Pest Control Arlington
Protect your Arlington County home from ants, roaches, stink bugs, rodents, and 35 other local pests with reduced-risk products and no binding contracts
Family Owned
57 years of experience serving local homes with pets and kids.
Lower Risk Products
Our research team picked materials better for the planet & your home
No Contracts
We don't lock you in with paperwork. Stay because it works.
Pest Control Built for Arlington's 1920s–1950s Homes and Dense Urban Neighborhoods
Arlington packs 26 square miles with everything from brick Colonials and Craftsman bungalows in Lyon Park and Waverly Hills to high-rise corridors along Rosslyn, Ballston, and Crystal City. Over 40% of homes were built between 1940 and 1959, and another 11% date before 1939. After 70 to 100 years, foundations settle, mortar cracks, and crawlspaces break down. Gaps open around pipes, vents, and windows. Every opening is an invitation for ants, roaches, mice, and spiders.
Better Termite & Pest Control has served Arlington families since 1968. Our research team removed 9 harsh chemicals from our programs. We chose lower-risk products like Essentria, Alpine, and borate-based solutions instead. Whether you live off Columbia Pike in Penrose, near the restaurants on Clarendon's Wilson Boulevard, or in a single-family home in Yorktown or Bluemont, we know what drives pest problems here. We build your plan around your specific property.
Every pest control plan includes unlimited callbacks at no extra cost. If pests come back between scheduled visits, so do we. No binding contracts. Call 703-683-2000 and talk directly with a licensed technician about your home.
Get a Free Quote
Choose the option that works best for you
Option 1: Call a Licensed Tech
Option 2: Submit Your Info to our Team
How Arlington Pest Control Works
We start with a 78-point home inspection. Our licensed technicians check every entry point, moisture problem, and pest hiding spot on your property. In Arlington, that means looking at cracks in aging brick foundations, checking basements and crawlspaces for water damage, and finding where tree branches reach your roofline. Older homes in Ashton Heights, Lyon Village, and Glencarlyn often have original wood framing that needs close attention.
Then we treat. Crack and crevice applications handle ants, roaches, and spiders inside. Perimeter barrier sprays create a protective zone around your foundation. Dewebbing clears spider webs and egg sacs from eaves, porches, and doorways. For homes near restaurant corridors in Clarendon, Shirlington, and Columbia Pike, we pay extra attention to roach and rodent entry points driven by nearby food waste.
Our TriGuard Pest plan starts at $39/month with 3 scheduled treatments per year, timed to seasonal pest cycles in Northern Virginia. Each visit builds on the last. If you spot activity between visits, call us. We come back at no extra cost.
Arlington Mosquito & Tick Control
Arlington has some of Northern Virginia's worst mosquito problems. Four Mile Run drains two-thirds of the county through wooded ravines, floodplains, and wetlands. The Potomac shoreline, stormwater ponds like Sparrow Pond in Glencarlyn Park, and storm drains across the urban core all hold standing water where mosquitoes breed. Only 42% of Arlington's land is permeable, so runoff pools fast after rain, creating breeding sites from April through October.
Our technicians use backpack sprayers to apply a mix of fast-acting spray and growth regulator that breaks the mosquito lifecycle. We target vegetation edges, deck undersides, and thick brush where mosquitoes rest during the day. Monthly treatments run April through October. We also offer the In2Care system. This no-spray option uses mosquitoes themselves to spread larvicide to breeding sites we could never reach.
Tick Prevention Along Arlington's Stream Valleys
Homes next to Arlington's 164 parks and stream corridors face serious tick pressure. Deer and wildlife use these greenbelts as highways right into backyards. Our tick program includes spring and fall granular treatments and Damminix Tick Tubes that target ticks where they live and breed. Neighborhoods near Potomac Overlook Regional Park, Long Branch Nature Center, and Gulf Branch are at highest risk.
Foundation barrier treatments protect Arlington homes from ants, roaches, and spiders that enter through aging masonry foundations common in Lyon Park and Waverly Hills
Carpenter ants damage wood framing in Arlington homes built between the 1920s and 1950s, especially in tree-heavy neighborhoods like Cherrydale and Maywood
Our trucks are a familiar sight across Arlington, from Westover Village to Crystal City and everywhere in between
Stink bugs cluster on south-facing walls of Arlington homes every fall, squeezing through window frames and siding gaps before overwintering indoors
Arlington's 35% tree canopy and dense leaf litter create prime conditions for carpenter ants, especially along Four Mile Run and in north Arlington
Termite Control for Arlington Homes
Arlington's hot, humid summers, 40–42 inches of annual rain, and aging wood-framed homes make eastern subterranean termites a constant threat. Homes built in the 1920s through 1950s across Waverly Hills, Lyon Park, Penrose, and Westover have settling foundations, damp crawlspaces, and spots where wood contacts soil. Termites find these weak points. Even newer townhomes in Fairlington and Buckingham face termite pressure from Arlington's wet, wooded land.
We install and maintain the Sentricon baiting system, the leading termite technology. Sentricon stations go into the soil around your home. Worker termites find the bait and carry it back to their colony. The colony dies at the source. No trenching, no drilling, and no chemical barriers poured into the soil around your foundation.
Our TriGuard with Sentricon Bundle starts at $69/month. You get 3 pest control visits, Sentricon monitoring, and a full termite check every year. Our technicians look at each station on a set schedule and send you a report after every visit.
Rodent Control in Arlington
Arlington County runs its own formal rodent control program because the problem is that bad. Restaurant strips along Clarendon, Columbia Pike, and Shirlington put out steady food waste. That waste feeds large rat and mouse populations. Four Mile Run and the Potomac waterfront act as rodent highways. Metro tunnels, underground garages, and older sewer lines in Douglas Park and Penrose give rodents covered routes all year.
Our rodent program starts with a thorough inspection to find droppings, gnaw marks, grease trails, and entry points. We place tamper-proof bait stations along your foundation and snap traps in active areas inside. Then we find the gaps and recommend sealing work to close your home off from future entry. Older Arlington homes often need work at foundation vents, pipe openings, and where additions meet the original house.
We follow up with maintenance visits until the problem is solved. Unlimited callbacks are included. Mice breed fast. A small problem in October can turn into a full infestation by December. One-time rodent services cost $250 to $400. You can also add rodent coverage to a recurring plan.
Why Arlington Has Year-Round Pest Pressure
Arlington sits along the Potomac River and is drained by Four Mile Run. This creek cuts through two-thirds of the county along wooded ravines, floodplains, and wetlands. These stream valleys link Bluemont Park, Glencarlyn Park, Barcroft Park, and Shirlington Park into one long corridor. That corridor funnels rodents, wildlife, mosquitoes, and ticks straight into neighborhoods. The county maintains 164 parks and has a 35% tree canopy. That green space is one of Arlington's best features, but it also pushes pests right up against homes.
The climate makes it worse. Arlington's humid subtropical weather brings 40 to 42 inches of rain per year and hot, sticky summers in the upper 80s. The active pest season runs from about April through November. Winters are mild enough that roaches, rodents, and other pests survive indoors and bounce back fast each spring. With only 42% permeable land surface, rainwater pools quickly. That standing water feeds mosquito breeding in culverts, low spots, and storm drains well into fall.
Arlington's housing stock compounds every environmental factor. Over half of all homes were built before 1960. After 70 to 100 years, brick foundations crack, mortar crumbles, crawlspaces deteriorate, and vents get damaged. Historic neighborhoods like Lyon Park (platted 1919–1951), Waverly Hills (1919–1939), and Penrose (1882–1943) have big trees right against houses. Those trees give squirrels and rats a bridge to the roof and shade the ground along foundations, keeping soil damp where ants, termites, and ground-level insects thrive. The busy restaurant and shopping corridors in Clarendon, Rosslyn, Ballston, and Columbia Pike add steady roach and rodent pressure to every nearby block.
What Your Arlington Area Neighbors Are Saying
1,100+ 5 Star Reviews on Google "We've had a subscription service with this company for yrs, since moving into our current house, and realizing it was rather...spidery. But NO MORE! ...we are now creepy crawly-free! Over the years, they've also tackled ants, bees, and HORRIBLE paper wasps!"
"Steve was very accommodating and patient in explaining what we're dealing with and what measures he recommended to address our rodent issue. He walked through and assessed our home thoroughly for areas of concern and walked my wife and I through the treatment plan and why he recommended the treatments."
"As a small, family owned business, they are able to personalize their approach based on your needs. It's clear that they prioritize customer service and communication. We recently had a swarm of a stinging insect take shelter under our ground-level deck, and they researched, bought necessary equipment, and came up with the best way to treat it."
"I've had nothing but great experiences for 3 years now. Their consistent, reliable service really stands out for me, and everyone is always kind and easy to talk to. ...Kamaal, who I'm gonna call my customer consultant, is fantastic—he really listens to my concerns and works with me to come up with the best plan for whatever pest issues I'm dealing with."
"I highly recommend this company for your home pest control. Their technicians are thorough and have prevented any unwanted problems from happening on our property. During our last treatment, Jasmine took care of our outdoor spider webs without us even asking. That attention to detail speaks volumes."
"We've had a subscription service with this company for yrs, since moving into our current house, and realizing it was rather...spidery. But NO MORE! ...we are now creepy crawly-free! Over the years, they've also tackled ants, bees, and HORRIBLE paper wasps!"
"Steve was very accommodating and patient in explaining what we're dealing with and what measures he recommended to address our rodent issue. He walked through and assessed our home thoroughly for areas of concern and walked my wife and I through the treatment plan and why he recommended the treatments."
"As a small, family owned business, they are able to personalize their approach based on your needs. It's clear that they prioritize customer service and communication. We recently had a swarm of a stinging insect take shelter under our ground-level deck, and they researched, bought necessary equipment, and came up with the best way to treat it."
"I've had nothing but great experiences for 3 years now. Their consistent, reliable service really stands out for me, and everyone is always kind and easy to talk to. ...Kamaal, who I'm gonna call my customer consultant, is fantastic—he really listens to my concerns and works with me to come up with the best plan for whatever pest issues I'm dealing with."
"I highly recommend this company for your home pest control. Their technicians are thorough and have prevented any unwanted problems from happening on our property. During our last treatment, Jasmine took care of our outdoor spider webs without us even asking. That attention to detail speaks volumes."
Serving All of Arlington County
Proudly serving Clarendon, Ballston, Rosslyn, Crystal City, Pentagon City, Columbia Pike, Shirlington, Fairlington, Westover, Waverly Hills, Cherrydale, Yorktown, Ashton Heights, Aurora Highlands, Lyon Park, Lyon Village, Penrose, Glencarlyn, Arlington Forest, Bluemont, and all surrounding communities since 1968.