Matching service only. Under Florida Chapter 482 we are not a certified operator. We do not spray, bait, tent, or inspect.
An April lockup is not a freeze-out. The calendar says the season is over. Orlando International’s April mean is already 72.2°F. Irrigation still runs. A pencil-width gap still takes a mouse. CDC still says to seal food and holes before rodents move in, and to keep indoor humidity no higher than 50 percent if you can. This page is a vacant-house pest file, not a walk-through of the HVAC. Orlando West Pest Care is a matching service. We match you with a licensed local pest control operator. We do not spray, bait, inspect, or tent.
This is for residential owners who leave Windermere, Winter Garden, Horizon West, Hamlin, Waterleigh, Ocoee, Oakland, Stoneybrook West, Clermont, or Minneola empty from spring through fall. If the house will sit locked, use vacant and snowbird pest or get a quote. Name Windermere or the subdivision. The licensee who already drives Windermere is the one who looks. We still only match. A vacant-home walk is a different sister at safenestflorida.com — documentation of what someone saw, not Chapter 482 pest control.
What CDC actually says about holes, food, and a house nobody is in
CDC’s seal-up page is dated April 8, 2024. Look for gaps and holes in and around the home. Mice can fit through a hole the width of a pencil — 1/4 inch, or 6 millimeters. CDC’s indoor list is the lockup list: under and behind kitchen cabinets, around pipes under sinks, around electrical and plumbing lines, inside the attic, around floor drains, between floor and wall. Outside: rafters, gables, eaves, soffits, windows and doors without weather stripping, the foundation-to-ground joint, attic vents, and holes for cable and gas lines. See CDC, How to Seal Up to Prevent Rodents.
Seal small holes with steel wool and caulk. Use metal, cement, hardware cloth, or metal sheeting for larger holes. Keep food in thick plastic, metal, or glass containers with tight lids. Put pet food away. Do not leave bowls out overnight. Keep garbage in tight-lidded containers. Outside, CDC wants a tight garbage can, a clean grill, woodpiles moved 100 feet from the house and raised a foot off the ground, and bird feeders away from the house. An April lockup that leaves kibble in a Windermere mudroom is an invitation, not a mystery.
CDC’s hantavirus prevention page is dated May 13, 2024. Avoiding exposure to rodents and their urine and feces is the best way to prevent infection. When fresh urine, droppings, or nesting materials of an infected rodent are stirred up, the virus can get into the air. People who handle and clean up after rodents, including pest exterminators, are at higher risk and should take precautions. Rodent control is the primary strategy. See CDC, Hantavirus Prevention. A matching service does not clean an attic. A licensee may. Do not vacuum dry droppings. If you reopen a house that sat empty for months and you see nests or piles of feces, that is a licensed look plus public-health caution, not a Saturday shop-vac job.
Humidity, mold, and why “we shut the AC off” is a pest sentence
CDC’s mold page is dated September 26, 2024. Keep humidity levels in the home as low as you can — no higher than 50 percent — all day long. An air conditioner or dehumidifier will help. Fix leaks so mold does not have moisture. Clean up and dry out within 24–48 hours after a flood. Mold grows where there is moisture: around leaks in roofs, windows, or pipes. See CDC, Mold.
That humidity line is why a vacant west Orlando house in June is not a northern cottage you winterize by switching everything off. Palmetto bugs, drain flies, and subterranean termites all use moisture. CDC is not a pest-control label. It is why “the house was locked, so nothing could get in” is not a plan when the condensate pan overflows and a pencil-width gap is still open at the fascia.
Termites do not take the summer off because you drove north
FDACS says termites cause more damage to structures in Florida than fires, floods, and storms combined. Homeowners insurance does not cover that damage. Hiring a licensed pest control company to inspect and treat is the next recommended step. Subterranean termites are the most destructive. They live and invade from underground. A single colony can cover one acre. Direct sprinklers away from the house. Repair leaks. Eliminate wood-to-soil and stucco-to-soil contact. See FDACS, Termites and FDACS, Subterranean Termites.
The Florida Climate Center publishes NOAA / NCEI 1991–2020 normals for Orlando International Airport: 51.45 inches of rain a year, April 2.58 inches, then 8.05 in June, 7.46 in July, 7.69 in August, and 6.37 inches in September. Annual mean is 73.0°F. See the Florida Climate Center Orlando 1991–2020 normals. An April lockup puts the empty house through the wet season. Irrigation against a stem wall does not pause because the owner is in Ohio.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services licenses structural pest control. Each business location that treats homes must be licensed, carry required insurance, and employ full-time a Florida-certified operator in the categories in which it operates, including general household pest and rodent control, and termite and other wood-destroying organisms control. See FDACS Pest Control Licensing and Certification. Florida Statutes section 482.191 makes it unlawful to solicit, practice, perform, or advertise in pest control except as Chapter 482 provides. We are not that licensee. We match. We do not hold the key, bait the attic, or write a WDO because you are leaving in April. See Fla. Stat. 482.191.
On the quote form, say vacant or snowbird, April lockup through which month, Windermere or the subdivision, and whether the complaint is rodents, moisture insects, or a termite contract that lapses while you are gone. Use vacant and snowbird pest, Windermere, or get a quote.
What you can do before a licensed look
CDC’s homeowner half is seal-up and sanitation: pencil-width holes, tight food containers, pet bowls in, garbage lids on, woodpile off the wall. Run unused traps so they stay wet. Direct sprinklers off the house. That is not pest control. A licensed operator may treat what you cannot seal. A matching service may not. If you need someone to look at the thermostat and the pan, that is the walk-through sister, not this match.
Related matching notes
- Matching service page
- Service area
- Get a quote
- Roof rats in the attic
- WDO when refinancing
- German vs palmetto
Sources
- CDC, How to Seal Up to Prevent Rodents (mice fit a 1/4-inch pencil-width hole; steel wool and caulk; tight food and garbage): cdc.gov/healthy-pets/rodent-control/seal-up.html
- CDC, Hantavirus Prevention and CDC, Mold (do not stir dry droppings; indoor humidity no higher than 50%): cdc.gov/hantavirus/prevention · cdc.gov/mold-health/about
- FDACS, Termites / Subterranean Termites; Pest Control Licensing and Certification: fdacs.gov/.../Termites · fdacs.gov/.../Licensing-and-Certification
- Florida Climate Center / NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals, Orlando International Airport (annual 51.45 inches; September 6.37 inches): climatecenter.fsu.edu/.../orlando
FAQs
Does locking a Windermere house in April keep pests out?
No. CDC says mice fit a 1/4-inch hole. FDACS says Florida’s climate is highly favorable for termites. Orlando International still puts 51.45 inches of rain on the year, including 6.37 inches in September, after you have already left.
Should I shut the air conditioner off to save money?
CDC says keep indoor humidity no higher than 50 percent. An unconditioned west Orlando house in June is a moisture machine. Moisture is conducive for mold, palmetto bugs, and subterranean termites. Ask a licensed HVAC contractor about that house. We match pest-control licensees. We do not set thermostats.
What if I come back in November and find droppings in the attic?
CDC says people who clean up after rodents should take precautions, and not to stir dry droppings into the air. Contact public health if the infestation looks heavy. We match you with a licensed local pest control operator. We do not clean attics.
Is a vacant-home walk the same as pest control?
No. Chapter 482 pest control is licensed work. A walk-through documents what someone saw. Use vacant and snowbird pest for the licensed match.
Do you treat vacant Windermere houses yourselves?
No. We match you with a licensed local pest control operator. We do not spray, bait, inspect, or tent. Use get a quote and name Windermere and vacant or snowbird.