Key takeaways
- Have notes and photos ready, and mention pets, children and health concerns.
- Texas rules require your written agreement to show license information, so read the cancellation and warranty terms.
- Visits come about every two months, and covered pests that return are handled under the warranty.
- Ask questions during and after the visit.
Before the visit
Start with a free quote, online or by phone at (806) 209-4849. Tell us what you have been seeing, where and when, and the general size of your home. A few notes and photos make it much easier to identify the problem, and they give the technician a starting point on the day.
- Note where and when you see activity.
- Photograph pests, droppings, nests or damage.
- Tell us about pets, young children and anyone with a health condition, so the technician can advise on precautions.
- Mention any products you have already used, and where, so the technician knows what is on the surfaces.
- Clear access to gates, the garage and the areas that concern you.
Your agreement and your rights
Texas rules require every written pest control agreement to show the business name, license number, an address and a phone number, along with a statement that the business is licensed and regulated by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and the agency's contact details. Invoices must show the business name, license number, phone number and address too. You can also find our license number in the footer of this site.
TDA also publishes a Consumer Information Sheet. It explains that TDA licenses and regulates structural pest control businesses, applicators and technicians, tells you who to contact with questions about the law and notes that you can ask the applicator for the product label.
Your agreement spells out what matters most: which pests are covered, whether you pay per service or monthly, the commitment length of 12, 18 or 24 months, how to cancel, any early-termination fee and the warranty. It includes a three-business-day right to cancel, and the price does not increase during your commitment. After the commitment, the plan continues on the same schedule until you ask us to stop, at least 30 days before your next scheduled service. Take your time reading it, ask about anything that is unclear and keep a copy with your invoices.
What happens during the visit
For spiders and other crawling pests, Texas public-health and extension sources describe treatment around the building perimeter and in the corners, cracks and crevices where pests hide. Your technician can explain what applies to your home.
Texas law directs the certified applicator or technician to make a pest control information sheet available before a treatment begins at a private residence, and the product label and its SDS, the manufacturer's data sheet, can be requested from the applicator. An interior liquid application is available as a Home Protection Plan add-on at no extra charge, alongside add-ons for carpenter ants, voles and exterior fleas and ticks. Ask about them when you schedule.
Preparing your home
A little preparation helps the technician work efficiently and helps you follow the label directions afterward. The TDA sheet notes that risk depends on the degree of exposure and on individual susceptibility, which is why label directions and vulnerable household members matter.
- Follow the technician's directions and the product label about when people and pets can use treated areas, and avoid unnecessary contact with treated surfaces.
- Put away pet food, bowls, toys and other items left near the foundation.
- Move stored items away from walls in areas you want checked.
After the visit: schedule and warranty
Home Protection Plan visits happen about every two months, six times a year, give or take up to 15 days, so a visit may land a couple of weeks early or late. Keep the information sheet and any label details you were given. Some pests take time to resolve. Texas A&M notes that eliminating some ant colonies can take three to four weeks or more.
If covered pests return, call us. The plan's warranty provides free re-service and, if the same activity is verified to persist after two free re-services, a refund of your last charge and the end of your plan with no cancellation fee. A simple log of dates, places and what you saw makes any follow-up faster. The Mosquito Reduction Plan runs on its own calendar of nine visits from March through November.
Questions worth asking
Whichever company you choose, these questions keep everyone on the same page.
- What did you find, and what did you treat?
- Which of the pests I have seen does my plan cover, and which need an add-on?
- How should I care for treated areas, and when can people and pets use them?
- When is my next visit, and how do I reach you between visits?
- Is there anything I should do or avoid between visits?
Sources
- TDA: Consumer Information SheetPDF
- 4 Texas Administrative Code Section 7.145: Contracts and Invoices
- Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1951, Sections 1951.453 and 1951.457
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Managing Household Ant Pests (B-6183)PDF
- Texas DSHS: Spiders
- AgriLife Today: Brown recluse spider, fact vs. fiction
This guide is general information for homeowners in the Texas Panhandle, drawn from the sources listed with each guide. It is not medical advice and does not replace product labels, your doctor, the Texas Department of State Health Services or Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. If you think you have been bitten, stung or exposed to a pesticide, call your doctor or the Texas Poison Center Network at 1-800-222-1222. Pest activity varies by property and season.
