Pest Control in California

California pest pressure, metro by metro

California does not have one pest problem — it has one per metro, shaped by local weather:

• extreme summer heat, very low rainfall and pests adapted to shelter in and around homes (Los Angeles)
• extreme summer heat, very low rainfall and pests adapted to shelter in and around homes (Riverside–San Bernardino)
• dry summers, mild wet winters and year-round moderate temperatures pests can work with (San Francisco)
• dry summers, mild wet winters and year-round moderate temperatures pests can work with (San Diego)

Across the state we cover 36 counties within these metro areas. Browse the metro pages below, or see the California county index for county-level coverage.

California coverage in numbers

In numbers: the 24 covered metros in California hold about 38,385,634 residents between them, with Los Angeles alone accounting for roughly 33% of that population. Coverage reaches 328 named communities and 1520 ZIP codes across 36 counties. The climate those metros share is not uniform: average annual temperatures run from about 57°F around Santa Cruz to 76°F around Riverside–San Bernardino, and pest seasons lengthen or shorten accordingly — which is why each metro keeps its own page.

The housing stock writes the rest of the story. In Los Angeles, the largest metro, about 68% of homes predate 1980 and the median home was built in 1969 — older framing, older voids, and the pest profile that comes with them. Owner-occupiers make up about 49% of households there, which is why the metro guides speak to homeowners planning inspections and programmes, not one-off visits alone.

California metros at a glance

Los Angeles — 12,844,441 residents, 2 counties. First on its watch list: bark scorpions, then drywood termites and roof rats — the pattern of a metro where extreme summer heat, very low rainfall and pests adapted to shelter in and around homes.

Riverside–San Bernardino — a metro of 4,769,007 across 2 counties, where the watch list runs bark scorpions, drywood termites, roof rats — the standing pattern where extreme summer heat, very low rainfall and pests adapted to shelter in and around homes.

San Francisco — 4,630,041 residents, 5 counties. First on its watch list: Argentine ants, then drywood termites and roof rats — the pattern of a metro where dry summers, mild wet winters and year-round moderate temperatures pests can work with.

San Diego — a metro of 3,282,248 across 1 counties, where the watch list runs Argentine ants, drywood termites, roof rats — the standing pattern where dry summers, mild wet winters and year-round moderate temperatures pests can work with.

Sacramento — a metro of 2,477,274 across 4 counties, where the watch list runs Argentine ants, drywood termites, roof rats — the standing pattern where dry summers, mild wet winters and year-round moderate temperatures pests can work with.

San Jose — a metro of 1,984,473 across 2 counties, where the watch list runs Argentine ants, drywood termites, roof rats — the standing pattern where dry summers, mild wet winters and year-round moderate temperatures pests can work with.

Fresno — a metro of 1,203,383 across 2 counties, where the watch list runs bark scorpions, drywood termites, roof rats — the standing pattern where extreme summer heat, very low rainfall and pests adapted to shelter in and around homes.

Bakersfield — a metro of 927,068 across 1 counties, where the watch list runs bark scorpions, drywood termites, roof rats — the standing pattern where extreme summer heat, very low rainfall and pests adapted to shelter in and around homes.