Spooky Season Is Here: Creepy Pests Hiding Around Your Central Texas Home

September 16, 2026

Spiders hiding in the garage, scorpions under boxes, cockroaches appearing after dark, and rodents scratching inside the walls can all make your home feel a little too spooky.

For homeowners in Waco, Temple, Killeen, and surrounding Central Texas communities, September is a great time to pay closer attention to pest activity around your home.

Here are four spooky pests homeowners should watch for this fall and what you can do to help keep them outside.

1. Scorpions

Finding a scorpion inside your home can be alarming, especially when you are walking around barefoot at night.

Scorpions are found throughout Texas, including Central Texas. They typically hide during the day and become more active at night. Around homes, they may hide underneath rocks, landscaping materials, wood piles, boxes, and other protected areas.

They can also enter homes through surprisingly small openings.

Signs of scorpion activity

• Scorpions found in garages, bathrooms, closets, or other areas of the home
• Scorpions hiding underneath outdoor objects
• Increased activity around rock landscaping or wood piles
• Other insects around the property that can provide a food source

How to help prevent scorpions

• Seal cracks and openings around your home's exterior.
• Check weather stripping around doors and windows.
• Keep wood piles and debris away from the foundation.
• Reduce clutter in garages and storage areas.
• Keep landscaping trimmed around the home.
• Address other pest activity since scorpions feed on insects and other small pests.

If you are repeatedly finding scorpions inside your home, professional pest control can help identify where they may be entering and reduce the pest activity around your property that attracts them.

2. Cockroaches

Few things are creepier than turning on the kitchen light at night and seeing a cockroach run across the floor.

Cockroaches are a common pest problem in Waco, Temple, Killeen, and throughout Central Texas, and different species can create very different problems.

American cockroaches are larger and may enter homes from outdoors, drains, garages, and other damp areas. German cockroaches are smaller and can establish indoor infestations, especially around kitchens and bathrooms where food and moisture are readily available.

Signs of a cockroach problem

• Cockroaches appearing at night
• Small droppings around cabinets or appliances
• Egg cases
• Cockroaches underneath sinks or around plumbing
• A musty odor when an infestation becomes severe
• Cockroaches appearing during the daytime, which can sometimes indicate a larger population

How to help prevent cockroaches

• Clean food and drink spills promptly.
• Store food in sealed containers.
• Avoid leaving pet food out overnight.
• Repair leaking faucets and plumbing.
• Take trash out regularly.
• Seal gaps around doors, windows, pipes, and other openings into the home.
• Keep kitchens and bathrooms as clean and dry as possible.

If you are seeing cockroaches repeatedly, especially smaller German cockroaches, professional treatment is usually the best way to address the infestation.

3. Spiders

Nothing says spooky season quite like spider webs, but you probably do not want the real thing covering your porch or showing up inside your home.

Spiders are common throughout Central Texas. While most spiders homeowners encounter are not dangerous, Texas is home to medically significant species, including black widows and brown recluse spiders.

One important thing to remember is that spiders go where their food is. If you are suddenly noticing more spiders around your home, there may also be plenty of insects nearby for them to eat.

Signs of spider activity

• Webs around windows, doors, porches, garages, and outdoor lights
• Egg sacs in protected areas
• Spiders frequently appearing indoors
• Webs returning shortly after you remove them
• Increased insect activity around the exterior of your home

How to help prevent spiders

• Remove webs when you find them.
• Keep garages, sheds, and storage areas free of unnecessary clutter.
• Seal cracks and gaps around windows and doors.
• Keep shrubs and tree branches trimmed away from your home.
• Address other insect problems that may be providing spiders with a food source.

Professional pest control can help by targeting both spiders and many of the insects attracting them to your property.

4. Rats and Mice

Hearing scratching inside a wall or ceiling at night might sound like something from a scary movie, but sometimes the culprit is a rodent.

Rats and mice can enter homes while searching for food, water, and shelter. Rodents can contaminate food and surfaces, damage property through gnawing, and carry diseases that can spread directly or indirectly to people.

Often, homeowners notice evidence of rodents before actually seeing one.

Signs of rats or mice

• Droppings in cabinets, pantries, garages, or attics
• Scratching or movement inside walls and ceilings
• Gnaw marks on food packaging or other materials
• Nesting materials such as shredded paper or insulation
• Unusual pet behavior around walls or cabinets
• Grease marks along areas rodents regularly travel

How to help prevent rodents

• Seal gaps and holes around the exterior of your home.
• Pay close attention to areas where pipes, cables, and other lines enter the house.
• Keep food stored in tightly sealed containers.
• Avoid leaving pet food out overnight.
• Keep garbage cans securely closed.
• Reduce clutter in garages and storage areas.
• Trim vegetation and remove debris around the exterior of your home.

Mice can squeeze through extremely small openings, which is why finding and sealing potential entry points is an important part of rodent prevention.

Why Fall Pest Prevention Matters in Central Texas

September in Central Texas may not feel like fall just yet. Temperatures can remain warm, which means many summer pests are still active even as the seasons begin to change.

That makes September an important transition month for pest control.

Homeowners may still be dealing with spiders, cockroaches, ants, scorpions, mosquitoes, and other warm weather pests while also beginning to think about rodents and other pests looking for protected areas around the home.

Routine pest control helps address the pests you are seeing now while also helping prevent new problems from developing.

Simple Fall Pest Prevention Tips for Your Home

Whether you live in Waco, Temple, Killeen, Belton, Harker Heights, Hewitt, Woodway, Robinson, Lorena, or another Central Texas community, a few simple steps can make your home less inviting to pests.

• Seal gaps around doors and windows.
• Check openings around pipes, cables, and utility lines.
• Keep landscaping trimmed away from the house.
• Remove leaves, wood, and debris from around your foundation.
• Keep food and pet food properly sealed.
• Repair moisture problems and leaking plumbing.
• Reduce clutter in garages, attics, and storage areas.
• Pay attention to new webs, droppings, nests, or other signs of pest activity.

The sooner you notice a pest problem, the easier it is to address before it has time to grow.

Professional Pest Control in Waco, Temple and Killeen

Spiders, scorpions, cockroaches, and rodents might fit the Halloween theme, but you do not want them becoming permanent residents of your home.

GGA Pest Management provides professional residential pest control throughout Waco, Temple, Killeen, and surrounding Central Texas communities. Consistent pest control helps target active pests while creating an ongoing plan to reduce future pest activity around your home.

If you are noticing bugs or other unwanted visitors around your property, you do not have to wait until the problem gets worse.

Stay tuned for Spooky Pests of Central Texas: Part 2 in October, where we will cover even more creepy pests you might find around your Central Texas home.

Book your free pest inspection online at ggapest.com/book