Pest control in Lubbock

Fire ants and the Two-Step Method

AgriLife's preferred approach is to broadcast bait across the whole yard, then treat individual problem mounds. Ask a pest company whether its plan follows that order and when it will apply. TDA's license categories include lawn and ornamental as well as general pest, so ask which category the company holds for yard work.

Striped bark scorpions

The striped bark scorpion is Texas's most common scorpion and the only one of 18 species found across the whole state. It shelters under rocks, boards and debris around houses. AgriLife says stings usually cause only moderate reactions, but watch a stung person for allergic or other adverse reactions.

Termites and Lubbock home sales

For a real estate deal, the termite inspection must be on TDA's Wood Destroying Insect Report form, unaltered, by a licensed applicator or technician in the termite category. The inspection covers visible, accessible areas, and spaces like inaccessible attics and hollow walls don't have to be checked. Treatment can be recommended only with visible active infestation, or evidence of a past one that was never treated.

The general rates are dated January 9, 2026 and the termite figures November 21, 2025. Lubbock companies may price differently, so get two or three written quotes that name the pests covered, the visit schedule and whether call-backs between visits cost extra. The Texas pest control guide has the full picture.

Structural pest control for hire in Texas needs a TDA license under Occupations Code Chapter 1951. TDA separates commercial applicators, who work for a for-hire business, from noncommercial ones, and licenses by category, including general pest, termite, lawn and ornamental, and fumigation. Its published lists cover active commercial businesses, applicators, technicians and apprentices, and its company search works by ZIP code or address.

The business must carry at least $500,000 of bodily injury and property damage coverage with a $1,000,000 aggregate, from an insurer authorized in Texas, kept in force for the whole license period. Ask for the certificate. TDA also requires that the policy cover damage to property in the company's care, custody or control, so the usual exclusion for that must be removed.

Write down the license number from the company's paperwork and check it against TDA's lists before the first visit. The person who shows up may be an apprentice or technician working under a certified applicator; both appear on TDA's published lists, so you can look up the individual as well as the company.

For an indoor treatment in a home you own and live in, the technician must make TDA's consumer information sheet available. Renters in buildings with fewer than five units can ask for it at each indoor treatment, and complexes of five or more must give residents in or next to the treatment area 48 hours' notice. Only an emergency treatment for an imminent health hazard can skip that notice, with a signed statement. Companies must use TDA's own information sheet, in English or Spanish, and notice signs must be at least 8.5 by 11 inches and list the National Pesticide Information Center hotline, 1-800-858-7378.

If you're treating a home before moving in or out, book the cleaners afterward; see Lubbock cleaning services. Our Lubbock guide covers local rules, and pest control in Midland is nearby.