What should Dover families ask before any treatment?
What product, where it goes, and when kids and pets can go back in. Dover had 3,266 residents at the 2020 census, a median age of 29.8, and children under 18 in 45.7% of its 890 households — younger than Plant City itself, where the 2020 median age was 34.8. That makes product placement the first question, not an afterthought.
- Prefer baits, bait stations and crack-and-crevice treatment over spraying open floors where toddlers crawl.
- For rodents, UF/IFAS says any rodenticide should be in tamper-resistant stations away from children and pets — and recommends snap traps first.
- Ask for the product names in writing so you can look them up or show your pediatrician or vet.
Are widow spiders a concern around Dover yards?
In the spots kids reach into, yes. UF/IFAS lists the brown widow's favorite places: old tires, buckets and pots, mailboxes, under outdoor chairs, behind shutters and in cluttered garages. Add play sets and outdoor toy bins to that list. If a child is bitten, Florida's poison control centers can advise right away. More on spider identification and control.
Where is Dover, and who covers it?
Between Plant City and Brandon. Dover is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, about six miles west of Plant City and seven miles northeast of Brandon, with ZIP code 33527.
Its population actually fell from 3,702 in 2010 to 3,266 in 2020, across just 971 housing units — a small place where neighbors' yards, sheds and woodpiles affect yours. One call gets you connected with a company that covers Dover as part of pest control in the Plant City area — the same line that serves Seffner next door.
What pests do Dover homes call about most?
The same four as greater Plant City. Roaches in kitchens (see cockroach control), rodents in attics and garages, widow spiders outdoors, and termites — which UF/IFAS says swarm across Florida between March and June. A spring termite inspection is a sensible habit for any Dover home without a current termite contract.