Pest control plans from $57. Licensed, insured and eco-friendly.
Call Us Today at : (512) 561-7451Washoe County, Nevada
Along the Truckee River on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, Precision Pest Control handles Reno houses, apartments and commercial buildings, and inspects properties for termites and other pests when they are listed. The plans fit a high desert with cold winters: ants in the walls, carpenter ants in damp wood, rats that climb in from the trees, mice, and mosquitoes near the river.
What Precision Pest Control offers
Pest control in Reno is shaped by snow, a river and a short growing season, not by scorching low desert. We take on houses, rentals and commercial sites between the Truckee River and Somersett, and over in Sparks. Estimates are free, eco-friendly products are standard, and plans start from $57.
Care for Reno houses and apartments, with house ants, carpenter ants in damp or water-damaged wood, rats that move in from trees and mice that come inside as temperatures fall.
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Plans for restaurants, hotels, offices, shops and warehouses, concentrating on trash areas, receiving doors and drains where ants, rats and mice find food.
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Moving a Reno property? We inspect for termites and other pests, including structural wood that carpenter ants have hollowed, and report the results before the sale closes.
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Free estimate
Tell us what you are seeing and where. We will recommend a plan for your home or business, with service plans from $57.
What we treat
Ants, Rats and River Mosquitoes in Reno's High Desert Homes
Odorous house ants and pavement ants
UNR Extension names the odorous house ant and the pavement ant as the two common house ants in Northern Nevada. Both come indoors for food, trash and moisture and nest in mulch beds, under rocks and beneath concrete. Odorous colonies link many nests with multiple queens, so they are far harder to control. Extension says baits are the most effective method, since workers carry them back, and that results take days to weeks.
Carpenter ants
Carpenter ants are among the largest ants in the country, and UNR Extension warns they can damage wet or compromised wood in buildings. Unlike termites, they only chew wood to make space for a nest. The main nest is rarely inside a house, but satellite nests are very common, and the ants travel over 100 yards. Extension recommends trimming limbs that touch the house, caulking cracks and keeping firewood off the ground.
Rats
UNR Extension reports that Northern Nevada pest professionals have seen more rat activity in recent years, with mild winters helping rats survive. Roof rats have expanded in parts of the Reno-Tahoe area, and they climb trees, fences and utility lines to nest in attics and sheds. Fallen fruit, bird seed, pet food, loose garbage and compost give them meals. Extension advises sealing gaps over a quarter inch and setting snap traps on travel routes.
House mice
The house mouse is the most common rodent in Nevada city homes, according to UNR Extension. It nests in wall voids, stored boxes and burrows, eats dry pet food and seed in small night-time meals, and seldom wanders far from its nest. Hiding traps behind objects and along walls works well. Extension favors sanitation, exclusion and traps over poison, which can poison pets and wildlife a second time.
Mosquitoes along the Truckee
Northern Nevada Public Health says mosquitoes that can carry West Nile virus are common in the Reno area and breed in catch basins, retention basins, roadside ditches, wetlands and ponds. The agency's advice is simple source reduction: empty containers, remove vegetation from pond edges and stop standing water. Check yards near ditches and ponds after watering, and refresh birdbaths and pet bowls every few days.
Local advice
Extension separates harvester ants from house ants: they do not invade homes but are pests of lawns and gardens. Their nests show up as bare circular patches of soil that can reach 12 feet across, sometimes with a small pebble mound. They are least active in the midday heat. Because they are often mistaken for fire ants, which Extension says are smaller, correct identification should come before any treatment.
Spotted something?
Lows average in the mid-20s and snow falls, but rats can stay active all winter and mice move inside for warmth. Check the attic and garage for droppings, store pet food in sealed bins, and keep woodpiles clear of walls so carpenter ants and rodents have less cover.
Each spring, homeowners may see winged carpenter ants swarming, a sign of an established colony. House ants start trailing indoors as the ground thaws. Walk the foundation, caulk cracks, trim shrubs that touch siding and fix leaks, because ants follow moisture.
July highs near 94 and about 65 days at 90 or hotter bring winged house ants looking for new nest sites, and mosquitoes breed wherever water stands. Empty plant saucers, birdbaths and buckets weekly, and keep fruit from collecting under trees.
As nights cool, mice and rats search for shelter. Seal openings around utility lines, vents and garage doors, pick up fallen fruit and bring bird seed indoors. Moving the woodpile onto a rack, clear of the walls, now protects structural wood.
Describe it on the phone and we will tell you what it likely is and how we would treat it. Estimates are free.
8 questions answered
Looking for pest control near you in Reno? Call (512) 561-7451 or request a free estimate.
UNR Extension lists odorous house ants and pavement ants as the common house ants in Northern Nevada, with carpenter ants a separate concern in damp wood. They enter for food, trash and moisture. Baits work best, because workers carry them to the nest, so avoid spraying trails and fix leaks.
Reports from Northern Nevada pest professionals describe more rat activity in recent years, and UNR Extension says roof rats have expanded in parts of the Reno-Tahoe area. They climb to attics and sheds. Fallen fruit, pet food and bird seed feed them, so remove those and seal gaps over a quarter inch.
No. UNR Extension explains that carpenter ants chew wood only to make room for nests, unlike termites, which eat it. They still damage structural wood and siding that is water-damaged, and satellite nests in homes are common. Sawdust piles near wood are a warning sign worth a closer look.
Yes. Northern Nevada Public Health says mosquitoes capable of transmitting West Nile virus are common in the area and breed in basins, ditches, ponds and almost any standing water. The agency tests mosquitoes for West Nile and encephalitis viruses. Emptying containers around your house is the simplest prevention.
Reno plans open at $57, with no charge to quote. What you pay varies with the building and the culprit, since a few ants in an apartment are a smaller job than rats in a mature Caughlin Ranch yard. Outline the problem on our form, or telephone (512) 561-7451.
Yes. Restaurants, shops, offices, hotels and warehouses are included. We start at trash areas, receiving doors, drains and storage rooms, where ants, mice and rats find food. The address is all we need on the form to prepare a free estimate; phone (512) 561-7451 works too.
It helps, because buyers often ask about wood damage and rodents. Our inspection for termites and other pests examines structural wood, including spots carpenter ants favor, and gives you a written summary. Sales inspections are a core service, and estimates cost nothing.
Everything we apply is eco-friendly. If young children, dogs, cats or a vegetable bed share the property, say so when you request an estimate and we will tailor the visit to fit. Visits can be booked on the site, or you can phone (512) 561-7451.
Reno sits about 4,500 feet up in the Truckee Meadows, with the Sierra Nevada to the west and cold, dry winters. Pests here are not the desert crawlers of southern Nevada, but ants, rodents and river-bred mosquitoes.
Reno, the seat of Washoe County, counted 264,165 people in 2020. It lies in the Truckee River valley on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, at the western edge of the Great Basin, about 23 miles from Lake Tahoe. Downtown Reno and Sparks occupy the Truckee Meadows, and the elevation is roughly 4,500 feet.
Winters here are cold: December and January lows average about 26 degrees, and the city gets about 21 inches of snow but only around 7 inches of total precipitation in a year. July highs average about 94, with a swing of up to 40 degrees between day and night. That climate favors insects that live indoors and in damp wood, and rats that survive mild winters.
Local field notes
What our technicians check first on a Reno property
Unique to Reno
Local conditions decide where pests live and how they get in. These are the Reno details that shape every plan we write here.
Many Reno lots have old trees, fences and sheds close to the house, which is exactly what UNR Extension says climbing rats and carpenter ants exploit. Cut limbs back from the roof, stack firewood on a rack, repair any wood that has stayed wet, and caulk the gaps around pipes and window frames before fall.
Moisture is the common thread. Leaky irrigation, clogged gutters and wet crawl spaces feed ants and weaken wood, while ponds and catch basins near the river support mosquitoes. Fix drips, clear drains and ask us about any structural wood that looks chewed or has sawdust piles beneath it.
Plans start at $57, so ask for a no-charge quote online, choose a date, or phone (512) 561-7451.
Nevada · 3 locations
