Termite and spider control in Bivins, Amarillo (79102)
Bivins homes date from the late 1920s to the 1950s, and under many of them is a crawlspace where termites, spiders and mice go unnoticed.Overhead, fox squirrels from the old shade trees test attic vents. We inspect both ends of the house with care.
ZIP 79102Central-west AmarilloPotter County
How do termites get into older Bivins homes?
In Bivins, termites usually reach a house from the soil under it. On pier-and-beam homes they run mud tubes from the soil up a pier or stem wall to the sill and floor joists, often where a leak keeps the crawlspace damp. On older slabs they follow cracks and plumbing gaps. We inspect the crawlspace or slab edge, mark tubes and damage, and recommend bait or a liquid barrier.
Old trees and older framing: the Bivins pest backdrop
Bivins is a central-west Amarillo neighborhood in Potter County, with homes built from the late 1920s through the 1950s on tree-lined streets. It spreads around Bivins Park, Julian Blvd and Ellwood Park, with Bivins Elementary on S Fannin St. Mature trees and older houses give the 79102 ZIP its character, and they also explain most of the pest calls we get from these blocks.
Many houses from the 1920s and 1930s rest on piers and beams over a crawlspace instead of a slab. That space stays dark and a little cooler, and it collects moisture from plumbing leaks and poor drainage. Termites are active under houses across the Panhandle, and their swarms here come in April and May. Down there, they can tube up a pier to the framing and feed for years before anyone upstairs notices.
The trees bring fox squirrels. Texas Tech places them in Amarillo's older, shaded neighborhoods, where mature trees give them food and travel routes. A limb over the roof gives one a path to a soffit gap or loose attic vent. Spiders complete the list: cellar spiders, black widows and brown recluse all settle into crawlspaces, attics and storage rooms in older houses.
Inside a Bivins crawlspace inspection, step by step
Our technician goes under the house, not just around it.
Check the vents and access
We start at the crawlspace door and vent screens, noting bent mesh or gaps that let in mice, skunks or stray cats. Damaged screens are often the first repair.
Follow every pier to the sill
With a bright light, we trace each pier and foundation wall up to the sill plate, looking for pencil-width mud tubes. Wood that looks dark or soft gets probed.
Find the moisture
Damp soil under a bathroom, a dripping supply line or a downspout emptying against the wall all draw termites. We mark each one so you know what to fix.
Sweep for spiders and rodents
Webs on joists, egg sacs and droppings along the sill show what else lives down there. Glue boards help confirm brown recluse activity.
Recommend a plan
If termites turn up, we explain bait stations versus a liquid barrier for a pier-and-beam home. Spider and rodent work can often happen on the same trip.
Pest problem in Bivins?
Call and describe it. The phone is answered 24 hours a day.
Small clues that point to termites or squirrels in a Bivins house
Most of these show up long before serious damage does.
Wings on spring windowsills
Piles of small, equal-sized wings near windows in April or May mean termites swarmed inside.
Floors that feel soft
A spongy spot near a bathroom or kitchen on a pier-and-beam home can mean damage in the joists below.
Mud lines on piers
Brown tubes about as wide as a pencil running up piers or the foundation are termite highways.
Thumping overhead at sunrise
Squirrels keep daytime hours, so thumps soon after sunrise or before sunset suggest a squirrel rather than mice.
Chewed soffit corners
Fresh gnawing at roof edges near overhanging limbs shows where a squirrel is working its way in.
Egg sacs in storage
Messy webs in a crawlspace corner or round egg sacs in boxes point to widows or recluse.
What a squirrel leaves behind in a Bivins attic, and the cleanup
Once a fox squirrel settles into an attic, it shreds insulation for a nest, leaves droppings and urine, and chews what it finds, wiring included. After the squirrel is out and the entry is closed with heavy mesh, the attic still smells and the insulation no longer does its job. Matted, soiled insulation holds heat poorly through a Panhandle winter.
Our attic cleanup work removes the contaminated insulation, sanitizes and deodorizes the attic floor, and seals the openings before new insulation is blown in. The Department of Energy suggests about R49 to R60 for attics in climate zone 4, which covers Amarillo. If your attic sat below that level before the squirrels arrived, the cleanup is a sensible time to bring it up.
Pest control services for Bivins
Termite Inspections & WDI Reports
Most Amarillo home sales include a Texas Wood Destroying Insect Report, and many owners want a yearly termite check anyway.
Termite Control
Native subterranean termites live in the soil under Amarillo and work their way into houses through mud tubes you rarely see.
Squirrel Removal
Fox squirrels running the power lines in older Amarillo neighborhoods will chew into an attic through a soft spot at the eaves or a...
Attic Cleanup & Insulation Replacement
Once mice, rats, raccoons, squirrels or bats are gone, the attic they lived in still holds droppings, urine-soaked insulation and a lingering odor.
Spider Control
Webs under the eaves, wolf spiders in the garage and black widows in the meter box are all part of life in the Panhandle.
Brown Recluse Control
Brown recluses hide in closets, garages and stored boxes, and most people only notice them when one turns up in a shoe or a...
Pest control questions from Bivins
Can termites damage the floor framing of a 1930s Bivins house without showing upstairs?
Yes. On pier-and-beam homes, termites can tube up piers into the sill and joists and feed out of sight for a long time. The first sign upstairs is sometimes a soft floor or swarmer wings in spring. A crawlspace inspection is the only reliable way to know, and we look at every pier, the sill and any damp spots.
Do fox squirrels from Bivins Park get into nearby attics?
They can. Fox squirrels live where mature trees are, and the park and tree-lined streets around Bivins give them plenty. Limbs reaching the roof put attic vents and soffit gaps within easy reach. We remove squirrels with one-way doors, close the entry with heavy mesh fitted to the house, and suggest which limbs to cut back.
Which spiders live in the crawlspaces of older Bivins homes?
Cellar spiders, black widows and brown recluse are the ones we find most. Widows spin messy webs low in corners and around vents, while recluse hide in boxes, gaps along the sill and stored items. We treat the crawlspace and attic voids with dusts, place glue boards to track recluse, and seal gaps that lead into the living space.