Best Pest Control in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas is the biggest city in the southern United States, and with great size come even greater pest problems.

The concentrated, urban environment, when combined with Houston’s humid, sub-tropical climate, is ideal for common pests like termites, cockroaches, ants, fleas, and ticks. 

Bedbugs have also become a growing epidemic in recent years, infesting apartment complexes, dormitories, hotels, and homes.

Additionally, there are some common pests in Houston that are less so in other parts of the country, including brown recluse and black widow spiders, timber rattlesnakes, scorpions, American alligators, pocket gophers, cotton rats, and Eastern fox squirrels.

As a Houston homeowner, you need to know how to defend your property and your family from these potential threats and, if things go sour, you need to know which pest control company has the right tools for the job. If this seems daunting, fear not! We’ve compiled a list of the most common home pests in Houston, along with tips on how to deal with them. 

Pests in Houston, Texas

Cockroaches

There are three species of cockroaches that can invade a Houston home:

• American
• Oriental
• German

Oriental cockroaches are the biggest, measuring about one to 1.3 inches, and the German is the smallest, measuring about 0.6 inches.

Roaches can’t directly harm humans or pets, but they carry many types of bacteria that can. They transfer these bacteria through physical contact, so if they’re not handled quickly, roaches can infect your kitchen counter, cutlery, and even your food.

To prevent cockroaches from entering your home, you need to cut off and remove from your property anything they might see as food. Clean your kitchen, living room, and bathrooms thoroughly, and don’t leave leftovers on the table, kitchen sink or garbage can.

Check and fix any leaking pipes, and keep all food containers, garbage bags, and cans sealed.

If your cockroach problem is mild, you can try solving it by buying sticky traps or insecticide at a local store. However, if the problem is serious, you’ll need to seek a certified professional for help.

Bedbugs

Bedbugs are tiny critters that live in areas where they can quickly find a host and carefully feed off them, favoring furniture, pillows, and mattresses.

Unlike cockroaches, bedbugs don’t transmit any diseases, but hosts can have allergic reactions to their bites, and since female bedbugs can lay around 5 eggs a day, it’s certain that you’ll be bitten more than once daily.

It’s really hard to get rid of bedbugs on your own since their small size and range of hiding spots makes it really difficult to locate all of them. If you think you have a bedbug problem, ask for an inspection from a trusted pest control company.

Spiders

Spiders feed on insects, so having some in your garden or outside your home is usually a good thing: you don’t bother them and, in return, they take care of pesky bugs.

Sweet deal, right? But when spiders invade your home in large numbers, especially venomous ones, then it’s time to remove them from your property.

In Houston, there are two species of venomous spiders that can be invasive: the brown recluse and the black widow. Both spiders tend to keep to themselves, so they don’t pose a direct threat. However, given the right circumstances, these critters can overtake your home and become a real danger.

Brown Recluse Spider

This spider lives up to its name, preferring to hide in narrow, cluttered places like attics, closets, basements, cardboard box corners, wall edges, and even the inside of shirts and shoes. They aren’t aggressive in nature, and their fangs are so small that they can’t penetrate clothing or skin on their own. The only way it bites humans is if the spider is accidentally pressed to the skin.

Recluse bites usually cause swelling, but a small percentage of victims (1 out of 10) have had more serious results, including systemic reactions and skin necrosis. The spider’s venom is very dangerous to children and the elderly, so if you have kids or grandparents living with you, you need to know what to do if they’re bitten.

To prevent brown recluse infestations, de-clutter your home and cut down their food sources. Since brown recluse spiders feed on insects, an infestation could mean that they are feeding off another insect that’s already infesting your home. To protect your house from brown recluse spiders, your best bet is to contact a professional as soon as possible.

Black Widow Spider

Similar to the brown recluse, black widows are nocturnal and keep to themselves, building webs in secluded areas and gardens. They prefer settling outside your home, but a comfy dark corner in your garage is just as appealing to them.

Since black widow males rarely bite humans, you only need to worry about female spiders. Their fangs are bigger and their venom is 15 times more powerful than that of a rattlesnake, causing swelling, nausea, muscle ache and, in serious cases, systemic reactions and diaphragm paralysis.

Thankfully, dying from a black widow bite is extremely rare, but just like brown recluse spiders, children and the elderly are more vulnerable to their venom.

To prevent black widows from invading your home, you need to remove anything they could shelter in. Clean the inside and outside of your home, disposing of debris and sealing off any wall or ceiling cracks. Keep every area inside your home as clean as possible, and don’t leave clothing or boxes laying on the floor.

If you find black widow spiders inside your home, you shouldn’t take matters into your own hands. You should instead contact a certified pest control service as soon as possible.

Termites

Termites are one of the most notorious pests in the United States since they can quickly invade and destroy wooden structures. Most termites thrive in humid areas, so they feel right at home in Houston’s subtropical climate.

There are only three species of termites in Houston:

• Drywood
• Subterranean
• Formosan

Each has its own nesting and feeding habits, so you need to learn them to protect your home efficiently. Formosan and subterranean termites live underground and eat wet or decomposing wood.

Formosan termites are rarer and more dangerous than the subterranean since they build their hives and consume wood quicker. Drywood termites are another common species and, as their name implies, they prefer eating dry wood, making them a threat to the furniture inside your home. 

To stop termites from attacking your Houston home, you need to take precautionary steps for all three species.

First, inspect the inside and outside of your property for possible cracks or crevices and seal them up.

Next, walk around your home’s perimeter and remove any rotten plants or wooden structures from the area. Keep trees and gardens distant from your home, since this isolates termites and gives you a chance to deal with them before they can move closer to your home. If you have wooden structures or furniture in your home, keep them dry and inspect for drywood termites every month.

You need to catch termites early on to stop them from spreading, but in case you don’t, you should ask for professional help. 

Choosing Pest Companies in Houston, Texas 

When you’re choosing which residential or commercial pest control company in Houston is right for you, it’s important to look at the services they have available, and make sure they can cover all the common pests from our list, as well as wildlife that’s native to Texas. 

The best pest control company should also offer integrated pest management solutions (IPM), with the option of continuous monitoring that adjusts to Houston’s unique climate. They should also provide you with detailed documentation on the services they provide you so that you have them on file. 

It's also important to make sure that the company has the necessary business licenses, especially those granted by the Texas Structural Pest Control Service with the Texas Department of Agriculture, and the required certified commercial applicator licenses for each license category of their business. 

There are other agencies in Texas that also offer licensing or certifications, including the National Pest Management Association, Texas Pest Management Association, Environmental Protection Agency, American Mosquito Control Association, and the Better Business Bureau.