Pest control in Brownsville

DSHS counted 42 West Nile disease cases and 7 deaths statewide in 2022. Its advice is repellent registered with the EPA and a regular sweep for standing water in tires, buckets, toys, plant pots and clogged gutters. Ask a treatment company what it will look for on the first visit, since standing water keeps refilling the yard.

Formosan termites, first found in Texas in 1956 near the Houston Ship Channel, have been detected in 31 counties, according to Texas A&M, and more are added each year. Cameron County is on that list. Swarms come at night in late May and early June and head for lights, so that's the time to watch porch and window fixtures.

Fire ants and scorpions around Brownsville yards

AgriLife recommends baiting the whole yard and then treating problem mounds, in spring or fall. Striped bark scorpions shelter under rocks, boards and debris around homes; most stings cause moderate reactions, but watch for allergic signs.

Chapter 1951 of the Occupations Code requires a TDA license for structural pest control done for hire. Ask which license category covers your job, such as termite control or general pest, and search TDA's company lookup by zip code or address, or its lists of active applicators and technicians.

The business must carry at least $500,000 of bodily injury and property damage coverage, $1,000,000 in aggregate, from an insurer authorized by TDI, and the policy can't exclude property in the company's care, custody or control. Ask for the certificate before an indoor or attic treatment, and ask for the applicator's license too: TDA calls applicators who work for a for-hire business commercial applicators.

HomeGuide's national figures (January 2026): $100 to $600 for a one-time visit, $80 to $150 a visit for quarterly service, and $350 to $1,000 a season for mosquito control. Termite treatment runs $225 to $2,500 for chemical or bait methods (November 2025), and inspections $0 to $250. The Texas pest control guide has the full table.

For indoor treatment in a home you own, the applicator must make TDA's consumer information sheet available, in English or Spanish. Apartment complexes with five or more units must give 48 hours' notice before planned indoor treatments, on a sign at least 8.5 by 11 inches listing the National Pesticide Information Center, 1-800-858-7378.

If you're buying a Brownsville home, the real estate termite report must be on TDA's unaltered form from a licensed termite applicator; see Brownsville realtors. The Brownsville guide has local offices, and pest control in McAllen is up the valley.