Everyday household pests
Household pest control for Amarillo-area homes
Earwigs, silverfish, millipedes and centipedes, pill bugs and stink bugs are covered by your Home Protection Plan, with a technician visit about every two months.
Overview
The pests that wander in, and why
Most of these pests are accidental invaders. They live outdoors or in damp corners, and they end up inside because of the weather, moisture or a gap in the way. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says earwigs migrate indoors during prolonged heat and drought looking for cool, moist hiding places, and millipedes may move into a home after heavy rainfall or during drought. On the High Plains, hot, dry stretches and heavy storms are both part of the year.
Most of them do little damage. AgriLife describes earwigs as accidental invaders that generally do not reproduce indoors, centipedes and millipedes as more of a nuisance than a destructive pest, and pill bugs as rarely surviving more than a day or two indoors. Stink bugs that come inside do not reproduce there either, but some kinds look for winter shelter in fall and give off an odor when disturbed.
These are the pests that make a home feel unwelcoming, and they are all covered by your Home Protection Plan. Your technician typically treats the outside of your home, at the foundation, entry points and cracks where they get in.
What is covered
These household pests are included in your Home Protection Plan:
- Earwigs
- Silverfish
- Millipedes and centipedes
- Pill bugs
- Stink bugs
- Interior liquid application: a free add-on to the Home Protection Plan
Ants, spiders, roaches, rodents, wasps and carpenter bees are covered by the same plan and have their own pages, so everything is handled on one schedule.
The Home Protection Plan at a glance
One year-round plan covers most of the pests on this site, so you are not booking a separate visit for each problem. Here is how it works.
- Visits about every two months, year-round: six a year, each within about 15 days of its target date
- Covers rats, mice, spiders, wasps, carpenter bees, earwigs, non-wood-boring ants, millipedes and centipedes, American and Palmetto roaches, stink bugs, pill bugs and silverfish
- Add-ons: carpenter ants, voles and exterior fleas and ticks, priced separately, plus interior liquid application at no extra charge
- A 100% warranty: free re-service if covered pests return between visits 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 12-, 18- or 24-month initial commitment: 3 business days to cancel after you sign, and an early-termination fee if you end it sooner
- After your commitment ends, your plan continues on the same schedule until you ask us to stop (at least 30 days before your next scheduled service)
Signs of household pests
These pests are mostly active at night or hide in damp, dark spots, so you tend to find them in a few predictable places.
Earwigs near doors and damp corners
Earwigs have a pair of pincer-like forceps at the tail end, feed at night and prefer moist conditions. Their flattened bodies let them slip in through tiny cracks, usually at ground level.
Silverfish in closets, attics and near books
Silverfish are silvery, carrot-shaped and quick, with three tail-like projections, and they are active mostly at night. They are often found in closets, attics and near bookcases, and they leave notched edges or stains on paper, fabric and wallpaper.
Millipedes and centipedes on floors and in bathrooms
Millipedes are slow, cylindrical and curl into a spiral when disturbed. Centipedes are flat and fast, and the house centipede, about an inch and a half long with 15 pairs of long legs, is found in damp places such as closets, bathrooms and under the house.
Pill bugs under pots and mulch
Pill bugs, also called roly-polies, are small gray crustaceans that roll into a ball when disturbed. By day they hide in moist places under mulch and leaves.
Stink bugs on the outside of the house in fall
Stink bugs are shield-shaped and give off an odor when disturbed or crushed. Some kinds gather on the outside of buildings on warm fall days and can turn up indoors on warm days later in winter.
How it works
What a typical household pest visit looks like
These pests come from outside, so that is where the work typically happens.
Inspect the outside
Your technician may look along the foundation line, at door and window frames, and at the damp, shaded spots along the house where these pests hide.
Treat the perimeter, entry points and cracks
Using a backpack or hand sprayer, your technician typically treats around the foundation and in the cracks and gaps where these pests get in.
Add the inside if you want it
Interior liquid application is a free add-on to the Home Protection Plan. Ask for it if you are finding pests indoors.
Repeat every two months
Visits repeat about every two months, year-round, so treatment continues through wet spells, dry spells and every season.
Seasons
When household pests are active in the Texas Panhandle
Weather decides when these pests show up. Earwigs come indoors during prolonged heat and drought, and in winter they can dig as deep as six feet into the ground to escape freezing temperatures. Millipedes move indoors after heavy rain or during drought, but they tend to die quickly inside from lack of moisture and food. Silverfish prefer humid places, with a relative humidity of 75 to 95 percent according to AgriLife, while the National Weather Service notes that humidity in Amarillo is often low, occasionally dropping below 15 percent in spring. Indoors, silverfish concentrate where moisture collects.
The Home Protection Plan runs all year, so treatment continues through each of these shifts.
Season by season
Spring
Heavy rain can send millipedes toward the house. About three-quarters of Amarillo’s yearly precipitation falls from April through September (National Weather Service).
Summer
Prolonged heat and drought send earwigs, and sometimes millipedes, looking for cool, moist hiding places, which can mean your home.
Fall
Some stink bugs begin searching for overwintering sites in September and October, according to university extension guidance, gathering on the outside of buildings on warm days.
Winter
Earwigs burrow underground to avoid freezing temperatures, while silverfish, which prefer humid indoor spots, do not depend on the weather outside. Ask about interior liquid application if you are finding pests indoors.
Household pest questions
Have a question that is not here? Call us and we will answer it.
Call (806) 209-4849Which household pests are covered by the Home Protection Plan?
Earwigs, silverfish, millipedes and centipedes, pill bugs and stink bugs are all covered, along with the other pests on the plan. If you are seeing something else, call (806) 209-4849 and describe it, and we will tell you honestly whether it is covered.
Are these pests dangerous?
Mostly they are a nuisance. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says earwigs rarely harm people and centipedes and millipedes do not transmit diseases. Some centipedes can bite and millipedes can release an irritating fluid, so it is best not to handle them.
Why do I see millipedes and earwigs after rain or during a heat wave?
They move to find the conditions they need. Earwigs come indoors during prolonged heat and drought looking for cool, moist places, and millipedes can wander in after heavy rain or during drought, though they tend to die quickly indoors.
What can I do to keep them out between visits?
Reduce moisture and hiding places next to the house: pull excess mulch back from the foundation, keep gutters and downspouts carrying water away, fix leaks, seal gaps around doors and pipes, and move firewood and stones away from the walls. These are the steps AgriLife recommends.
Is there a long-term commitment?
The Home Protection Plan starts with a 12-, 18- or 24-month commitment, then continues on the same schedule until you ask us to stop. You have 3 business days after signing to cancel, and your price does not increase during your commitment. If you end your agreement before your commitment is complete, an early-termination fee applies. The full terms are in your service agreement.
What if these pests come back?
Call us at (806) 209-4849. Your plan includes a 100% warranty: if pests covered by your plan return between visits, we re-service your home at no charge. If the same activity is verified to persist after two free re-services, you receive a refund of your last charge and your plan ends with no cancellation fee. Full terms are in your service agreement.
Service areas
Where we work
We serve Amarillo and nearby communities across the Texas Panhandle. Choose your community to see what is active there through the year.
Ask about household pest control
Request a free quote and we will confirm your plan and schedule your first visit, or call us at (806) 209-4849 and tell us what you have been finding.