Alli Pest Control – family named, family operated, family focused

THE WOODLANDS, TX – With the increasing temperatures that come along with spring, the hibernating bugs, rodents, critters, and vermin are reemerging and procreating. One local businessman has the skills and the business to get these pests out of your house and back where they belong – anywhere else.

Joey O’Neill is a young business owner who was first made a licensed exterminator more than seven years ago, starting his career as an apprentice, then moving up through the ranks to lead technician and then fronting a start-up company before striking out on his own. Today, he is the proud owner of Alli Pest Control.

When calling for an appointment, know that the company is pronounced like ‘Alley’ and not ‘Ally’ – in fact, the name was inspired by Joey’s wife Allison, when he married in 2023. The sense of ‘family’ is paramount to Joey, a lifelong Woodlander who attended both The John Cooper School and The Woodlands High School.

“I took some business classes at Lone Star College - Montgomery before realizing I wanted to learn a trade. I started learning pest control and home inspection at the same time in late 2017 and worked both trades until I started Alli Pest Control in July of 2023,” he told Woodlands Online.

While not everyone may wake up deciding to become a remover of all things annoying in someone’s life, Joey got his pest relocation and extermination experience early in life.

“I grew up with three sisters who were not picking up a flip-flop, so I was always the one to get the wasp that flew in. A few times it was getting the raccoon out of the garage when we installed a cat door. I was in Boy Scouts and I remember my friend’s mom driving us around catching armadillos at night in Grogan’s Point, what a blast,” he told Woodlands Online.

He even – pardon the pun – got bitten by the business-ownership bug at an early age. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and an interest in leadership. I have many hot, humid memories of grinding out orders for school fundraisers, setting up Kool-Aid stands, and even going door-to-door with a wagon selling my old toys,” he said. “One of the best pieces of advice I received before starting Alli Pest Control was from another local business owner, who said, ‘Starting a business is supposed to be scary.’ It made me realize that every business owner has that same fear at one time or another, but you have to take the leap anyways. I’m constantly learning about new products, techniques, and technology to help serve my clients and be the best at what we do.”

Alli Pest Control’s mission is to provide honest assessments, quick communication, and to protect your home or business from invasive pests. They offer customizable bug and rodent protection plans for their residential and commercial clients, but they also specialize in mosquito control; the company’s monthly mosquito program utilizes the latest technology, In2Care Mosquito Buckets, to get rid of mosquitos on your property once and for all. Incidentally, this is the perfect time to take advantage of their best plan, which bundles your general pest control and mosquito control into one discounted monthly service, running from March to December.

Joey knows the importance of total control and eradication, inside the home and out. A primary threat is nearly invisible until it’s too late, in the form of termites.

“Having your property looked over annually by an experienced pest and termite inspector is so important,” he told Woodlands Online. “Even when there are no common signs of a termite infestation, such as mud tubes going up the foundation, there is often much more than meets the eye. You’d be surprised how many times we find active termites under rocks, in old tree stumps or on a neighboring fence. Often people call with what they assumed was water damage but find out the damage was caused by termite activity. The longer you wait, the more damage they can cause.”

He encourages homeowners to do a spot-check for evidence of certain pests. Specifically for wood destroying insects, it may be cause for attention when you find what looks like dirt indoors. Oftentimes, carpenter ants or drywood termites will be in a window frame or wall and you will find little brown pellets around the windowsill or baseboards. Subterranean termites will often eat through the drywall and cover the exits with mud. This can often go unnoticed in areas like a full bedroom closet, around a window that nobody uses or under a jacuzzi tub.

“I’ve even had clients who only discovered they had termites in their rental property after they moved picture frames off the wall and found muddy patches left behind,” he said.

Everything is bigger in Texas, and Joey stresses that this anecdote includes bugs and other pests; in too short of a time, a homeowner can go from a mild problem to a disaster that could cost countless thousands.

“Keeping up with your scheduled pest control is so important, especially in our heavily wooded environment,” he told Woodlands Online. “Most general-use pesticides are rated to last about 60 to 90 days outdoors, so the most common treatment schedules are bi-monthly and quarterly. These products have a long-lasting residual to make sure any pest that comes in contact won’t be able to make themselves at home. This helps to keep wasps from building nests or spiders from moving into your garage like they own the place.”

He related to Woodlands Online that he once had a client call who had left on vacation for about six months and came back to find about a million daddy long legs spiders had taken over every room of her home, the stuff of nightmares.

“We had a spray for that, but there was a lot of cleanup to do,” he told Woodlands Online staff, who in turn are trying to block the visual from their collective mind.

As for The Woodlands, Joey and Allison’s love for the local community is evident. “I love The Woodlands; I think it’s an absolutely amazing place to live and raise a family, and I cannot be more thrilled to grow my business here,” he said. “There’s a lot of door-knockers and big promises in my industry, so I’m glad to provide an honest and affordable service to my neighbors and make sure we’re the last company they need to call for their family’s pest control needs.”

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