Termite control in Round Rock, TX.

In Round Rock, termite work is quoted on inspection.

A Forest Creek ranch on a slab from the late 80s and a Teravista two-story on new concrete are not the same job, so we see the house before we name a price. Foundation type, the length of wall and where termites are working set the number, and you have it in hand before we start. Termite work sits outside the monthly general pest plan, and a WDI report for a sale is quoted when you book.

In-ground bait stations around the house, priced per property after we see it. A WDI report for a home sale is quoted when you book.

Inspect

Before a single station goes in, we find the activity. Flashlight, probe and moisture meter along the garage slab joint, the slab edge and each plumbing opening. On the older Forest Creek and Stone Oak slabs near Brushy Creek, the settled cracks get extra attention.

Install stations

Stations are set into the soil around the house, mostly in the mulch beds along the foundation, where the workers already forage. Workers feed on the bait and take it back to the colony. The active ingredient works slowly by design, so everyone gets a share. Free labor, courtesy of the termites.

Monitor

Every station gets checked on a schedule, and we add bait wherever termites are feeding. Complete control can take several weeks, per Texas A&M. We leave the stations in after the colony is gone, since a new one can move into the yard later, on either side of I-35.

What brings termites to Round Rock houses.

Termite control in Round Rock changes with the ground. West of I-35, the soil is thin over limestone, so the damp pockets termites need sit right at the slab edge, the garage joint and the sprinkler valve boxes. East through Teravista, Paloma Lake and Chandler Creek, blackland clay holds rainwater, and wet soil against a foundation is exactly what a subterranean colony is looking for. Heavily irrigated lawns on both sides keep the strip along the house damp. From that soil the workers run pencil-width mud tubes up over the concrete, and most owners never see more of the colony than that.

Round Rock sits right on the geological seam, and I-35 roughly marks it: Edwards limestone on the west side through Behrens Ranch, Mayfield Ranch, Vista Oaks and Cat Hollow, heavier blackland clay to the east through Teravista, Paloma Lake and Chandler Creek. Brushy Creek crosses town west to east and carries damp ground through the middle of it, past the older streets of Forest Creek and Stone Oak, where mature canopy shades slabs poured in the late 80s. Damp soil with wood in reach is the whole termite recipe.

Here's the thing about the wings on the windowsill. The insects that left them are swarmers. They cannot damage wood, and they only live about a day. Swatting them is housekeeping, not termite control, and the colony will never know. The ones eating your trim are workers, and workers stay sealed inside the soil, the wood and their mud tubes, out of reach of anything you could spray. So we go the other way. A bait station puts food where workers already forage. They eat it, haul it home and share it with the rest of the colony, and because the active ingredient acts slowly, it travels through the colony before it kills. Texas A&M counts that in weeks, so we keep checking stations on a schedule rather than calling it done after the first visit. Clay east of I-35 or limestone west of it, the stations go wherever the workers are already digging.

Native subterranean termites swarm in daylight, often after a spring rain. Equal-size wings on a Round Rock sill in these weeks mean it is time to call.

After dark, drawn to porch lights and windows. Texas A&M records them mostly on the upper Gulf Coast, so one this far inland would be unusual. Send us a photo anyway.

Clay side or limestone side, the colony keeps eating through every month. Swarms are just the part that shows.

Signs termites are already in the house.

Most termite jobs start with something left behind, not a live termite. West of I-35 the thin soil over limestone puts the evidence right at the slab, and east of it the wet clay keeps the tubes coming, so tell us your side of the highway when you call. Bag a few swarmers or freeze them, remember where they came out, and send a sharp photo. That often answers termite or flying ant before a truck rolls.

What does termite treatment cost in Round Rock?

There is no set price, because a Stone Oak slab from the late 80s and a new Teravista build are different jobs. We inspect first, then quote on slab or pier and beam, the length of the foundation and where termites are active. That inspection is free and carries no obligation. Termite work is not included in the monthly general pest plan, and a WDI report for a sale is quoted when you book.

How do I tell a termite swarmer from a flying ant?

Look at the waist, the antennae and the wings. Termites are thick through the middle, with straight, beadlike antennae and four wings all the same size. Flying ants have a pinched waist, elbowed antennae and a front pair of wings longer than the back. Put one on a white paper towel and zoom in with your phone, or use our termite vs ant swarmer guide. Ants? Then you want ant control in Round Rock.

I found swarmers inside my Round Rock house. Do I have termites?

Almost certainly, if they came out indoors. Swarmers leave from a colony already feeding in that wall, though the swarmers themselves cannot damage wood and only live about a day. Swarmers in the fence or the woodpile are a different story, since that colony may never have reached the house. Walk the slab edge for mud tubes either way.

What months do termites swarm in Round Rock?

Round Rock runs on the same calendar as the rest of the state. Per Texas A&M, swarms are most common February to May, usually March and April, and native subterranean termites fly by day. Formosan termites fly at night in late May and early June, toward lights. Either way, the colony in the soil keeps feeding every month.

Can you do a liquid termite treatment instead of bait?

No. In-ground bait stations are the only termite treatment we offer, alongside WDI reports for home sales. The colony does the distributing: workers eat the bait in the soil and feed it to the rest. We check stations on a schedule and top up bait where termites are feeding, and they stay in the ground afterward in case a new colony moves into the yard.

Should I get a termite inspection before selling in Round Rock?

Often, yes. A WDI (wood destroying insect) inspection is a look at the visible areas for termites, other wood destroying insects and the conditions that invite them, and in Texas it goes on the form the Texas Department of Agriculture prescribes. VA loans require one anywhere in the state, and other lenders and buyers may ask for one too. The report is quoted when you book, and we are licensed in Texas.

Does it matter which side of I-35 my Round Rock house is on?

It changes where we look, not what we use. West of I-35 in Vista Oaks or Cat Hollow, the soil over the limestone is thin, so the damp strip termites need is right against the slab, under the beds and around the valve boxes. East in Teravista or Paloma Lake, blackland clay holds rainwater against the foundation. Either side, it is bait stations in the soil where workers forage, quoted on inspection.

Can termites come up through an older Round Rock slab?

They use whatever gap the slab gives them. A slab poured in the late 80s in Forest Creek or Stone Oak has had decades to settle, and hairline cracks and plumbing penetrations are routes from the soil to the wood. Look for mud tubes at plumbing openings and dried mud packed in cracks or along baseboards. We inspect those first, set stations in the soil outside, and point out any gap worth fixing.