Pest control in Amarillo

Texas requires businesses and individuals doing structural pest control for hire to be licensed under the Structural Pest Control Act, run by TDA. Licenses come in categories, including general pest, termite, and lawn and ornamental, so a company licensed for general pests isn't automatically licensed for termites. TDA publishes current license lists and a search by ZIP code or address.

TDA also separates commercial applicators, who run or work for a for-hire business, from noncommercial ones licensed for their own employer's work. For your Amarillo home you want a commercial business license and a licensed applicator or technician on the job.

A licensed business must carry at least $500,000 of bodily injury and property damage cover, with a $1,000,000 aggregate, and the policy must cover property in the company's care, custody or control. Ask for the license number and a certificate of insurance.

At an owner-occupied home, the applicator must make TDA's consumer information sheet available for indoor treatments, on TDA's own form in English or Spanish. In a rental complex with five or more units, residents in or next to the treatment area get at least 48 hours' notice, by sign or notice at each unit. Only an emergency treatment, meaning an imminent hazard to health with a statement signed by the customer and applicator, skips that.

Amarillo pest timing

The striped bark scorpion is the only one of Texas's 18 species found statewide, and it shelters under rocks, boards and debris around homes. Amarillo picks up bulky items such as old fencing at the curb free (call 806-378-6813), a way to clear the boards and debris it hides in. For fire ants, AgriLife says spring and fall are the best times to bait, using its Two-Step Method: broadcast bait first, then treat the individual mounds that still cause trouble. In hot, dry summer months the ants are less active and go deeper into the soil, so mounds are harder to spot.

An Amarillo quote can be tested against HomeGuide's national ranges: $100 to $600 for a single visit, $80 to $150 a visit on a quarterly plan, and $40 to $75 a visit for monthly service. Termite treatment runs $225 to $2,500 for chemical or bait methods. These aren't Amarillo prices, so get two quotes. The Texas pest control guide covers termite reports and the rest.

If you're buying a house, note that an official wood-destroying insect report must come from a TDA-licensed termite applicator; see Amarillo realtors. Compare pest control in Lubbock, or go back to the Amarillo city guide.