Texas Pest Control Cost: Fire Ants, Scorpions, and Monthly-Plan Country

Texas Pest Control Cost at a Glance

Texas pest control plans run $50–$90 per month or $110–$160 per quarter, depending on metro and plan type. Fire ants are a standard add-on or included line, and scorpion programs in the Hill Country and west run $200–$400 for the initial service. Prices vary by region and company, and the metro-versus-rural spread in Texas is wider than in most states.

Monthly to Quarterly, by Metro

Most Texas companies sell a general plan on a monthly or quarterly billing cycle, and the service frequency is often quarterly with monthly billing. The $50–$90 monthly band is the common residential range in DFW, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. The $110–$160 quarterly band is the same work billed less often, and it can be the better deal if the company actually services quarterly rather than monthly.

Read the service schedule, not just the billing schedule. A plan that bills monthly but services quarterly is a different product from a monthly service plan, and the price should reflect that.

Fire Ants

Fire ants are a standard add-on or an included line in much of the state. A standalone fire ant treatment is usually $75–$200 per treatment, and a seasonal program runs higher. In much of Texas, a general plan that does not address fire ants in the yard is incomplete, but the yard is not automatically included. Ask what the plan covers: structure only, structure plus immediate perimeter, or structure plus lawn.

Scorpions in the Hill Country and West

Scorpion work is a different program from general pest control. A barrier and sealing program in the $200–$400 initial class is typical, with monthly follow-ups in season. The honest framing is pressure reduction, never elimination — scorpions are controlled by keeping them out of the house and reducing yard encounters, not by promising zero. Scorpion control has the full program detail.

Termites: East and Gulf vs. West

Subterranean termite pressure is high in east Texas and along the Gulf Coast, and lighter in the west. Bond norms follow the pressure: a termite bond renewal in the eastern and coastal counties typically runs $200–$400 per year, while western renewals can sit lower. A termite treatment quote should name the species and the treatment method, and a bond should be understood as a warranty that follows a treatment, not a substitute for one.

Kissing Bugs and Africanized Bees

Two Texas pests get one careful line each. Kissing bugs — conenose bugs — are identified by their cone-shaped head and are a public-health concern because of Chagas disease. Do not handle them; a professional can identify and treat, and state resources are available for reporting. Africanized bees are defensive and should not be disturbed. Identification first, distance second, professional removal third. Neither is a DIY job, and both are cases where the correct move is a phone call, not a hardware-store product.

Metro vs. Rural Pricing

Route density is the hidden variable in Texas pricing. In DFW, Houston, and Austin, a technician can service several homes in a tight radius, and the price reflects that efficiency. In ranch country and rural counties, trip charges and longer drives push the same service higher — sometimes 20–40% above metro pricing for the same scope. That is not a ripoff; it is windshield time. If you are outside a metro, ask whether the quote includes trip charges and whether the service frequency can be adjusted to reduce them.

Prices vary by region and company. A written scope that names the service frequency, the covered pests, and the trip-charge policy is worth more than a low headline number.