The Fear Gap:
What Texans Expect
vs. What They Get
We asked 33 Texas homeowners two questions: what pest would alarm you most to find in your home, and what have you actually dealt with? The answers aren't even close to the same list.
But only 36% have actually dealt with rats or mice in the past 2 years.
The most common real-world pest — yet almost nobody names it as their biggest fear.
Nearly half of Texas homeowners feel at risk for pest problems every month of the year.
When a pest is discovered, nearly half of Texans reach for the phone before anything else.
Fear Doesn't Follow the Evidence
Two questions. Same 33 homeowners. The answers produced completely different lists.
Fear: Rats and mice at 45%. Termites at 24%. Cockroaches at 18%. The threats people lie awake thinking about.
Reality: Mosquitoes dealt with by 70%. Ants by 67%. Spiders by 67%. Pests that barely registered as fears at all.
Termites — the second most feared pest in this survey — had been encountered by exactly one person out of 33.
"Pests don't have an off-season in Texas, and if you're not on top of it, things get out of control fast."
— Houston homeowner, 35–44, 4–10 years in Texas
That gap isn't just interesting. It shapes every decision a homeowner makes — what to worry about, what to spend money on, who to call and when.
The Pest Most Feared Is Not the Pest Most Faced
Two questions. Completely different answers. What homeowners dread and what's actually in their walls are almost entirely different species.
For Half of Texas Homeowners, There Is No Off-Season
Ask a Texas homeowner when they feel most at risk for a pest problem. Half of them won't give you a season.
49% said year-round. Another 36% said summer. Add those together and 85% of Texas homeowners feel at risk for more than three months of the year. That's not seasonal pest anxiety. That's a permanent condition.
One respondent said winter. One.
"Mosquitos in the yard prevent enjoying the outdoors."
— Houston homeowner, 55–64, born in Texas
Nearly Half Call a Pro Before Trying Anything Else
When a pest shows up, 48% of homeowners call a professional immediately. Before trying anything else. But 39% go DIY first — traps, sprays, home remedies. That's four in ten homeowners. Including many who already have an active pest plan. The industry hasn't fully won the first-call habit, even from its own customers.
Texans Are Moderately Calm About Home Damage — Until They're Not
Ask homeowners how worried they are about pest damage to their home's value on a scale of 1 to 5. The average answer is 2.1.
Low. Most people aren't losing sleep over it — at least not consciously. But then you read the open-text responses. Squirrels in attics. Wires getting chewed through. Kids getting bitten. The worry is there. It's just quieter than a checkbox survey captures.
"My biggest concern is having little children — them either interacting with pests or getting bit."
— Houston homeowner, 25–34, born in Texas
What Texas Homeowners Are Actually Worried About
The checkboxes tell you what people picked. The open-text question tells you what's actually on their mind. These are the unfiltered responses.
"I've always been told a mouse problem leads to issues with them chewing on wires."
DFW homeowner · 35–44 · 1–3 years in Texas
"Pests don't have an off-season in Texas, and if you're not on top of your pest control, it can get out of control fast."
Houston homeowner · 35–44 · 4–10 years in Texas
"Spiders — Saginaw is spider central!"
DFW homeowner · 25–34 · 10–20 years in Texas
"The rapid spread of whatever the pest is."
DFW homeowner · 35–44 · born in Texas
"My biggest concern is cockroaches. They are terrible and sometimes hard to get rid of."
Houston homeowner · 45–54 · 10–20 years in Texas
"The hornets that come around during late spring through summer and into late fall."
DFW homeowner · 35–44 · 10–20 years in Texas
Who Took the Survey
3 Things This Data Tells Us About Texas Homeowners
People fear what they've heard about — termites eating houses, rodents in walls — more than what's actually showing up in their home. The data and the perception are running on different tracks.
Half of Texas homeowners feel at risk every single month. The industry's seasonal messaging is reaching the wrong audience.
That's not a failure of product — it's a gap in habit formation. The first-call behavior hasn't been won yet. Not even from paying customers.
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Texas homeowner? Add your voice.
This report is updated as new responses come in. Two minutes. Eight questions. Your data strengthens the picture for everyone.
Citation: Taylor, C. (2026). Texas Pest Fear Report. No Contract Pest Solutions. Retrieved from https://nocopest.com/knowledge-hub/research/texas-pest-fear-report/
Media use: Charts and data from this report may be reproduced with attribution to NoCo Pest Solutions and a link to the source URL above. For questions contact info@nocopest.com.
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