Pest Control in the Lower Valley

The Lower Valley has some of the oldest homes in El Paso. The Ysleta Mission has been there for centuries, and the neighborhoods along Alameda Ave., North Loop Dr. and Zaragoza Rd. mix thick-walled adobes, small post-war stucco houses and newer infill on old farm lots. Irrigation canals still cut through the neighborhoods, and the river is never far.

Old walls plus damp, flat ground adds up to termites, roaches and mice, with mosquitoes off the canals every summer. Scorpions show up too, mostly in yards with rock beds, woodpiles and lots of crickets, but they're not the headline here the way they are on the mountain.

Adobe walls, vigas and additions from the '70s

Adobe cracks and settles over time, and wood lintels, vigas and old floor framing often sit close to damp soil. Subterranean termites find those spots quickly. Look for mud tubes on stem walls and door frames and soft or hollow wood around windows, and fix plumbing leaks fast. A termite treatment plan for adobe and older wood starts with a slow look at the walls, floors and plumbing areas.

Plenty of Lower Valley houses have also grown over the years, with a room added here and a carport there. Every joint between old and new construction is a place where gaps open as the ground settles, and termites, roaches and mice find those seams long before the homeowner does. Ask the tech to check where each addition meets the original house, and point out any room that's always a little damp. Old cast iron drain lines and patched plumbing under the floor are common in these homes, and a slow leak in a spot you never see keeps the soil wet for termites and gives roaches a drink. Come fall, mice move in from the fields, and mouse removal with sealed entry points keeps them out of the kitchen.

Flat ground, slow drains and roaches after a storm

The valley is flat river bottom, and storm water takes its time leaving after a heavy monsoon rain. When the drains and sewer lines back up, American roaches climb out into yards, garages and floor drains. Turkestan roaches set up in the cleanouts and water meter boxes. Keep drain covers tight, caulk the gaps around pipes under the sinks, and ask about a roach treatment for storm drain roaches that covers the cleanouts and meter boxes.

Homes near the canals, Ascarate Park and the Rio Bosque Wetlands see more mosquitoes in summer. Dump standing water every week and ask about mosquito control near the canals if the bites keep up. The monsoon guide explains why storms hit this flat stretch so hard.

Downriver, the same canals and fields run into Socorro along the Mission Trail. North of I-10 the ground rises into the Eastside, where scorpions take over the call list.

Around Lower Valley: Ysleta Mission · Alameda Ave. · North Loop Dr. · Ascarate Park · Rio Bosque Wetlands Park · Riverside neighborhood (ZIP 79905, 79907, 79915)

Also serving West El Paso, Upper Valley, Northeast El Paso, East El Paso, Horizon City, Socorro, San Elizario, Canutillo, Sunland Park, NM.