County-level federal surveillance, not a sales pitch
A plan that treats for everything is a plan priced for everything. What federal public-health surveillance actually records for Houston's county is below.
Free marketplace paths: one request reaches multiple local pest control pros who know they are competing for the job.
Which pests actually matter depends on where you live, and federal public-health surveillance publishes county-level tick and tick-borne-disease data - a better guide to what a Houston home needs than a plan that treats for everything.
West Nile virus has produced about 20 reported human cases in Houston's county in CDC's cumulative national count, which is the measurable part of the mosquito question that most Houston quotes never mention.
The county around Houston holds 4,971 business establishments per Census County Business Patterns 2023 - a rough proxy for how many pest control operators compete for work here, which is what makes competing quotes realistic.
Local risk is also what makes a quote fair or unfair: a plan priced for a heavy termite or tick region is not the same product as the same plan sold where those pressures are low.
Which pests actually matter depends on where you live, and that is measurable rather than a matter of opinion. Federal public-health surveillance publishes county-level data on ticks and the diseases they carry, which is a better guide to local risk than any sales pitch.
Get competing quotes for a treatment plan review before you sign anything
Free marketplace paths: one request reaches multiple local pest control pros who know they are competing for the job. Competing quotes on the same problem are the only reliable way to see what it should cost where you live.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual pest control company pays to appear in our research.
What the federal data records for this county
The figures on this page come from the CDC's county-level surveillance: Lyme disease case counts and incidence, established tick populations from the ArboNET Tick Module, and cumulative West Nile virus human cases. They describe measured public-health risk in Houston's county, not the likelihood that any particular home has a problem - but they are a far better starting point than a plan that treats for everything by default.
What the plan should cover - and what is always separate
| Problem | Usually inside a general plan? | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Ants, spiders, common crawling insects | Yes | The standard perimeter-and-interior programme covers these |
| Rodents | Sometimes - ask | Trapping is often included; sealing entry points is usually extra and is the part that lasts |
| Ticks and mosquitoes | Usually an add-on | Worth buying only where county surveillance shows real pressure |
| Termites | No - always separate | Different licence category in many states, different treatment, and a bond |
| Bed bugs | No - always separate | Priced per room by method; a general plan will not touch them |
| Wildlife (raccoons, bats, squirrels) | No | Often a different licence entirely, and protected species have legal restrictions |
- Ask which pests the plan actually targets, and why those
- Ask what is seasonal and what is year-round where you live
- Ask what the plan does NOT cover - termites and bed bugs are usually separate
- Match the plan to the property: crawl space, slab, wooded lot and urban row house differ
- Reassess annually rather than letting a plan renew unexamined
What this means in Houston
The cheapest quote in Houston is meaningless if the plan renews at a higher rate you never re-checked. Ask for the renewal price and the cancellation cost before the first visit, not after.
This page is independent research, not legal or pest-management advice. Licensing rules, notification requirements and consumer protections vary by state and change - verify current requirements with your state's regulator, and follow product labels and professional advice for any treatment. Pesticide labels are federal law; this site does not recommend specific products or treatments.
Get competing quotes for a treatment plan review before you sign anything
Free marketplace paths: one request reaches multiple local pest control pros who know they are competing for the job. Competing quotes on the same problem are the only reliable way to see what it should cost where you live.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual pest control company pays to appear in our research.
Common questions
How much does termite treatment cost?
A liquid barrier treatment - trenching around the foundation and drilling through concrete to create a continuous treated zone - commonly runs 1,000-3,200 dollars for a typical home perimeter. Inspections run 100-300 and are often credited against the job or offered free as a promotion. Bait systems are priced differently and usually carry an annual monitoring fee.
What questions separate a good company from a cheap one?
Four: what exactly is being treated and with what method; how many visits are included and what a return visit costs; what the agreement term, renewal price and cancellation cost are; and what the guarantee obliges them to do if the pest comes back. Companies that answer all four in writing are rarely the ones that cause problems later.
What does a termite bond actually cover?
There are two types and the difference is enormous. A retreatment-only bond obliges the company to treat again if termites return but, in the words of state agriculture regulators, does not obligate it to repair, replace or correct any damage the termites caused. A retreatment-plus-damage bond additionally covers structural repairs up to a stated cap. Ask which one you are being offered, in writing.
Do I have to leave the house during treatment?
For most routine interior treatments the rule is set by the product label, which is federal law - commonly re-entry once treated surfaces are dry. The widely circulated 'twelve hour' figure comes from agricultural worker protection standards and does not apply to homes. Fumigation is different and does require vacating. Ask the technician what will be applied and what the label requires.
How do I check a company's record?
Most states publish both a licence lookup and a complaint or enforcement record. Check the licence is current and in the right category for your job, then look for enforcement actions. Both links are on this site's state page, pointing at the regulator's own database rather than a directory we maintain.
Get competing quotes for a treatment plan review before you sign anything
Free marketplace paths: one request reaches multiple local pest control pros who know they are competing for the job. Competing quotes on the same problem are the only reliable way to see what it should cost where you live.
External links go to the marketplaces' own sites and forms. This site may earn a referral fee at no cost to you - it never changes the data above, and no individual pest control company pays to appear in our research.
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