Desert Pests of West Texas: A Homeowner Primer

West Texas pest pressure is its own animal — drier, spikier and more seasonal than the east of the state. Here's the local cast and what actually works against each.

Scorpions

Mostly striped bark scorpions here. They shelter in block fences, rock landscaping, woodpiles and wall voids, and hunt insects at night. Control = sealing entry points, clearing harborage near the foundation, and reducing the insects they eat. Stings are painful but rarely dangerous for healthy adults — still, shake out shoes.

Fire & harvester ants

Quiet during drought, explosive after rain. Baiting after rains — when colonies forage hard — outperforms mound-by-mound spraying.

Crickets

Wet years bring mass cricket emergences around lights and doorways. Exterior lighting changes (yellow/less attractive spectrum), door sweeps and perimeter treatment manage the waves.

Rodents

Ag land keeps field rodent populations high; every fall cold front pushes them at structures. Exclusion in early fall is the highest-value work of the year.

Termites

Present but patchy in dry country — risk concentrates where soil moisture does (irrigation, drainage, slab edges). An inspection beats assumptions in either direction.

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