Pest Control in West El Paso

On the Westside, the mountain is your back neighbor. Neighborhoods climb the slope of the Franklins above Mesa St., Resler Dr. and Thunderbird Dr., with rock yards, terraced retaining walls and views that run straight into open desert. The desert is full of scorpions, and they've never once respected a property line.

Closer to UTEP it's a different house and a different set of bugs. Kern Place and the streets below Rim Road and Scenic Dr. have older stucco homes with wood trim, big shade trees and plumbing that's been around a while. Those homes call us more about roaches, mice and the occasional termite than about scorpions.

Coronado and the slopes above Mesa St.

Coronado and the neighborhoods up the hill get more scorpion calls than just about anywhere in town. Arroyos and rocky slopes funnel them toward the houses, terraced rock walls give them cover right up against the stucco, and those walls hold the day's heat well into the night, which is exactly when scorpions hunt. Sightings jump after monsoon storms send water down the washes.

Arroyo Park sits right next to Kern Place, and after a storm the runoff leaves damp debris in the channels. Crickets breed in it. Crickets are scorpion food. Black widows set up in the weep holes and meter boxes nearby. A scorpion treatment near the Franklin Mountains that seals the garage line and treats the walls and rock beds handles most of it, and a regular perimeter service keeps the crickets and spiders down. Pull rock beds a few inches back from the stucco and swap the porch bulb for a yellow one so you aren't ringing the dinner bell every night.

Old trim, old pipes and Kern Place roaches

Homes in Kern Place and the older blocks near UTEP have decades of settling behind them. That opens gaps around window frames, door trim and the spots where old pipes go through the walls. German roaches find their way into the kitchen, and American roaches come up through old drain lines, especially after heavy rain. That's work for a roach exterminator who knows older plumbing.

Old wood next to a slow leak can also hide termites, so if a bathroom has been dripping for a while, ask about a termite inspection while someone's there. Renters near campus, mention any bites when you call. Apartment buildings pass bed bugs around, and a bed bug inspection is a lot easier on one unit than on the whole floor. Big old shade trees are lovely, but limbs resting on the roof are a highway for roof rats and mice, so keep them trimmed back a few feet.

Up the road to the northwest, the Westside runs into the Upper Valley along Doniphan Dr., where irrigated lots bring a different crowd. Across the state line, Sunland Park sits at the foot of Mount Cristo Rey with rocky hills a lot like these. If you want to start on your own, the scorpion-proofing checklist is the place to begin.

Around West El Paso: Kern Place · Coronado neighborhood · Mesa St. and Resler Dr. · Franklin Mountains State Park · UTEP campus area · Rim Road and Scenic Dr. (ZIP 79902, 79912, 79911)

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