Pest control in Tyler

Structural pest control for hire in Texas needs a TDA license under Chapter 1951 of the Occupations Code. TDA licenses by category, including general pest, termite, lawn and ornamental, and weed control, so match the category to the job. TDA publishes active license lists and a company search by zip code.

The business must carry at least $500,000 of bodily injury and property damage coverage, with a $1,000,000 aggregate, and the policy has to cover property in the company's care, custody or control. For an indoor treatment at your owner-occupied home, the applicator must make TDA's consumer information sheet available, in English or Spanish.

Selling or buying a Tyler home

A termite report for a Texas sale must be on TDA's Wood Destroying Insect Report form, by a licensed applicator or technician in the termite category. It covers visible, accessible areas only, so inaccessible attics, hollow walls and spaces behind appliances can be skipped and a hidden infestation missed. A corrective treatment can be recommended only if there's visible evidence of active infestation, or of a past one with no sign of prior treatment.

• Fire ants. AgriLife's preferred approach is the Two-Step Method: broadcast bait, then treat problem mounds. Spring and fall work best; in hot, dry summers ants are less active and mounds are hard to see.
• Mosquitoes. DSHS says mosquitoes stay active in much of Texas into November and December. Empty standing water in toys, tires, buckets, clogged gutters and plant pots, and ask the city whether it sprays your area.
• Scorpions. The striped bark scorpion is the only one of Texas's 18 species found statewide. It hides under rocks, boards and debris, so clearing those around the house is the first step.

Formosan termites have been detected in 31 Texas counties, Smith among them, swarming at night in late May and early June. Ask any Tyler company whether its termite technician has seen them locally.

HomeGuide's national figures, not Tyler prices, put a one-time visit at $100 to $600, quarterly service at $80 to $150 a visit, and termite treatment at $225 to $2,500 for chemical or bait methods. A termite inspection runs $0 to $250. The full guide is on our pest control hub.

Compare quotes with companies in Longview, and see our Tyler hub for the city's other services, including tree service for limbs that hang over the roof.