Around the Block Pest Control

10/31/2026

Saturday tip: big roaches follow water. Take ten minutes this weekend: check under the sinks for slow drips, run water in any drain you don't use much, pull mulch back a few inches from the foundation, and make sure the downspouts send rainwater out into the yard. Then check for daylight under your outside doors.

The only creepy-crawlies you want around the house this Halloween are the plastic ones.

The full fall roach checklist is linked in the first comment.

— John, Around the Block Pest Control

10/27/2026

Pulled back the shower curtain or reached for a shoe and found a scorpion? You're not alone. We hear it from families all over McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano, Prosper, and Melissa.

Scorpions are most active here in spring and summer, but as nights cool, the striped bark scorpions around your house look for a protected spot to wait out the cold. Sometimes that's the garage, the attic, or a wall.

What actually helps:
- Pull rock and mulch back a few inches from the slab
- Keep firewood on a rack, off the ground and away from the house
- Add door sweeps and replace worn garage door seals
- Screen weep holes (don't seal them shut)
- Shake out shoes and gloves, and pull beds a few inches off the wall

Bonus tip: scorpions glow under a blacklight, so a quick look after dark shows you where they're coming from.

Scorpions are covered on our quarterly plan. The full post is on our website, and the link is in the first comment.

If you'd like us to take a look, request a free estimate on our website (link in the first comment too), or call or text (469) 340-0200.

— John

10/24/2026

Saturday tip: cooler nights push mice indoors. Take ten minutes this weekend and walk the outside of the house — garage door corners for daylight, gaps at utility lines, anything touching the roofline, pet food and bird seed, and firewood against the foundation. Then peek in the attic and pantry.

The full checklist is linked in the first comment.

— John, Around the Block Pest Control

10/20/2026

Ever flip on the kitchen light at night and catch a big roach running for cover in a perfectly clean house? You're not alone. This time of year we hear it from families all over McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano, Prosper, and Melissa.

Most of the time, that big roach is an American or Oriental cockroach that wandered in from outside. They live in drains, mulch, and damp flower beds, and they follow water indoors. Small tan roaches are a different story. Those are usually German roaches breeding inside.

What actually helps:
- Fix drips under sinks and leaky hose faucets
- Run water in rarely used drains so the traps don't dry out
- Pull mulch back a few inches from the foundation
- Point downspouts away from the house
- Add door sweeps and seal gaps around pipes
- Get cardboard boxes off the garage floor

American and Oriental roaches are covered on our quarterly plan. German roaches are handled as a separate service.

The full post is linked in the first comment.

If you'd like us to take a look, request a free estimate on our website (link in the first comment too), or call or text (469) 340-0200.

— John

10/17/2026

Saturday tip: pulling out fall decorations or cleaning out the garage this weekend? Put on a pair of gloves first and shake out any boxes, shoes, or boots that have been sitting a while. Garages and storage spots are where black widows and brown recluses like to hide. While you're at it, swap a few cardboard boxes for plastic bins with lids and knock down any webs on the eaves.

More fall spider tips in the first comment.

— John, Around the Block Pest Control

10/13/2026

Cool nights around McKinney, Allen, Plano, and Prosper push mice looking for a warmer place to live. A garage corner gap, a pipe pe*******on, or a branch touching the roof can be all the invitation they need.

This week's post is a walk-around checklist you can do this weekend — outside first, then inside:
- Garage door corners and the bottom seal (look for daylight)
- Gaps around utility lines
- Roofline, soffits, and attic vents
- Trees and shrubs touching the house
- Pet food, bird seed, and trash
- Firewood stacked against the foundation
- Then the attic, pantry, and behind appliances

Honest note: rodents are NOT part of our quarterly plan. Rodent control is its own service — inspection, trapping, and exclusion.

The full checklist is on our website blog (search Around the Block Pest Control).

If you'd like us to take a look, request a free estimate on our website, or call or text (469) 340-0200.

— John

10/11/2026

Weekend tip: take 30 seconds tonight and look at the bottom of your garage door. If you can see daylight under the rubber seal, crickets can get through. Replacing a worn seal is a quick, inexpensive fix. While you're out there, switch off porch and garage lights you don't need. Crickets follow the light, and spiders follow the crickets.

More fall cricket tips: https://www.aroundtheblockpest.com/blog/crickets-in-your-mckinney-home-fall-tips

— John, Around the Block Pest Control

10/06/2026

Walked into a giant web on the porch this morning? You're not the only one.

Every fall, folks around McKinney, Allen, Frisco, and Prosper start seeing big round webs on porches and eaves, and wolf spiders running across the garage floor. Most of these spiders are just a nuisance. Two are worth being careful with: the black widow (shiny black, red hourglass underneath) and the brown recluse (violin-shaped mark on top, hides in garages and storage).

A few things I'd tell a neighbor:
- Wear gloves when you dig through the garage, shed, or woodpile
- Shake out shoes and boxes that have been sitting in the garage
- Go easy on porch lights. Fewer bugs means less for spiders to eat
- Swap cardboard boxes for plastic bins with lids
- Knock down webs on the eaves with a long-handled broom

Full post, with how to tell the four common spiders apart: https://www.aroundtheblockpest.com/blog/fall-spiders-collin-county-mckinney

If you'd rather hand it off, spiders are included in our quarterly plan, with eave de-webbing on our visits and free retreatments if they come back in between. Request a free estimate online here: https://www.aroundtheblockpest.com/request-pest-control-estimate. Or call or text (469) 340-0200.

— John

09/30/2026

Hearing chirping behind the washer again? You're not the only one.

Every fall, crickets show up in big numbers across North Texas, and McKinney, Allen, Frisco, and Prosper are no exception. They're most active from dusk to dawn, they love a bright porch light, and it doesn't take much of a gap for them to end up in the garage or laundry room.

I put together a quick guide with the things I'd tell a neighbor:
- Go easy on outdoor lights, or swap to warm or yellow bulbs by the doors
- Check the rubber seal under your garage door (daylight = cricket door)
- Add door sweeps and fix worn weather-stripping
- Pull mulch back from the foundation and trim shrubs off the walls
- Don't seal your brick weep holes — they're there to let moisture out

Full post here: https://www.aroundtheblockpest.com/blog/crickets-in-your-mckinney-home-fall-tips

And if you'd rather hand it off, crickets are included in our quarterly plan, with free retreatments if they come back between visits. Request a free estimate online here: https://www.aroundtheblockpest.com/request-pest-control-estimate

— John

10/15/2025

Check out our blog post on controlling Pharaoh Ants!

Kick Pharaoh Ants (Sugar Ants) Out of Your North Texas Kitchen with These Easy Tips

https://www.aroundtheblockpest.com/blog/kick-pharaoh-ants-(sugar-ants)-out-of-your-north-texas-kitchen-with-these-easy-tips

Don't let ants live in your house rent free.
Call us at:
(469) 200-0011

Discover effective ways to control Pharaoh ants (sugar ants) on your North Dallas property with Around the Block Pest Control’s latest guide. Regularly cleaning surfaces and sealing electrical outlets in spring and summer prevents infestations and reduces local ant populations. This post offers sa...