Iguana and Wildlife Control Knowledge for South Florida

Understanding South Florida’s Wildlife Pest Problem

South Florida’s unique subtropical environment supports diverse wildlife populations, some native and many invasive, that increasingly conflict with human habitation. Among these, green iguanas have become one of the most visible and problematic invasive species, causing extensive property damage, threatening native ecosystems, and creating health and safety concerns. Beyond iguanas, other wildlife including raccoons, opossums, armadillos, and various bird species can create nuisance situations requiring management. Understanding the biology, behavior, legal status, and appropriate management methods for these animals is essential for South Florida property owners.

Green Iguanas: South Florida’s Most Problematic Invasive Reptile

Species Overview: The green iguana (Iguana iguana) is native to Central and South America but has established large breeding populations throughout South Florida. These impressive reptiles can reach five to seven feet in total length, with males growing larger than females. Despite their name, green iguanas display various colorations including green, brown, gray, and orange, particularly as they mature. They have distinctive dewlaps (throat fans), large round scales below their ears, and a row of spines running down their backs and tails.

Population Explosion: Green iguanas were originally introduced through the pet trade, with released or escaped pets establishing wild populations beginning in the 1960s. Their populations remained relatively small until the 1990s and 2000s when numbers exploded. South Florida’s warm climate, abundant vegetation, lack of natural predators, and ample nesting sites have allowed populations to grow exponentially. Cold snaps occasionally reduce numbers when temperatures drop below 40°F, causing iguanas to become immobilized and fall from trees, but populations quickly rebound during warm periods.

Habitat and Behavior: Green iguanas are primarily arboreal (tree-dwelling) but spend significant time on the ground foraging and moving between locations. They are excellent swimmers and often live near water bodies including canals, lakes, and retention ponds. Iguanas are diurnal (active during daylight), spending mornings basking to raise their body temperature before foraging. They are herbivorous, feeding on leaves, flowers, fruits, and occasionally insects. Female iguanas dig burrows in sandy soil to lay eggs, typically producing 20 to 70 eggs per clutch once annually. These burrows often damage seawalls, canal banks, foundations, and infrastructure.

Territorial Behavior: Male iguanas become highly territorial during breeding season (typically late fall through early spring), displaying head bobbing, dewlap extension, and aggressive posturing. They may become aggressive toward humans and pets during this period. Established iguanas defend prime basking and feeding sites, often returning to the same locations daily.

Damage Caused by Iguanas

Green iguanas cause extensive and varied damage throughout South Florida:

Landscape Destruction: Iguanas consume ornamental plants, flowers, vegetables, and fruits, often destroying gardens and landscaping. They have strong preferences for certain plants including hibiscus, orchids, bougainvillea, roses, and various vegetables. Mature iguanas can consume several pounds of vegetation daily. Beyond feeding damage, their sharp claws tear and shred plants as they climb and move through vegetation.

Structural Damage: Iguana burrowing undermines structures, creating significant safety hazards and costly repairs. Their burrows destabilize seawalls, causing collapse and erosion. They tunnel under foundations, potentially compromising structural integrity. Pool decks, patios, and sidewalks develop cracks and subsidence due to underlying burrows. Canal and lake banks collapse when riddled with iguana burrows. Burrows can extend 10 to 15 feet or more, creating complex tunnel systems that are difficult to locate and repair.

Erosion and Environmental Damage: Extensive burrowing along waterways accelerates erosion. Collapsed seawalls and canal banks lead to property damage and water quality issues. In natural areas, iguana burrows damage dune systems and protected habitats.

Property Fouling: Iguanas defecate prolifically, leaving large droppings on pool decks, patios, docks, boats, and outdoor furniture. These droppings are unsightly, create slip hazards when wet, and may carry Salmonella bacteria. Accumulated feces require regular cleaning and sanitation, particularly around swimming pools where contamination is a health concern.

Threats to Infrastructure: Iguanas climb on roofs, damaging tiles, shingles, and flashing. They chew on weather stripping, screens, and soft building materials. Air conditioning units and pool equipment provide warm surfaces where iguanas bask, potentially damaging these systems. Solar panels can be damaged by iguana activity on roofs.

Vehicle Damage: Iguanas sometimes seek warmth under vehicle hoods, occasionally getting into engine compartments and causing damage. Their claws can scratch vehicle paint when they climb on cars.

Health and Safety Concerns Related to Iguanas

Beyond property damage, iguanas present health and safety risks:

Disease Transmission: Iguanas carry Salmonella bacteria in their digestive systems and shed it in their feces. Contact with iguana droppings or contaminated surfaces can transmit Salmonella to humans, causing gastrointestinal illness with symptoms including fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. Young children, elderly individuals, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems face higher risk of severe illness. Proper hygiene including handwashing after any contact with areas where iguanas have been is essential.

Bite and Scratch Injuries: Although generally not aggressive toward humans, iguanas will defend themselves when cornered or handled. Their powerful jaws can inflict serious bites requiring medical attention. Sharp claws cause deep scratches that can become infected. Male iguanas during breeding season are more likely to display aggression.

Falling Hazards: During cold weather events, iguanas become immobilized and fall from trees. Falling iguanas can injure people, damage vehicles, and create hazards on roadways. Additionally, iguanas stunned by cold temperatures may appear dead but revive as temperatures warm, potentially biting people attempting to handle them.

Pool Contamination: Iguana feces in swimming pools contaminate water and require proper shocking and filtration. Pool contamination may necessitate temporary pool closure until proper sanitation is achieved.

Legal Status and Regulations

Understanding the legal framework for iguana management is crucial:

Non-Protected Status: Green iguanas are classified as invasive exotic species in Florida with no legal protection. Property owners may remove iguanas from their property year-round without permits. There are no closed seasons or bag limits for iguanas on private property.

Humane Treatment Requirements: While iguanas are not protected, Florida law requires humane treatment of all animals. Removal methods must avoid unnecessary suffering. According to wildlife management experts at Dade Pest Solutions, this requirement means iguanas must be dispatched quickly using appropriate methods or live-trapped and removed by licensed professionals.

Prohibited Actions: Florida law prohibits releasing iguanas elsewhere, including in public parks or natural areas. Taking iguanas from public property without permission is illegal. Some municipalities have local ordinances affecting iguana control methods, particularly regarding discharge of firearms within city limits.

Professional Licensing: While homeowners can manage iguanas on their own property, professional wildlife control operators should possess appropriate business licenses and liability insurance. Many professionals also hold certifications from wildlife control organizations.

Relocation Restrictions: Relocating iguanas to other areas, even rural locations, is illegal and unethical. Released iguanas simply create problems elsewhere and continue reproducing. The only legal disposal options are humane euthanasia or, in limited cases, specialized facilities that accept iguanas for processing.

Iguana Control and Removal Methods

Multiple approaches exist for managing iguana problems:

Trapping: Live trapping using baited cage traps effectively captures individual iguanas. Traps should be sized appropriately (typically 24 to 30 inches long for adult iguanas) and placed along iguana travel routes, near basking sites, or adjacent to preferred feeding areas. Fresh fruits and vegetables including mangoes, berries, and leafy greens serve as effective bait. Trapped iguanas must be removed and humanely euthanized by trained individuals. Trapping requires persistence as iguanas can be trap-shy. Multiple traps increase success rates. Trapped iguanas should be checked frequently, at least daily, to prevent stress and avoid leaving animals in traps during extreme heat.

Exclusion and Barriers: Physical barriers prevent iguana access to specific areas. Sheet metal barriers around tree trunks prevent iguanas from climbing to reach roofs or upper levels. Hardware cloth or metal mesh screening protects vulnerable plants. Pool fencing can be modified with smooth surfaces or overhangs that iguanas cannot climb. Electric fence systems designed for wildlife deterrence can protect high-value areas. Trimming tree branches away from structures eliminates access routes. Filling existing burrows with concrete or appropriate materials prevents reuse, though new burrows may be excavated elsewhere.

Habitat Modification: Making properties less attractive to iguanas reduces their presence. Remove preferred food plants or protect them with barriers. Eliminate basking sites by removing flat rocks, logs, and similar features. Clear dense vegetation that provides cover. Remove brush piles and debris. Cover or fill potential burrow sites including loose sandy areas. Eliminate water sources when possible. While complete habitat modification is often impractical, targeted changes can discourage iguana residence.

Professional Removal: Licensed wildlife control professionals provide comprehensive iguana management. Professional services include systematic trapping programs, location and filling of burrows, property assessment to identify attractants and access points, humane euthanasia and disposal, exclusion installation, and ongoing monitoring and maintenance. Professionals have experience, specialized equipment, and methods that deliver more effective results than DIY efforts.

Air Rifles and Archery: Property owners may use air rifles or archery equipment to remove iguanas from their property where discharge of such equipment is legal and safe. This method requires skill to ensure quick, humane kills. Safety considerations including appropriate backdrops, awareness of neighboring properties, and local ordinances must be observed. This approach is generally most effective when combined with other methods.

Repellents: Various commercial products claim to repel iguanas using scents, tastes, or other deterrents. Scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of most repellents is limited. Some property owners report temporary success with certain products, but iguanas typically habituate to repellents over time. Repellents work best as temporary measures or in combination with other control methods.

Why DIY Iguana Control Often Proves Challenging

Property owners attempting to control iguanas themselves often encounter difficulties:

Time and Persistence Required: Effective iguana control requires consistent effort over extended periods. Iguanas are intelligent and can become trap-shy after one capture attempt. Multiple iguanas may inhabit a property, requiring ongoing trapping.

Physical Demands: Setting traps, monitoring them daily, handling large aggressive iguanas, and performing euthanasia is physically demanding and potentially dangerous without proper training and equipment.

Disposal Challenges: Humanely euthanizing and properly disposing of iguanas requires knowledge and appropriate methods. Improper euthanasia causes unnecessary suffering and may violate animal welfare laws.

Incomplete Control: Addressing only visible iguanas while missing burrows, eggs, or juveniles provides temporary relief but populations quickly rebound. Comprehensive control requires identifying and addressing all life stages and conducive conditions.

Safety Concerns: Handling large iguanas risks bites and scratches. Using firearms or air rifles in residential areas poses safety concerns requiring appropriate training and extreme caution.

Equipment and Materials: Effective control requires multiple traps, appropriate bait, tools for burrow location and filling, protective equipment, and euthanasia tools. Purchasing these materials for occasional use often costs more than professional service.

Preventing Iguana Problems

Proactive measures reduce iguana attraction to properties:

Landscape Choices: Select plants that iguanas find less palatable. Native plants, grasses, and certain ornamentals are less attractive than favorite iguana foods. Consult with landscapers familiar with iguana-resistant plants. Protect high-value plants with physical barriers.

Eliminate Attractions: Remove fruit from trees and ground promptly. Don’t leave pet food outdoors. Avoid feeding birds if iguanas are present, as spilled seed attracts them. Remove fallen vegetation and maintain tidy landscapes.

Structural Modifications: Seal openings under sheds, decks, and structures to prevent burrow establishment. Install barriers preventing access to preferred basking sites. Keep tree branches trimmed away from buildings. Consider sheet metal wraps on trees near structures.

Water Features: If possible, eliminate or secure water sources. Cover ponds with netting if iguanas are problematic. Design water features to discourage iguana access.

Regular Monitoring: Detect iguanas early before they establish territories and burrows. Immediate action when iguanas first appear prevents population establishment. Walk properties regularly looking for iguana signs including droppings, burrow openings, feeding damage, and basking iguanas.

Coordinate with Neighbors: Iguanas roam across multiple properties. Neighborhood-wide control efforts are more effective than individual property management. When neighbors collectively address iguana problems, overall populations decline and recolonization rates decrease.

Other Problematic Wildlife in South Florida

Beyond iguanas, several wildlife species create nuisance situations:

Raccoons (Procyon lotor): These intelligent, adaptable mammals are common throughout South Florida in urban, suburban, and natural areas. Raccoons are nocturnal omnivores that raid garbage cans, damage property while seeking shelter in attics and chimneys, and can be aggressive when cornered or protecting young. They carry rabies, raccoon roundworm parasites, and other diseases transmissible to humans and pets. Raccoons cause damage by tearing open garbage bags, removing roof vents and soffits to access attics, damaging lawns while digging for grubs, and raiding koi ponds and chicken coops. Control involves securing garbage in animal-proof containers, eliminating food sources including pet food and bird feeders, sealing entry points to structures, and professional trapping and removal when they establish residence in buildings.

Virginia Opossums (Didelphis virginiana): North America’s only marsupial, opossums are beneficial animals that consume insects, rodents, and carrion, but can become nuisances when they shelter in inappropriate locations. They are generally docile but may hiss and display teeth when threatened. Opossums are nomadic and typically don’t remain long in one location. They occasionally shelter under decks, in sheds, or in attics. While they carry some diseases, they have lower body temperatures than most mammals, making them resistant to rabies. Control focuses on exclusion from structures, elimination of attractants, and occasional removal if they persist in inappropriate locations.

Nine-Banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus): These armored mammals dig extensively while foraging for insects, creating holes and damaged areas in lawns and landscaping. Armadillos burrow under structures including foundations, slabs, and sidewalks, potentially causing structural damage. They are primarily nocturnal and are most active during warm, wet conditions. While generally harmless to humans, they can carry leprosy bacteria, though transmission to humans is rare. Control involves exclusion fencing, habitat modification to reduce food sources, and professional trapping when damage is severe.

Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata): While not protected in Florida due to their non-native status, these large waterfowl become problematic in urban areas where they congregate in large numbers. Muscovy ducks foul pools, patios, and docks with copious droppings, damage landscaping while foraging, and can become aggressive during nesting season. They adapt readily to human presence, particularly when people feed them, which should be avoided. Control involves habitat modification, exclusion from specific areas, and professional removal programs.

Protected Native Species: Many native species including wading birds, songbirds, gopher tortoises, and others are protected by state and federal law. Even when these animals create nuisance situations, their removal requires permits and specialized handling. Professional wildlife control operators familiar with regulations should handle any situations involving protected species.

Wildlife Disease Concerns

Wildlife can transmit various diseases to humans and domestic animals:

Rabies: Raccoons and other mammals can carry rabies virus affecting the central nervous system. All warm-blooded mammals can contract rabies. Never approach or handle wildlife behaving abnormally including daytime activity by nocturnal species, lack of fear of humans, aggression, paralysis, or unusual vocalizations. Any contact with potentially rabid animals requires immediate medical evaluation and possible post-exposure prophylaxis.

Leptospirosis: Bacteria spread through urine of infected animals including rats, raccoons, and opossums contaminate water and soil. Humans contract leptospirosis through contact with contaminated water or soil, particularly through breaks in skin or mucous membranes. The disease causes fever, headache, muscle aches, and can progress to liver and kidney damage if untreated.

Raccoon Roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis): This parasite lives in raccoon intestines, with eggs shed in feces contaminating soil and surfaces. Humans become infected by accidentally ingesting eggs from contaminated hands, soil, or objects. Larvae migrate through the body, potentially causing serious neurological damage. Areas contaminated with raccoon feces should be professionally cleaned using appropriate precautions.

Salmonella: Many reptiles including iguanas carry Salmonella bacteria naturally. Contact with reptiles or their environment can transmit bacteria causing gastrointestinal illness. Proper hygiene after any contact with reptiles or areas they inhabit is essential.

Parasites: Wildlife harbor various external parasites including fleas, ticks, and mites that can infest homes and bite humans and pets. Internal parasites can contaminate soil through feces, potentially infecting pets or, rarely, humans.

Legal and Ethical Considerations for Wildlife Control

Managing wildlife requires understanding legal and ethical boundaries:

Protected Species: Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects most bird species. State regulations protect many native mammals, reptiles, and other wildlife. Disturbing, harassing, or removing protected species without appropriate permits is illegal with significant penalties. When protected species create nuisance situations, contact professional wildlife control operators or state wildlife agencies for guidance.

Humane Treatment Standards: All wildlife management must follow humane standards avoiding unnecessary suffering. Quick, humane euthanasia methods must be used when removal is necessary. Abandonment, poisoning, or cruel treatment is illegal and unethical.

Relocation Issues: Relocating wildlife almost always creates problems including introducing diseases to new areas, increasing competition for resources among existing wildlife, causing suffering to relocated animals unfamiliar with new territories, and potentially violating laws prohibiting wildlife relocation without permits. Most relocated wildlife dies within weeks due to inability to establish territories and find resources.

Seasonal Restrictions: Even for non-protected species, awareness of breeding seasons guides ethical control timing. Removing adult animals during nesting or denning seasons leaves dependent young to die slowly. Professional wildlife control operators consider these factors when planning removal programs.

Property Rights: While property owners have rights to protect their property, methods must comply with local ordinances including restrictions on discharge of firearms, use of certain traps, and disposal of carcasses. Homeowners associations may have additional rules affecting wildlife control methods.

Professional Wildlife Control Services

Professional wildlife control provides advantages over DIY efforts:

Species Identification and Assessment: Professionals accurately identify species, assess damage, determine appropriate control methods, and provide realistic expectations about outcomes.

Legal Compliance: Licensed professionals understand regulations governing various species and use only legal control methods. They obtain necessary permits when working with protected species and ensure compliance with all applicable laws.

Effective Methods: Professionals have access to professional-grade equipment, understand animal behavior that improves capture success, use proven techniques for exclusion and prevention, and implement comprehensive programs addressing root causes rather than just symptoms.

Safety: Wildlife control professionals have training and equipment to handle potentially dangerous animals safely. They use appropriate personal protective equipment preventing disease transmission and follow safety protocols protecting themselves and property owners.

Comprehensive Solutions: Professional programs include identification and repair of entry points, removal of attractants, installation of exclusion devices, habitat modification recommendations, and follow-up services to ensure problems don’t recur.

Cleanup and Sanitation: Professionals properly clean and sanitize areas contaminated by wildlife including removal of feces and nesting materials, treatment of affected areas to eliminate pathogens and parasites, and restoration of damaged insulation or other materials.

Coexisting with Wildlife in South Florida

Complete elimination of wildlife from South Florida’s suburban and urban areas is neither possible nor desirable. Many species provide ecological benefits including pest control, seed dispersal, and maintaining ecosystem health. The goal is managing conflicts while appreciating wildlife’s ecological roles:

Accepting Presence: Most wildlife sightings require no action. Occasional opossums, raccoons passing through, or birds in yards are normal and generally beneficial. Intervention is only necessary when wildlife creates actual problems through property damage, health threats, or persistent nuisance behavior.

Securing Attractants: Most wildlife problems result from readily available food sources. Securing garbage, removing pet food, eliminating bird feeders, and harvesting fruit promptly prevents most wildlife conflicts.

Structural Integrity: Well-maintained properties with sealed openings, intact screens, and proper exclusion prevent wildlife from establishing residence in inappropriate locations.

Education and Awareness: Understanding wildlife behavior, recognizing normal versus problematic situations, knowing which species are protected, and using appropriate management methods when necessary allows residents to coexist with wildlife while protecting property and health.

Appreciating Benefits: Many wildlife species provide pest control eating insects, rodents, and other pests. Opossums consume ticks, reducing Lyme disease risk. Bats consume mosquitoes. Snakes (most are harmless) control rodents. Recognizing these benefits provides perspective when occasional nuisances occur.

Iguana Management Programs

Given the extent of South Florida’s iguana problem, comprehensive management programs offer the most effective long-term control:

Initial Assessment: Professional inspection identifies iguana numbers, locates burrows and nesting sites, documents damage, assesses attractants and access points, and develops customized management plans.

Intensive Removal Phase: Initial programs involve deploying multiple traps strategically placed throughout properties, daily monitoring and removal of captured iguanas, locating and filling burrows to prevent use and egg laying, and addressing structural damage from burrowing.

Exclusion Implementation: Long-term success requires installing barriers preventing access to structures, protecting vulnerable plants, eliminating access routes through tree trimming, and modifying basking sites.

Ongoing Maintenance: After initial reduction, maintenance programs include regular property monitoring, prompt removal of any iguanas that appear, periodic trap deployment during high-activity seasons, and assessment of exclusion integrity.

Documentation and Communication: Professional services include photographic documentation of damage and control efforts, regular reporting on iguanas removed and methods employed, and recommendations for maintaining iguana-free conditions.

Cold Weather Considerations for Iguanas

South Florida’s occasional cold snaps affect iguanas significantly:

Cold Stunning: When temperatures drop below approximately 45°F, iguanas become lethargic and lose their ability to maintain their position on branches, causing them to fall. At temperatures below 40°F, most iguanas become completely immobilized. This cold stunning is temporary, and iguanas revive as temperatures warm. However, prolonged cold or temperatures dropping into the 30s can kill iguanas.

Opportunistic Removal: Cold weather provides opportunities for iguana removal when they are immobilized and easier to collect. However, handling stunned iguanas requires caution as they may revive and bite. According to wildlife control experts at Dade Pest Solutions, cold weather removal programs can significantly reduce local iguana populations when implemented systematically during cold events.

Public Safety: Falling iguanas create hazards on roadways, sidewalks, and in yards. They can damage vehicles and injure people if they fall from significant heights. During cold weather warnings, awareness of this potential hazard is important.

Population Recovery: While cold snaps reduce iguana numbers, populations typically rebound within one to two years as surviving iguanas reproduce and young reach maturity. Cold weather provides temporary relief but not permanent control.

Economic Impact of Iguana Damage

The financial costs of iguana problems are substantial:

Direct Damage Costs: Seawall and canal bank repairs often cost tens of thousands of dollars. Foundation repairs due to undermining burrows range from thousands to tens of thousands. Landscape replacement after extensive feeding damage accumulates quickly. Pool deck and patio repairs from burrow-related cracking and settling represent major expenses.

Ongoing Maintenance Costs: Regular professional cleaning of feces from outdoor areas. Plant replacement as iguanas destroy landscaping. Repair of damaged screens, weather stripping, and building materials. Professional control services and trapping programs.

Property Value Impacts: Severe iguana problems can affect property values and marketability. Visible damage to landscaping and infrastructure deters potential buyers. Properties with active iguana problems may require disclosure during real estate transactions.

Insurance Considerations: Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover wildlife damage, including iguana-related damage. Property owners bear the full cost of repairs and control efforts.

Future Outlook for Wildlife Management in South Florida

Wildlife management in South Florida faces ongoing challenges and evolution:

Climate Change Effects: Warming temperatures may allow tropical species like iguanas to expand their range further north. Changes in rainfall patterns affect habitat suitability for various species. Sea level rise alters coastal ecosystems impacting wildlife distribution.

Urban Development: Continued development fragments habitats, displaces wildlife into remaining suburban areas, and increases human-wildlife conflicts. Conversely, development eliminates some wildlife habitat, potentially reducing certain species’ populations.

Regulatory Changes: Wildlife management regulations evolve as species’ statuses change, new invasive species establish, public attitudes shift, and management challenges emerge. Staying informed about current regulations is essential.

Technological Advances: New tools and techniques improve wildlife management effectiveness including thermal imaging for locating animals, improved trap designs, more effective exclusion materials, and development of species-specific control methods.

Public Education: Increasing awareness about preventing wildlife problems, understanding species identification, recognizing when professional help is needed, and appreciating benefits while managing conflicts improves overall wildlife management outcomes.

When to Seek Professional Wildlife Control

Consider professional wildlife control services when wildlife is inside structures including attics, walls, or chimneys, damage is extensive or ongoing despite DIY efforts, protected species require removal, large populations of invasive species like iguanas are present, wildlife behaves aggressively or appears sick, health and safety concerns exist due to disease transmission risk, or you lack time, equipment, or expertise for effective management.

Professional services provide expertise, efficiency, legal compliance, safety, guaranteed results, and comprehensive solutions that address root causes rather than providing temporary fixes.

Responsible Wildlife Management Practices

Effective wildlife management balances property protection with ethical treatment:

Humane Methods: Use control methods that minimize animal suffering. Avoid poisons, glue traps, and other inhumane approaches. When lethal control is necessary, use quick, humane methods.

Targeted Approach: Focus control efforts on species actually causing problems rather than removing all wildlife indiscriminately. Identify specific animals responsible for damage rather than assuming all nearby wildlife is problematic.

Prevention First: Emphasize prevention through exclusion, habitat modification, and elimination of attractants before resorting to removal. Preventing problems is more effective and ethical than repeatedly removing animals drawn to abundant resources.

Legal Compliance: Follow all laws and regulations governing wildlife management. Obtain required permits for protected species. Use only legal methods appropriate for species and location.

Professional Ethics: Professional wildlife control operators should follow industry best practices, maintain appropriate licenses and insurance, provide honest assessments and realistic expectations, use humane methods, and educate clients about prevention.

Living in South Florida means coexisting with diverse wildlife populations including problematic invasive species like green iguanas. Effective management requires understanding species biology and behavior, recognizing signs of problems early, implementing appropriate control methods, following legal and ethical guidelines, and often engaging professional expertise. While wildlife conflicts present challenges, proper management protects property, health, and quality of life while respecting wildlife’s role in South Florida’s unique ecosystem. The combination of prevention, targeted control when necessary, and professional assistance when problems exceed homeowner capabilities provides the most effective approach to wildlife management in this complex environment.

Shaun Judy

17 Years of Pest Control Experience Founder and Owner of Dade Pest Solutions Proud Resident of South Florida
Shaun Judy, a dedicated South Florida native, is the founder and driving force behind Dade Pest Solutions. With over 17 years of hands-on experience in the pest control industry, Shaun has built a reputation for reliability, results, and real local knowledge. His journey began with a deep commitment to protecting homes from pests using proven methods and innovative solutions. Raised with a strong work ethic and a passion for service, Shaun treats every property as if it were his own—delivering expert care with a personal touch.