabinets, behind appliances. Roaches are resilient though and they develop tolerances to certain chemicals. This may change next year.

✅ Zevo Traps
We keep one in every room year-round. Trust us—you’ll be shocked at what they catch, even in a clean house.

✅ Terro Liquid Ant Baits
Place them along baseboards and out of reach of pets. These are fantastic for sugar ants and other small invaders.

✅ Boiling Water + Diatomaceous Earth for Fire Ants
For outdoor mounds, we slowly pour boiling water down the opening, then circle the area with Diatomaceous Earth. For stubborn mounds, we break out Terro Fire Ant Killer or Terro Stakes around the house’s perimeter for other uncontrollable ants.

🦎 Let the Lizards Live!

Whatever you do—avoid glue traps. These are devastating for Florida’s MVPs: lizards and frogs.

• Lizards and Frogs = bug-eating machines.

• Orb weaver spiders? Same story. We’re not saying you need cobwebs in every corner, but if one’s set up in a quiet spot outside, consider letting them be.

🐜 Termites Love Storm Season

Wet wood is prime feeding territory. Whether you have a contract or DIY your termite treatment, make sure you’re covered before or immediately after the storm. One wet weekend and untreated wood can be a full-blown buffet.

🦟 Mosquito Invasion Mode

Post-storm = mosquito madness.

✅ Sign up for your county’s mosquito spraying alerts.
They’ll likely fog and aerial spray—but stay inside when they do. It’s poison, no matter how “safe” they claim it is.

✅ Attract dragonflies
These beauties are mosquito assassins. Here’s how to bring them in:

• Add a small water feature like a pond or birdbath (no fish in this one—they eat dragonfly larvae).

• Avoid pesticides that kill larvae or eggs.

• Plant native vegetation like pickerelweed or arrowhead.

✅ Mosquito Magnet (Propane Trap)
We invested in one after Hurricane Ian—and it’s unreal. It mimics breath (CO2) and sucks mosquitoes in with a vacuum. It catches so many it's scary.

✅ Tiki torches & citronella
Great for your patio or sitting area—but that’s defense. Our focus post-storm is offense. We want those pests gone.

✅ Retention Ponds? Add Fish!
If your HOA has a pond, encourage them to stock it with mosquito-eating fish like gambusia. They’ll help control larvae naturally and cut down the next generation. Several Florida counties will provide them for you for free!

🐾 For the New Neighbors

Florida’s full of new faces. If you’re new to the state or just haven't weathered many storms yet—this post is for you. We don’t just prep with gear; we prep with knowledge and years of hard-earned lessons from the real deal.

From squirrels to fire ants to dragons in the sky—your hurricane prep should always include the local wildlife.