Miami Lakes began as a dairy farm and grew into a planned town of 23 lakes, curving streets, cul-de-sacs and more than 1,700 businesses. That mix of waterfront yards, mature trees, apartments and office parks gives pests plenty of options in a small area. Toro Pest Management has protected South Florida homes and businesses since 1969, and we match each Miami Lakes plan to the lake, the landscape and the way the property is used.
- Since 1969Third generation, protecting South Florida
- 110% GuaranteeIf the bugs come back, so will Toro, at no additional cost
- Within 24 HoursResponse guaranteed
- Free InspectionPlus $25 off your first service
From Graham Dairy to 23 Lakes: The Setting for Miami Lakes Pests
Before it was a town, Miami Lakes was pasture. Ernest Graham started Graham Dairy in 1932 on about 7,000 acres, and his family began building around the first lake in 1962. Lake Patricia came first, and each lake was named after a woman in the Graham family. By 1965 there were about 450 homes, a shopping center and a professional building, and by then the dairy herd had moved to Moore Haven. Main Street’s first phase of shops, offices and apartments was finished around 1986.
The master plan, drawn by Lester Collins for about 3,000 acres, deliberately avoided the straight grid. Streets curve, sidewalks bend and cul-de-sacs wrap around the water. Residents voted to incorporate in December 2000, making Miami Lakes the 31st municipality in Miami-Dade County. The 2020 census counted 30,467 residents in about 6.5 square miles, with the Palmetto Expressway splitting the town roughly in half.
Good planning does not keep pests out, and some of what makes the town pleasant also helps them. Water sits close to thousands of yards. Decades-old shade trees and palms connect one roofline to the next. The town lists 41 tot lots along with its larger parks, and every patch of irrigated grass is a place for ants to nest. Rain adds to it: the National Weather Service’s 1991-2020 normal for the wet season at nearby Hialeah is 48.19 inches, among the higher Miami-Dade totals it lists. Most of that falls between mid-May and mid-October, when lake levels, sprinklers and storms keep the ground wet for months.
Miami Lakes Business Parks, Offices and Main Street Shops
Business is built into the town plan. The Town of Miami Lakes reports more than 1,700 businesses, and companies based here have included BankUnited, the Potamkin Auto Group and The Graham Companies. Office buildings, light industrial space, neighborhood shopping centers and the Main Street town center all sit a short walk or drive from homes. That closeness matters, because a problem behind a restaurant rarely stays there.
We provide commercial pest control for:
- Restaurants and food service on Main Street and in neighborhood centers, where a roach sighting can cost a customer or an inspection.
- Retail stores and service businesses that share walls and dumpsters.
- Warehouses and distribution space in the town’s industrial areas.
- Health care offices that need quiet, carefully documented visits.
- Schools and child care centers.
- Property management firms, apartment owners and condo associations.
Each commercial program comes with written service reports, and visits can be set for hours that suit your staff and customers. Toro technicians train at the TORO Institute at our Miami headquarters, under the on-staff entomologists who teach food safety, sanitation and pest management.
What Lives Around the Lakes: Miami Lakes Pests by Type
Roof Rats
UF/IFAS calls roof rats Florida's most abundant and damaging rodent pest. They travel along wires, branches and fences and nest in attics, soffits and the skirts of old palm fronds, so Miami Lakes' mature trees suit them well. Our rodent control closes the gaps they use.
Signs to watch for: scratching overhead at night, banana-shaped droppings and dark rub marks.
Subterranean Termites
The invasive Asian subterranean termite is common from Key West to West Palm Beach, can attack healthy trees and forages up to about 100 feet from its nest. The Formosan termite behaves much the same. Damp soil near lakes and sprinklers works in their favor.
Signs to watch for: pencil-thin mud tubes on slabs and piles of shed wings by windows.
Drywood Termites
The West Indian species nests inside a single piece of wood, such as framing or furniture, and needs no contact with soil. Homes from the 1960s and 1970s have had a long time to pick up colonies. Read about drywood termite treatment, which ranges from spot work to tenting.
Signs to watch for: tiny pellets that look like coffee grounds on sills and floors.
Mosquitoes
Lakes get the blame, but the Aedes aegypti mosquito breeds in saucers, gutters and pool covers and bites by day. Our mosquito control removes breeding sites and treats the leafy resting areas around patios.
Signs to watch for: bites in the daytime and wrigglers in standing water.
Ants
Ghost ants and white-footed ants nest in mulch, palm boots and wall voids, then trail along irrigation-damp edges into kitchens. Spraying tends to scatter them, so baiting usually does more. See our ant guide for the species we find most.
Signs to watch for: thin trails on counters, baseboards and electrical plates.
Cockroaches
German cockroaches ride into apartments in boxes and grocery bags and stay near kitchens and bathrooms, while larger American cockroaches come from drains and storm sewers. Our cockroach guide shows the difference.
Signs to watch for: pepper-like specks in cabinets and a musty smell.
Miami Lakes customers also ask about whiteflies on ficus and other hedges, lawn pests in St. Augustine grass, bed bugs carried home in luggage, and wildlife such as iguanas along lake banks.
Protecting Miami Lakes Homes, From Lake Patricia to the Newer West Side
A 1960s house near Lake Patricia and a newer apartment west of the Palmetto have little in common beyond the ZIP code. In the older neighborhoods we pay close attention to attics, roof gaps and trees that have grown over the house. On lakefront lots we look at the bank, the dock, the seawall or shoreline plantings, and the damp soil against the slab. Homeownership runs about 64 percent, so roughly a third of the town’s 12,000 or so housing units are rentals, and there the focus shifts to kitchens, plumbing lines and shared walls.
Any residential pest control plan we write for Miami Lakes comes after a free look at the property. We check the roofline, garage, kitchen and bath plumbing, irrigation and the landscaping next to the house, then tell you plainly what we found and what we would do. Our 110% Satisfaction Guarantee covers the service too: if the bugs come back, so will Toro, at no additional cost to you.
Selling or buying in Miami Lakes? On a house that may be 50 or 60 years old, a termite inspection before closing can reveal damage hidden behind baseboards and drywall.
A little yard care goes a long way here. Keep mulch a few inches away from the slab, aim sprinklers away from walls, and thin the plants nearest the house so air can move. On a lake lot, keep firewood, lumber and stacked boxes off the ground and away from the back wall. Trim fruit trees so branches do not touch the fence or the roof, and pick up fallen fruit, which UF/IFAS lists among the simple steps that make a property less attractive to roof rats. None of this replaces treatment, but it makes every treatment last longer.
The Miami Lakes Pest Calendar
| Months | Active around Miami Lakes | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| December to February | Roof rats in attics, cockroaches and ants indoors | Cut branches back from the roof and seal gaps around pipes and vents. |
| March to June (termite flights) | Asian subterranean swarms at dusk from early March, drywood swarms from April, Formosan swarms from late April | Turn off outside lights on swarm evenings and keep any wings for identification. |
| Mid-May to mid-October (wet season) | Mosquitoes in containers, ants moving indoors, whiteflies on hedges | Empty pots, buckets and pool covers weekly and flush bromeliads. |
| June to November (hurricane season) | Rats and iguanas displaced from banks and fallen trees, mosquito surges after flooding | Walk the property after storms and clear branches and debris quickly. |
Why Miami Lakes Calls Toro
- Local since 1969. Dr. Jose Perez Linares founded Toro, and the third generation runs it today.
- Entomologists on staff, who train our technicians at the TORO Institute in Miami.
- Response within 24 hours, guaranteed, for homes and businesses.
- One plan for the whole property, covering the house, the yard and the lake edge.
- 110% Satisfaction Guarantee on our work.
- Hablamos Español. Talk to us in whichever language you prefer.
Your First Toro Visit in Miami Lakes, Step by Step
- Look firstWe walk the home or business, including the attic, the plumbing and the waterfront or landscaped edges, and identify what is there.
- Plain recommendationsYou get a clear explanation of the findings and a choice of one-time service or ongoing protection.
- Targeted treatmentWe work where the pests nest and enter, using methods suited to your property, with products applied according to their labels.
- We stay on itIf the bugs come back, so will Toro, at no additional cost to you, under our 110% Satisfaction Guarantee.
Free inspection and $25 off your first service in Miami Lakes.
Schedule Your Free InspectionMiami Lakes Pest Questions, Answered
Do you cover all of Miami Lakes?
Yes. We work on both sides of the Palmetto Expressway, from Lake Patricia and Loch Lomond to Main Street and the business parks, in ZIP codes 33014, 33016 and 33018. A response within 24 hours is guaranteed.
Does living on one of the Miami Lakes lakes mean more mosquitoes?
Not always. The biting mosquitoes that bother people most around homes often come from small containers, not from a large lake. Aedes aegypti develops in pots, gutters, tarps and toys, and UF/IFAS advises flushing water-holding bromeliads at least once a week. We start by finding where the water really is, then treat the shady spots where adults rest.
My Miami Lakes home dates from the early years of the town. Do I need to think about termites?
Yes, a check makes sense. Development began in 1962, so the oldest houses have had decades of exposure to drywood termites, which live inside attic framing, trim and furniture. Damp soil near lakes and irrigated beds also suits subterranean termites. A free inspection tells you which, if any, you have, and the species decides the treatment.
Can you work with our condo association or apartment manager?
Yes. Miami Lakes has many rental and association properties, and shared walls and plumbing let cockroaches and bed bugs move between units. We can inspect affected and neighboring units, service common areas and trash rooms, and leave written reports for the board or manager.
What is that green lizard digging along my lake bank?
Probably a green iguana. They are not native to Florida, and they dig burrows in banks and leave droppings on docks, patios and pool decks. Our wildlife service can look at the property and explain your options.
Is the first inspection free, and can I speak with someone in Spanish?
Yes to both. Your first inspection costs nothing, new customers take $25 off the first service, and hablamos español. Call 305-594-4767 or fill out the Free Inspection form on this page.
Neighbors of Miami Lakes We Also Protect
Toro also serves the communities around Miami Lakes:
Last updated: November 2, 2026
110% Satisfaction Guaranteed
If the bugs come back, so will TORO, at no additional cost to you. TORO responds within 24 hours, guaranteed, and our technician will arrive quickly and deal with the pest problem to prevent it from coming back.
- Free return visits
- 24-hour response
- Trained, licensed technicians
