Pest control in Cypress

A Wood Destroying Insect Report for a Texas real estate deal must be on TDA's prescribed form, with no alterations, and written by a certified applicator or technician licensed in TDA's termite category. Inaccessible attics, hollow walls and spaces behind appliances or built-ins don't have to be examined, so a clean report isn't a guarantee.

A corrective treatment can be recommended only if there's visible evidence of active infestation, or of a past one with no sign of treatment. If a report recommends treatment, ask to see the evidence. HomeGuide's national figures put chemical or bait treatment at $225 to $2,500, tenting at $2,000 to $8,000, and an inspection at $0 to $250.

Formosan termites have turned up in 31 Texas counties, Harris among them, according to Texas A&M, and they swarm at night in late May and early June.

Harris County Public Health's Mosquito and Vector Control Division (713-440-4800) runs surveillance and treatment countywide, spraying between 8:30 p.m. and 5 a.m., and takes breeding-site requests online. DSHS says to use EPA-registered repellent and empty standing water in buckets, tires, toys, plant pots and clogged gutters. A private mosquito program costs $80 to $150 a visit or $350 to $1,000 a season nationally.

For fire ants, Texas A&M AgriLife's preferred approach is the Two-Step Method: bait broadcast across the yard, then individual mound treatment, with spring and fall the best times to bait. In hot, dry months the ants are less active and mounds are hard to find.

For-hire pest control needs a TDA license under the Structural Pest Control Act. TDA licenses general pest, termite, lawn and ornamental and other categories separately, and its search finds licensed companies by zip code or address. Ask the company to name its categories.

The business must carry at least $500,000 of liability cover with a $1,000,000 aggregate, and the policy must cover property in its care, custody or control, so the usual exclusion has to come off. For an indoor treatment at an owner-occupied home, the technician must offer TDA's consumer information sheet. In a rental of fewer than five units, residents can ask for it at each treatment, and complexes of five or more units must notify residents at least 48 hours before each planned indoor treatment.

Nationally, a one-time visit costs $100 to $600 and monthly treatments $40 to $75 a visit. More is in the Texas pest control guide. If you're buying, a Cypress real estate agent will know when the termite report is due; you can also compare pest control in Katy or see the Cypress guide.