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Pest control in Central Texas

Is pest control worth it in Austin? It depends on the house

Got a pest company's magnet on the fridge and an ant trail by the sink? Then you're probably wondering: is pest control worth it, or would you be paying for nothing? We'll go house by house, including when it isn't worth it. There's a checklist to print, too.

By the Bastion Pest Control team Licensed and insured in Texas Last updated

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An older one-story Austin cottage with a front porch behind a light picket fence, beside a drawing of four kinds of Austin homes on one street
Our own count of Census housing data
Sourced to Texas A&M AgriLife
CDC and NPIC guidance
Two peer-reviewed cockroach studies

Summary

The short answer

Is pest control worth it? It depends on your house and what keeps showing up. Pest control isn't necessary for an ant trail now and then: wipe it up with soapy water and caulk where the ants get in. Think about a pro when the pest is hard to find or reach, like under a raised floor. If you rent, ask your manager first, since roaches can move between units that share plumbing. And if one fix ends it, you may not need a plan.

Not sure which one is you? Run the checklist below.

Prefer to listen? 43 seconds.

The short version, read aloud. Read by a synthetic voice, not one of our technicians.

Is pest control worth it for your house? Run this checklist

Do I need pest control? Start with your kind of house, because that changes the answer. In our count of Census data, almost half of Austin's housing units (46%) are in buildings of five or more units. And about 6 in 10 Austin households rent.

Printable checklist

Is pest control worth it?

Work from the top down, and skip the checks that don't fit your house.

Before you call anyone

Walk the house

Then decide

Download the printable checklistPDF, one page

When is pest control not worth it?

Do you really need pest control? Not always. NC State says it comes down to what you call a pest and how many run-ins you'll put up with.

  • An ant trail now and then. UC IPM, the University of California's pest program, says to wipe it with soapy water to clear the scent trail, then caulk where they come in.
  • A one-time problem. NC State says it's your choice whether to treat "reactively (only when you see them)." If one fix ends it, we'd skip the plan.
  • A rental where the manager handles pests. Check your lease and ask first.

A homeowner once had the pen uncapped, ready to sign up over one ant trail by the sink. I talked him down to soapy water and a tube of caulk and told him to keep the pen handy.

So is pest control worth it for a bug you see twice a year? Probably not, unless it's termites. Our cost guide lists the small stuff you can skip calling about.

When pest control is likely worth it, and when to skip it, by kind of house. The counts are our own count of Census Bureau estimates for Austin (American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates).
Your houseHow many in Austin (our Census count)Likely worth it whenSkip it when
Raised house (pier-and-beam)Not counted. The Census doesn't ask about foundations.Mice have gotten in under the floor, or the problem is somewhere you can't reachYou've checked under the floor and the vents, they're tight, and nothing keeps coming back
Rocky lotNot counted. The Census doesn't record what's under a lot.Scorpions keep getting inside after you've cleared rocks and wood and sealed cracksNothing gets inside, and you keep rocks, boards and wood away from the walls
Newer house, built 2020 or laterAbout 1 in 15 occupied houses and townhomesPests keep finding the gaps where lines come in, or fire ant mounds keep coming back in a sunny lawnAn ant trail now and then that soapy water and caulk take care of
Apartment or rental46% of housing units are in buildings of 5 or more units. About 6 in 10 households rent.You own or run the building and roaches keep turning up, since they can move between units that share plumbingYour manager or landlord already handles pests (check your lease)

Does the ground under your house change the answer?

Do I need pest control for my house? Start with what's piled by your walls, not with a map. UT Austin's geology bureau says the Balcones Escarpment generally parallels MoPac. Soils west of it are thin and rocky, and soils east of it are deep.

Got rocks, boards or wood near the house? Texas A&M says scorpions hide in small cracks and under stones, bark and wood, and they're hard to control with insecticides alone. So the first step, it says, is changing the area around the house: move the rocks, boards and junk, and seal the cracks.

A tan striped bark scorpion with darker stripes down its back, lying in damp soil among dead leaves and twigs
A striped bark scorpion in leaf litter in Austin, October 2025. It's the most common scorpion in Texas, and it's often found under rocks or boards and in debris, Texas A&M says. Photo: Etienne Falquet on iNaturalist (CC0).

On a rocky lot, a plan alone isn't the fix. Call when they keep getting in after that work, and read up on the two kinds of scorpions found near Austin.

Fire ants aren't picky about the dirt. Texas A&M's fire ant project says they build mounds in almost any type of soil, but prefer open, sunny spots like lawns. So east or west, watch the lawn.

One Austin street, four homes: an older house raised on piers, a stone house on a rocky lot with a scorpion on the rock wall, a new build with fresh sod and a fire ant mound, and an apartment building with a cockroach by the dumpster A flat cartoon of one Austin street split into four side-by-side panels under a clear blue sky, with a sidewalk and a road along the bottom. Panel one: an older wood-sided bungalow raised off the ground on piers, with lattice skirting around the dark space under the floor, a small vent, a big shade tree and a pile of dead leaves in the front yard. Panel two: a light stone ranch house on a rocky lot, with boulders in the yard, cedar and oak trees, and a stacked stone wall in front with a small tan scorpion on top. Panel three: a new two-story house on bare dark soil, with a few square pieces of new sod, a young staked tree, a dark mulch bed against the foundation and a small fire ant mound in the lawn. Panel four: a three-story apartment building with balconies, a green dumpster at the side and a small brown cockroach on the ground near it. ONE STREET, FOUR KINDS OF HOMES What to check depends on the house you live in. RAISED ON PIERS Hard to reach? NPIC says think about a pro CRAWL SPACE Mice can fit through a pencil-width hole ROCK WALL Scorpions hide under stones and in cracks SCORPION Hard to control with insecticides alone MULCH BED Keep it at least a foot back to cut down on ants FIRE ANTS Fire ants like open, sunny lawns SHARED WALLS Roaches can move between units that share plumbing COCKROACH Gel bait cut them in a 2019 study; bombs didn't bastion PEST CONTROL
What to check at four kinds of homes. Crawl space vents are on the list of spots to check for gaps, and a mouse can fit through a hole the width of a pencil (CDC). Scorpions hide in small cracks and under stones, and they're difficult to control with insecticides alone (Texas A&M). Fire ants build mounds in almost any type of soil but prefer open, sunny areas such as lawns (Texas A&M's fire ant project). Keep mulch at least a foot from the foundation to cut down on ant foraging and nesting (UC IPM). In a 1984 study of low-income apartments, roaches moved between units that shared plumbing (Runstrom and Bennett), and in a 2019 study, gel bait cut roach numbers while bug bombs didn't (DeVries and others). The drawing shows what to check, not which homes have more pests. Illustration: Bastion Pest Control.

What about an older pier-and-beam house?

Is pest control worth it in a raised house? It's more likely when the trouble is under the floor, where it's hard to see or reach. In our count of Census data, only about 7% of all Austin housing units were built before 1960.

How old Austin's homes are

Our count of Census data: the share of Austin's housing units built in each decade. Orange marks the oldest homes, before 1960, and the newest, 2020 on.

Austin housing units by the decade they were built, 2024 Share of all housing units in the City of Austin by the decade the building was built, from the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey. Built 1939 or earlier: 2.1 percent. Built 1940 to 1949: 1.6 percent. Built 1950 to 1959: 3.3 percent. Built 1960 to 1969: 6.0 percent. Built 1970 to 1979: 12.3 percent. Built 1980 to 1989: 14.4 percent. Built 1990 to 1999: 10.5 percent. Built 2000 to 2009: 17.9 percent. Built 2010 to 2019: 22.2 percent. Built 2020 or later: 9.8 percent. 0 5 10 15 20 25 Built 1939 or earlier: 2.1% of Austin housing units (plus or minus 0.4 points) 2.1% Pre-1940 Built 1940 to 1949: 1.6% of Austin housing units (plus or minus 0.4 points) 1.6% 1940s Built 1950 to 1959: 3.3% of Austin housing units (plus or minus 0.4 points) 3.3% 1950s Built 1960 to 1969: 6.0% of Austin housing units (plus or minus 0.7 points) 6.0% 1960s Built 1970 to 1979: 12.3% of Austin housing units (plus or minus 1.1 points) 12.3% 1970s Built 1980 to 1989: 14.4% of Austin housing units (plus or minus 1.0 points) 14.4% 1980s Built 1990 to 1999: 10.5% of Austin housing units (plus or minus 0.8 points) 10.5% 1990s Built 2000 to 2009: 17.9% of Austin housing units (plus or minus 1.4 points) 17.9% 2000s Built 2010 to 2019: 22.2% of Austin housing units (plus or minus 1.6 points) 22.2% 2010s Built 2020 or later: 9.8% of Austin housing units (plus or minus 0.9 points) 9.8% 2020 on
  • Built before 1960, or 2020 on
  • Built 1960 to 2019
Our own count of the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey (1-year estimates, table B25034), pulled 2026-10-25: all 518,574 housing units in the City of Austin by the year the building was built. About 7 percent went up before 1960 and about 10 percent in 2020 or later. These are survey estimates with margins of error of up to about 2 points, and the year built is the household's own answer. The Census doesn't ask about foundations or pests, so this shows how old the homes are, not which ones sit on piers or have bugs.

Count just the houses and townhomes people live in, and about 1 in 8 were built before 1960. The Census doesn't ask about foundations, though, so it can't say how many sit on piers.

Under a raised floor, check the crawl space and its vents for gaps, the CDC says. A mouse can fit through a hole the width of a pencil (1/4 inch). NPIC is a pesticide info center run by Oregon State and the EPA, and it says to think about a pro when a pest is hard to find or get to.

Skip the plan if you've checked under the floor and the vents, they're tight, and nothing keeps coming back.

Got a raised house and no wish to crawl under it? Call or text us at 843-480-8699 and tell us what you're finding.

Is it worth it in a new build or an apartment?

Sometimes. New doesn't mean sealed, and an apartment can share pipes with its neighbors.

  • A new build. About 1 in 15 occupied Austin houses and townhomes went up in 2020 or later, in our Census count. But the CDC's list of spots to check still includes the holes around electrical, plumbing, cable and gas lines. Skip the plan if all you get is the odd ant trail.
  • An apartment. In our count, 94% of households in Austin buildings with five or more units rent. In a 1984 Purdue study of low-income apartments, 75% of the German cockroaches moving into an apartment came from next-door units that shared plumbing. The authors wrote that all that moving around suggests aiming control at whole buildings. So renters, ask your manager first.

When do you need pest control, and when will DIY do?

DIY can work on what you can see and reach. So when do you need pest control? NPIC says to think about a pro when the pest is hard to identify, find or reach, or your own efforts haven't worked.

Still weighing DIY pest control vs professional help? Here's what our pest control service covers: a visit every two months, billed monthly, with 40+ pests on every visit. Bait stations come with the plan, and only a major rodent infestation is a separate job. We treat inside on request at no extra cost, and re-treatments between visits are free. Read up on how often pest control should be done, or see our plan prices.

DIY moves to skip

  • Bug bombs for roaches. In a 2019 NC State study of roach-infested homes, foggers failed to cut roach numbers, while gel baits caused significant drops.
  • Spraying the ant trail. UC IPM says sprays only give temporary control. Use baits outdoors for the colony.
California's pesticide regulator walks through household pest tips on a series of slides set to music, with no narration. It starts with prevention, inspecting often, and removing the clutter, food and water pests need. Source: "Integrated Pest Management at Home" California Department of Pesticide Regulation on YouTube, published 2020. It runs 1 minute 22 seconds. It also says to weatherproof and repair openings around your home, to look into traps and devices used for your specific pest first, and, if a pesticide is needed, to read the label first, because using it by the label is the law.

Tried the fix that fits and it keeps coming back? Call 843-480-8699 or get a free quote right here.

Common questions

Is pest control necessary in Austin?

Not for every house. For the odd ant trail, UC IPM says to wipe it with soapy water and caulk the gap. NPIC says to think about a pro when the pest is hard to find or reach. Around here, that might be under a raised floor, or in a building where units share plumbing.

Do you really need pest control if you rarely see bugs?

Probably not a plan. NC State says most insect pests are just a nuisance, and good pest control starts with a careful look. Keep notes and decide when something keeps showing up. One exception: NC State says jobs like termites are best left to a pro. With us, termites are their own job, priced after we see the house.

Is DIY pest control as good as hiring a professional?

Sometimes, if it's the right product for the right pest. In the 2019 study, gel bait cut roach numbers and bug bombs didn't. But if the pest is hard to identify or reach, or your own efforts haven't worked, NPIC says to think about a professional.

Is a one-time treatment enough for my house?

It can be, if one fix ends the problem. Scorpions are the hard one: Texas A&M says they're difficult to control with insecticides alone, so clear the rocks, boards and junk and seal cracks first, whether you hire anyone or not. For roaches in a building that shares plumbing, the 1984 study suggests aiming control at the whole building, not one unit, so ask your manager first. With us, an active roach infestation is a separate job. We do one-time treatments, priced per property and per pest, but only recurring plans include free re-treatments. Here's how a plan compares with one-time visits on cost.

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About this page

Written by the Bastion Pest Control team in Austin, and the facts come from the sources below, checked on October 25, 2026. The Census numbers are our own count of survey estimates, and they can't count foundations or pests. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress (cover, public domain). See something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.

Sources

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