Pest Advice for Amarillo and Panhandle homes
Seasonal, practical guides written for the way pests behave in the Panhandle.Each article is edited by Dolores Lankford and checked against Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas DSHS, NWS Amarillo and City of Amarillo guidance.
All Pest Advice articles
Mouse-proofing your home before the first freeze
In Amarillo the first fall freeze usually arrives around October 20, and a cold front can drop temperatures 50 or 60 degrees in half a day.
Signs your attic insulation needs replacing after rodents
Once the scratching overhead stops, it is tempting to close the attic hatch and forget about it.
The Texas WDI report when buying or selling a home
If you're buying or selling a house in Amarillo or Canyon, someone will probably mention a WDI report, often called a termite letter.
Why crickets swarm in late summer and how to cut them down
Some years, late August brings a sudden flood of black crickets to Panhandle storefronts, gas stations and front porches.
What to do when a snake shows up in your garage
You open the side door to grab a rake and something long is stretched along the wall.
Mosquitoes and West Nile in Amarillo: what the city sprays
People often assume the city's mosquito program covers their backyard.
Black widow or brown recluse: telling them apart
Two spiders cause most of the worry in Panhandle homes: the black widow and the brown recluse.
Where scorpions hide in Amarillo homes
Finding a scorpion in the bathtub or on the bedroom wall in June is unnerving, and it raises a fair question: how did it get there...
Prairie dogs next to your yard: rules, plague and options
If you live on the edge of Amarillo, Canyon or one of the acreage areas around town, there's a fair chance a prairie dog town sits...
Brown recluse in closets and garages: Panhandle guide
Brown recluse spiders don't build big webs or sit in plain view.
Skunks under the porch: denning, rabies and safe removal
A whiff of skunk at night, a fresh hole beside the porch steps and small cone-shaped holes in the lawn: that's the usual start.
Termite swarms in April and May: what they mean
On a warm afternoon in April or May, usually after a rain, some Panhandle homeowners see a cloud of small winged insects come out of a...
Miller moth season in Amarillo: what actually helps
Every spring, usually from late April through May, Amarillo homeowners find gray-brown moths circling the porch light, tucked behind blinds and fluttering out of the garage.
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