Expert Pest Control

Prickly Pear treats common Central Texas pests including ants (including fire ants), cockroaches, spiders, rodents, mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and termites, with both one-time treatments and recurring quarterly plans. Our pest program is led by a team including a GM with a master’s degree in entomology, which shapes a more diagnostic approach to pest identification and treatment than a standard spray-and-go service.

A recurring plan typically includes scheduled monthly or quarterly treatments around the exterior perimeter and identified problem areas, free re-service between visits if pests return, and priority scheduling. Many of Prickly Pear’s wildlife exclusion customers also enroll in a recurring pest plan once they see the value of ongoing prevention.

Professional pest treatments use EPA-registered products applied according to label instructions, and technicians can advise on any re-entry waiting period for a given treatment. If you have specific sensitivities, mention them during scheduling so the technician can select an appropriate product.

Prickly Pear uses a variety of products selected to ensure the safest and most effective treatement possible with some green and some traditional products.

If you would like a green treatment, please let us know and we can discuss the options. 

Central Texas’s climate supports pest activity nearly year-round, so monthly treatment is the industry-standard baseline for most homes, with less frequent service possible for customers with specific concerns. 

Fire ant control requires targeting the colony itself, not just visible surface mounds, since a single fire ant colony can rebuild from an untreated queen — professional treatment typically combines broadcast bait treatment with individual mound treatment for faster knockdown of active mounds. 

Our monthly pest control customers receive an annual preventative fire ant treatment to ensure their yard stays mound free all year. If fire ants do emerge, it is a quick message to Prickly Pear and we will resolve it at no cost. 

Recurring ant activity after treatment usually means the colony itself, or a secondary colony nearby, wasn’t fully addressed, or new colonies are moving in from untreated areas of the property line. A recurring pest plan is designed specifically to catch and treat this kind of re-infestation between scheduled visits at no extra cost.

Cockroaches are drawn to food debris, moisture (leaking pipes, damp basements, standing water), and warm hiding spots like behind appliances and inside wall voids — eliminating easy food and moisture access is as important as treatment itself for long-term control.

Yes — German cockroaches are the most common indoor infestation species, reproduce faster than most other roach types, and typically require a more targeted gel-bait and IGR (insect growth regulator) treatment protocol rather than general perimeter spray alone. Correct species identification changes the treatment protocol significantly, which is where formal entomology training makes a measurable difference in outcomes.

Common termite signs include mud tubes along foundation walls, discarded wings near windows and doors, hollow-sounding wood when tapped, and visible tunneling in damaged wood. Because termite damage is often structural and progressive, an inspection at the first sign of activity is significantly cheaper than delayed treatment.

Most standard homeowners insurance policies exclude termite damage, since it’s considered a preventable maintenance issue rather than a sudden covered event — this makes preventive termite inspection and treatment a cost-avoidance decision, not just a pest issue.

Eliminating standing water (the primary mosquito breeding site) combined with a barrier treatment around vegetation and shaded resting areas provides longer-lasting control than fogging alone, since fogging only kills mosquitoes present at the moment of treatment and doesn’t address the breeding cycle.

Both — flea larvae live and develop in shaded, humid areas of the yard (under decks, in leaf litter, near dog runs), so treating only the pet without addressing the yard typically results in reinfestation as the pet moves through untreated areas. 
Prickly Pear recommends treating the home and yard, following our cleaning protocol and then retreating within 30 days. 
If your pet has fleas, their treatment needs to occur in parallel with the home treatments to truly overcome the fleas.