How to choose a pest control company in Houston

Walk away if

• There is no TDA license number on the truck, the contract or the invoice.
• They diagnose termites or sell a treatment without inspecting the house.
• They cannot explain which category their applicator is licensed in.
• A termite quote comes without the Texas treatment disclosure document and diagram.
• They pressure you to sign a multi-year contract on the first visit.
• They offer a wood-destroying insect report for a real estate sale without a termite-category license.

Ask before you hire

1. What is your TDA business license number, and who is the certified applicator for my job?
2. What product will you use, where exactly, and can I have the label and safety data sheet?
3. For termites, is this a liquid barrier or a bait system, and what does the warranty cover and exclude?
4. What does the annual renewal cost, and does it include re-treatment or only inspection?
5. What should I do with pets, food and children before and after the treatment?

Houston specifics

Houston is warm and wet for most of the year, which is good news for everything that eats, bites or burrows. The pests that matter for the house are subterranean termites, including the Formosan variety that builds large colonies and moves fast, plus carpenter ants, rodents and the roaches that come with humidity. Mosquitoes are a separate category of work, and a company treating your yard for them needs the lawn and ornamental or the pest category depending on the application.

Termites are the money question. Houston houses sit on slabs, and termites come up through expansion joints, plumbing penetrations and cracks. A liquid barrier treatment trenches and treats the soil around the foundation. A bait system places stations in the yard and relies on monitoring. Both work when done well, and both fail when the company stops showing up. The warranty is only as good as the annual inspection behind it.

Texas requires a written treatment disclosure before a termite treatment, with a diagram of the house showing where product goes and what was found. Keep it with the house records. When you sell, a buyer’s lender will ask for a current WDI report, and a prior treatment history makes that process smoother.

After a flood, termite barriers can wash out and bait stations can float away. Ask for a re-inspection once the ground dries.

Reading a pest control bid

A complete bid lists the target pests, the product by name with its label, where and how it will be applied, the number of visits in the first term and the schedule after, what the warranty covers and whether re-treatment is included, the annual renewal cost, what you need to do before the visit, and the license numbers of the business and the applicator. For termites, the Texas treatment disclosure and diagram are part of the bid, not a document you receive later.

Frequently asked