Pest control plans from $57. Licensed, insured and eco-friendly.
Call Us Today at : (512) 561-7451Pierce County, Washington
Tacoma properties from historic Stadium District and Hilltop houses to Commencement Bay waterfront buildings and port-area warehouses get dependable pest control from Precision Pest Control, tailored to a wet, hilly harbor city. The work centers on dampwood termites, carpenter ants, Norway rats, odorous house ants and mosquitoes, and real estate inspections screen for termite and pest activity.
What Precision Pest Control offers
Pest control in Tacoma runs from a hillside Victorian to a port-side warehouse. Apartment buildings, houses and commercial space all fall under the same approach: a free estimate first, then eco-friendly products. Plans open at $57.
Home service for Tacoma houses, with checks on damp sill plates and crawl spaces, ant trails along foundations and kitchens, rat activity near woodpiles and sheds, and standing water that breeds mosquitoes.
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Plans for Tacoma warehouses, restaurants, offices and shops, including buildings near the port and tide flats, with work on rodents at docks and dumpsters, ants indoors and mosquito sources outdoors.
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Whether you buy or sell in Tacoma, the termite and pest inspection notes soggy framing, lumber resting on soil and any ant or rodent evidence, giving both sides a single written report.
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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
Termites, Rats and Ants Along Commencement Bay and Tacoma's Historic Hillsides
Dampwood termites
WSU Pestsense calls the dampwood termite the largest termite in the area, with orange-brown winged adults about 3/4 inch long. It lives only in wet or rotting wood and never nests in dry, sound lumber, so a find often points back to wood touching soil. Swarms come at summer's end or in autumn, particularly after rain. Pull leftover form lumber from the foundation and keep the crawl space ventilated.
Norway rats
Norway rats are the larger of Washington's two main rat species, and WSU notes their tails are shorter than head and body combined. They nest low, under buildings, in woodpiles, in garbage dumps and in junk piles, which fits yards and alleys near busy commercial areas. Rodents are mostly nocturnal, so a sighting by day may mean a heavy infestation. Seal holes, fit door sweeps and secure garbage.
Mosquitoes and West Nile virus
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reports that state testers detected West Nile virus in mosquitoes collected at the Gog-le-hi-te Wetlands on the Tacoma tideflats in August 2018. The agency tells residents to empty anything that holds water, including gutters, pet bowls, tires and bird baths, at least twice a week.
Carpenter ants
Carpenter ants are large, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, and black or red and black. WSU says they excavate wood for nesting rather than eating it, and many indoor colonies are satellite nests fed by a parent living in a rotting log or stump outside. Beauty bark around foundations can hide their trails. Swarms usually fly from April to early June, and treating the parent nest matters.
Odorous house ants
Odorous house ants are about 1/16 inch long and brown to black. WSU says they build shallow, shapeless colonies in soil that often move, and they follow trails indoors to dairy, fruit juice and pastry. Trails are easiest to see after noon, and a flashlight helps trace them back to the nest. Keep counters free of residue and keep trees and shrubs off the walls.
Spotted something?
Carpenter ants swarm during these weeks, and winged ants indoors suggest a nest close by. It is a good time to clear stumps, logs and stacked firewood away from the house and to trim shrubs touching the eaves.
Odorous house ants swarm most in June and July, and West Nile virus activity typically shows up in early to mid-August. Empty buckets, gutters and bird baths at least twice a week and keep window screens in good repair.
Dampwood termites swarm at summer's end or in autumn, particularly after rain, and moisture ants fly around then too. Rats look for warm shelter as the weather turns, so close gaps near the foundation and keep garbage sealed.
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 Tacoma? Call (512) 561-7451 or request a free estimate.
WSU lists the dampwood termite as one of the native termites in western Washington, and it lives in wet or rotting wood. Because Tacoma is rainy and has many older buildings, leaks and wood touching soil deserve attention. A dampwood find often signals a moisture problem that needs fixing along with treatment.
Start by removing what attracts them: seal garbage, pet food and bird seed in tight containers, and clear woodpiles and brush. Repair cracks and small holes and add door sweeps. WSU says Norway rats nest under buildings and in woodpiles. Traps go where droppings, gnaw marks or greasy smudges appear.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department says the virus showed up in mosquito samples from the Gog-le-hi-te Wetlands in August 2018, and it has seen no cases in Pierce County people, birds or horses. Activity typically begins early to mid-August. Tip out containers holding water and use screens on windows and doors.
They may be carpenter ants, which WSU says are 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and nest in excavated wood. Many house infestations are satellite nests from a parent colony in a stump or log outside. Look for nearby stumps, damp wood and branches touching the roof, and request an estimate if the ants keep returning.
Prices open at $57 per plan, with the estimate itself free. What you pay follows the building, the pest and the work involved. When you phone (512) 561-7451 or use the online request form, describe the problem so the quote fits it.
Yes, commercial properties such as warehouses, restaurants, offices and shops are covered. Loading areas, dumpsters and outdoor drains get close attention for rodents, ants and mosquito breeding spots, with eco-friendly products used. Ask for a free estimate online.
It is a wise step. Older wood and damp crawl spaces are where dampwood termites and moisture ants settle. A sale inspection from us lists termite and pest findings for buyers, sellers and agents on one report. The visit estimate costs nothing, and you can schedule online.
Tiny brown to black ants on a trail are often odorous house ants, according to WSU. They come in for sweets, dairy and juice. Wipe the trail with soapy water, clear residue, seal entry points and keep shrubs off the walls. A flashlight helps trace the trail back toward the nest.
Tacoma wraps around Commencement Bay, with the Port of Tacoma and the industrial tide flats at the water's edge and neighborhoods climbing toward about 500 feet. Salt air, steady rain and a large stock of historic buildings give moisture-loving pests plenty of shelter.
Pierce County's largest city on the sound, Tacoma held 219,346 residents in the 2020 census, with roughly 50 square miles of land and nearly 13 more of water. The city straddles Commencement Bay on Puget Sound, rises from sea level to about 500 feet and looks out on Mount Rainier, which lies about 58 miles to the southeast. Point Defiance Park fills about 700 acres at the northern tip.
The Port of Tacoma is the largest port in Washington, and the tide flats once held pulp and paper mills that gave the city its nickname, the Tacoma Aroma. Preservation programs cover more than 1,000 historic properties in five overlay zones, so a good share of local buildings carry decades of wear. Annual rainfall is about 41 inches, enough to keep wood and soil damp much of the year.
Local field notes
What our technicians check first on a Tacoma property
Unique to Tacoma
Local conditions decide where pests live and how they get in. These are the Tacoma details that shape every plan we write here.
Historic Tacoma houses often sit on crawl spaces where wood and damp soil meet. WSU's checklist for dampwood termites and moisture ants is the same: keep wood off the dirt, provide crawl space airflow with a vapor barrier, fix plumbing leaks and do not stack firewood against the house.
Outside, keep dense shrubbery and branches off the eaves, and clear stumps or rotting logs near the foundation. Rats favor woodpiles, junk piles and unsecured garbage, so lock up bird seed and pet food and manage compost. If termites seem to be coming from inside or beneath the house, a professional should look.
Send a request for a free estimate on this site, with plans from $57, or dial (512) 561-7451.
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