Common Pests in Weatherford & Fort Worth, TX

House mice are the most common rodent inside North Texas homes. They are small, gray-brown, and about three inches long, not counting the tail. Roof rats and Norway rats are bigger, six to nine inches in the body, and turn up in garages, attics, and around trash. Mice can slip through a gap the size of a dime. Rats need about a quarter.

Rodents chew wires, which is a fire risk. They contaminate food and surfaces with droppings and urine, and they can carry disease. Once inside, they breed fast and are hard to find.

Rodents move indoors in fall and winter. As nights cool, they look for warmth, food, and shelter, and your home offers all three. Weatherford and Fort Worth see the biggest push from about October through February.

Signs to watch for:

• Small dark droppings along walls, in cabinets, or under sinks.
• Gnaw marks on food packaging, wood, or wiring.
• Greasy rub marks where they run along baseboards.
• Scratching or scurrying sounds in walls or the attic at night.

Mice and rats do not leave on their own. Our rodent control services in Weatherford seal entry points and clear the infestation. Learn more from our posts on the 5 signs of a rodent problem, why fall brings rodents indoors, and how to get rid of mice in your Weatherford home.

Mosquitoes are small, thin flies with long legs and a needle-like mouth, and only the females bite. In North Texas, two groups matter. Culex mosquitoes bite from dusk to dawn and carry West Nile virus. Aedes mosquitoes bite during the day and breed in tiny amounts of water.

West Nile virus has been in Texas since 2002, and North Texas has one of the longest histories with it of any U.S. metro. Tarrant and Dallas counties find West Nile in local mosquitoes most summers, and the region’s worst outbreak hit in 2012. Most people who catch it feel fine, but about 1 in 5 get sick, and a small number develop serious illness.

Mosquito season runs from about April through October and lingers into fall. Warm weather and standing water drive the numbers up, and Culex can breed in as little as a tablespoon of water.

What draws them to your yard:

• Standing water in clogged gutters, flowerpot saucers, buckets, and toys.
• Birdbaths, pet bowls, and tarps that hold rainwater.
• Low spots that stay wet and garden beds that get overwatered.
• Thick, shaded shrubs where adults rest during the day.

Drain standing water each week and repair torn screens to cut the numbers. For real relief, our mosquito treatment in Weatherford targets the shaded spots where adults rest and the water where they breed.

Most North Texas spiders are harmless hunters that eat other insects. You can spot a spider by its two body parts, eight legs, and lack of wings or antennae. Two local spiders can hurt you. The brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa) is tan with a violin-shaped mark behind its head and hides in quiet, cluttered spots. The black widow (Latrodectus mactans) is shiny black with a red hourglass on its underside and prefers woodpiles, sheds, and garages.

Most spiders are a nuisance, not a threat. A lot of spiders inside usually means you have another insect problem feeding them. Brown recluse and black widow bites are uncommon but need medical attention, so it helps to know both on sight.

Spiders are around all year but get more visible in late summer and fall. They grow larger, males roam looking for mates, and both move indoors as the weather cools.

Signs to watch for:

• Webs in corners, garages, eaves, and around outdoor lights.
• More spiders than usual, which points to plenty of prey.
• Egg sacs tucked into webs or hidden corners.

A steady spider problem is a sign of a bigger pest problem. Our Weatherford spider exterminator service treats the spiders and the insects they feed on. Year-round home pest control keeps both in check.

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, flat, oval insects about the size and color of an apple seed: reddish-brown and wingless. After feeding they swell and darken. Young bed bugs are smaller and pale. They hide in mattress seams, box springs, headboards, and cracks near the bed.

Bed bugs do not spread disease, but they bite, itch, and are stressful and hard to remove. They travel by hitching a ride on luggage, used furniture, and clothing, so any home, hotel, or apartment can pick them up. Heavy travel through Fort Worth and DFW airport keeps them on the move.

They live indoors and stay active all year. Reports tend to rise with summer and holiday travel, when people move bags and bodies between beds.

Signs to watch for:

• Itchy welts, often in a line or cluster, that appear after sleeping.
• Rust or blood-colored spots on sheets and mattress seams.
• Tiny dark fecal spots along seams, baseboards, or the headboard.
• Shed skins or a sweet, musty smell near the bed.

Bed bugs are very hard to clear with store-bought sprays. Our bed bug treatment in Weatherford reaches the cracks and seams where they hide.

Grub worms are the larvae of beetles like June bugs and masked chafers. They are white and soft, curl into a C shape, and have a brown head with six small legs near the front. You find them a few inches down in the soil, not on the surface.

Grubs feed on grass roots. The lawn looks fine for a while, then brown patches spread that do not green up with water. In bad cases, the turf lifts like old carpet because the roots are gone. Damage often shows in late summer, after the grubs have already done most of their feeding.

The beetles lay eggs in early summer, and the young grubs feed near the surface soon after. In North Texas, the best time to treat is late June through early July, while the grubs are young and shallow. Wait for the brown patches in late summer and treatment works far less well.

Signs to watch for:

• Brown patches that spread and do not respond to watering.
• Turf that peels back easily because the roots are chewed.
• More birds, skunks, or armadillos digging in the lawn.
• Spongy, soft ground underfoot.

Timing is everything with grubs. Our grub worm treatment works best as prevention in early summer, before the damage shows.