Pest Library
West Texas Pest Library
Found something crawling in the garage or bathtub? These guides help you put a name on it, judge the risk and decide what to do next.
Pests found in Odessa homes
Scorpions
The striped bark scorpion, what a sting feels like and how to keep them out.
German Cockroaches
The small striped roach that lives in kitchens, how fast it breeds and how to stop it.
Termites
How to spot native subterranean termites, mud tubes and spring swarmers.
Bed Bugs
How to identify bed bugs, read the signs on your sheets and stop them spreading.
Fire Ants
How to spot fire ant mounds, what the stings do and why bait beats mound spraying.
House Mice
How to read droppings and gnaw marks, and how a dime size gap lets mice in.
Black Widow Spiders
The red hourglass, where widows hide in Basin yards and what to do after a bite.
Mosquitoes
Why storms bring mosquitoes, West Nile basics and how to cut bites at home.
How to use these guides
Each guide covers how to identify the pest, where it hides in a Permian Basin house, what risk it carries and what you can do yourself. The facts come from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, the Texas Department of State Health Services and the US EPA. When it is time for treatment, each guide links to the matching service page. You can also read the blog for answers to common questions.