How Pest Control Works in Scranton Without a Downtown Office

Scranton customers sometimes ask where the truck comes from. The answer is a county route, not a storefront. Calls are scheduled onto the Lackawanna County route; technicians work the city and its boroughs in geographic order, and they fill same-day openings from that route rather than from a dispatch desk on Lackawanna Avenue.

That model dates to July 2019, when The Pest Rangers acquired Ajax Environmental Solutions of Dalton—a Lackawanna County pest control business run by the same family since the mid-1950s—and folded its customers and territory into the company. The result is a team with decades of local history and the resources of a regional firm behind it.

What that team does most in Scranton is apartment, rental, and older-home work: cockroach and bed bug programs in multi-unit buildings, rodent exclusion in settled foundations, carpenter ant and termite work in wood-framed houses that have stood for a century, and commercial programs for the restaurants, healthcare facilities, and warehouses that need documentation for inspectors. Every job is run on integrated pest management principles. Technicians find and fix the cause, then treat, because in a city of shared walls and patched foundations, spraying without sealing is a short-term fix.

TScranton has no walk-in counter, so you must schedule by phone or online; and wildlife work follows Pennsylvania Game Commission rules, which prohibit relocating bats and other rabies-vector species and advise against attic bat exclusions during summer maternity season.

Scranton Pest Problems We Treat Most

Cockroaches in Multi-Unit and Student Housing

German cockroaches travel through shared plumbing chases and wall voids in converted multi-family buildings, which makes a single-apartment treatment a losing strategy. Cockroach control in Scranton is scoped building-wide when possible, using gel baits and growth regulators, and includes sanitation findings in the service report landlords keep for the city’s three-year inspection.

Bed Bugs Between Adjoining Units

With roughly half of Scranton households renting and student leases turning over every summer around the University of Scranton, Marywood, and Lackawanna College, bed bugs move between units and semesters. Technicians inspect the reporting unit and the apartments adjoining it, and heat remediation clears confirmed units in a single treatment, starting at $1,500 for a whole structure.

Mice in Settled Foundations

Scranton’s mining-era ground movement and pre-1940 masonry produce the kind of foundation seams mice use every fall. Rodent control here is exclusion-first: steel wool and sealant at penetrations, door sweeps, and repaired gaps, then trapping to clear what is already inside. Gnawed wiring is a fire risk, so the exclusion is not optional.

Carpenter Ants and Termites in Century-Old Framing

Original sills, porch framing, and basement joists that have absorbed a hundred years of valley humidity are exactly what carpenter ants hollow out and subterranean termites feed on. Ant control traces colonies back to the wet wood; termite control offers Sentricon stations, liquid treatments, and NPMA-33 reports through the company’s inspection services when a sale is pending.

Mosquitoes and Ticks Along the River and Hillsides

Lackawanna County’s trap sites in Minooka, West Scranton, and South Scranton returned West Nile-positive mosquito samples in 2024, and the county recorded 428 Lyme disease cases in 2023. Mosquito and tick barrier treatments run monthly from April through October, which brackets the county’s May-to-September trapping season, for yards near the Lackawanna River, Nay Aug Park, and the wooded flanks of East and West Mountain.

Spotted Lanternflies and Stink Bugs

Lackawanna County has been inside Pennsylvania’s spotted lanternfly quarantine since March 2021, and brown marmorated stink bugs — a species first found in the U.S. in Allentown in 1998 — cluster on sunny Scranton siding every fall. Both are handled through perimeter and host-tree treatments timed to late summer and early fall.

Commercial Programs for Restaurants, Healthcare, and Warehouses

Downtown restaurants, hospital and clinic facilities, schools, and distribution warehouses in the valley get scheduled service with the inspection-ready logs auditors require, including quality control programs for food processing.

Why Scranton’s Housing, Mining Legacy, and Valley Climate Increase Pest Pressure

Scranton is divided into nine districts, each with its own housing character and pest profile. Here is how the county team reads the city, district by district.

Scranton Area	Housing and Ground Conditions	Typical Pest Pressure	Service Emphasis
Hill Section and Green Ridge	Victorian-era houses with original wood framing, slate roofs, dormers, and aging soffits	Carpenter ants in damp sills; mice; bat colonies in attics	Moisture correction, roofline sealing, fall bat exclusion
Central City and the blocks around the University of Scranton	Dense multi-unit conversions and student rentals; constant tenant turnover	German cockroaches, bed bugs, rodents	Building-wide cockroach programs, unit-by-unit bed bug inspections, landlord documentation
South Side and Pine Brook	Neighborhoods most affected by subsurface mining; settled and patched foundations	Mice and ants entering through foundation seams	Exclusion-first rodent work, crack sealing
Minooka, West Scranton, and South Scranton	Residential streets where county traps returned West Nile-positive mosquitoes in 2024	Mosquitoes; stink bugs on sunny siding in fall	April–October barrier treatments; fall perimeter sprays
North Scranton (Providence) and West Side (Hyde Park)	Older double-blocks and row housing with shared walls	Pests travelling between units; mice	Unit-to-unit coordination, shared-wall exclusion
East Mountain, West Mountain, and the Nay Aug Park edge	Wooded slopes and larger lots on the city’s rim	Blacklegged ticks, wasps and hornets, wildlife	Tick applications, nest removal, Game Commission-compliant wildlife work

Underneath it all is the ground. Scranton was the largest anthracite-mining community, and mining weakened entire neighborhoods; the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection still sells mine subsidence insurance to homeowners over abandoned workings. Above it is a humid valley climate: about 38.7 inches of rain, 45 inches of snow, July near 74°F and January near 28°F at the regional airport station, with the Lackawanna River and Roaring Brook holding moisture in the low-lying blocks between them.

Penn State Extension’s notes on subterranean termites (swarms February through June) and carpenter ants (nesting in moist, decaying wood) explain why that combination of old wood and damp air keeps the county team busy.

From First Call to Follow-Up: Service Steps for Scranton Customers

The steps vary slightly depending on who calls, so we lay them out three ways.

Homeowners

Call (570) 343-0567 or book online; a certified technician performs a free inspection (NPMA-33 and bed bug inspections are quoted separately), identifies the species, locates entry points and moisture, and hands you a written scope and price before any work starts. Treatment follows integrated pest management practice; you receive a service report, and plan customers are revisited every 4 months with free re-treatment in between if a covered pest returns.

Landlords and Property Managers

Provide unit access and tenant notice; the technician inspects affected and adjoining units, because cockroaches and bed bugs rarely respect a single lease. You receive a building-level findings report that doubles as documentation for the city’s rental inspection, a per-unit or per-building quote, and a recurring schedule if the property needs one. Tenant-prep instructions are supplied for heat and bait programs.

Restaurants, Healthcare Facilities, and Warehouses

A site survey maps harborage, entry points, and sanitation issues; the program is written to the facility’s audit requirements; and each visit is logged. On every account type the guarantee applies: if a covered issue is not fixed, the final regular payment is refunded.

Scranton Rules Landlords, Sellers, and Businesses Should Know

• Rental licensing and inspection: The City of Scranton’s rental licensing program is mandatory. Licenses renew annually by March 15 at $45 per unit for one- to three-unit properties and flat fees above that; the 2022 rental ordinance (Chapter 373 of the city code) puts each unit on a three-year health and safety inspection cycle, with the first re-inspection free and later ones charged. The city enforces the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code, which requires structures to be kept free of insect and rodent infestation.
• Spotted lanternfly quarantine: Lackawanna County joined the state quarantine in March 2021. Businesses moving goods, equipment, or vehicles through the zone need a Department of Agriculture permit.
• Applicator certification: Pennsylvania’s Pesticide Control Act of 1973 requires commercial applicators to hold certification from the state Department of Agriculture (Bureau of Plant Industry), earned through core and category exams and kept current with recertification credits. No separate City of Scranton pesticide permit exists for homeowners who hire a company.
• Real estate transactions: Sellers must disclose known wood-destroying insect damage under the state’s seller disclosure law, and FHA and VA lenders commonly require an NPMA-33 report.
• Wildlife: The Pennsylvania Game Commission bars relocation of rabies-vector species, including bats, and advises waiting until fall to exclude attic colonies.
• Mine subsidence: Not a pest rule, but relevant to the same foundations: DEP’s mine subsidence insurance covers collapse damage that standard homeowner policies exclude, and the agency recommends it for homes over abandoned mines. This section is general information, not legal advice.

Scranton Neighborhoods and Lackawanna County Communities We Serve

Inside the city: Central City, the Hill Section, Green Ridge, North Scranton and Providence, West Side and Hyde Park, South Side, Pine Brook, Minooka, Tripp Park, the Plot, East Mountain, and West Mountain, across ZIP codes 18503, 18504, 18505, 18508, 18509, and 18510, plus the 18512 and 18519 areas shared with Dunmore, Throop, and Dickson City.

Up the valley and into the Abingtons, the Lackawanna County route covers Dunmore, Dickson City, Throop, Olyphant, Blakely, Jessup, Archbald, Carbondale, Taylor, Moosic, Old Forge, Moscow, Clarks Summit, Clarks Green, South Abington Township, and Dalton, and reaches into Wyoming County at Factoryville and Tunkhannock. The Lackawanna County page lists every municipality; the company handles Luzerne County to the south from its Wilkes-Barre office.

Why Scranton Customers Choose The Pest Rangers

• A county team with 1950s roots: The Lackawanna County operation inherited Ajax Environmental Solutions’ customers, routes, and local knowledge when The Pest Rangers acquired the Dalton firm in July 2019.
• Rental and multi-unit experience: Building-wide cockroach and bed bug programs, inspection of adjoining units, and reports written for Scranton’s three-year rental inspections.
• Accreditation and oversight: QualityPro status from the National Pest Management Association, state-certified applicators, and company president Jeff King serving as president of the Pennsylvania Pest Management Association and on the NPMA board of directors.
• Growth along I-81, not a franchise: Founded in June 2008 and family-owned, the company has expanded by acquiring established local firms in Hazleton, Duryea, and Dalton rather than through franchising.
• Refund-backed guarantee: Re-treatment between plan visits at no charge, and a refund of the most recent regular payment when a covered issue cannot be resolved — see the guarantee.

Recent Client Reviews

“This company was prompt and efficient. Joe N was great this company is great!”

• Donnie. H.

“Had a great first-time experience with Pest Rangers. Timmy was great to work with and was very quick with getting someone to our house. I highly recommend giving them a try if you have any pest problems.”

• Gianni B.

Contact The Pest Rangers for Pest Control in Scranton

Business Information	Details
Business name	The Pest Rangers
Business type	Service-area business (no public office in Scranton); headquarters in Hanover Township, Luzerne County
Public address	No public office in Scranton. Company headquarters: 2601 S. Main St., Hanover Township, PA 18706
Phone	(570) 343-0567 (Scranton and Lackawanna County service line)
Email	Contact
Hours	8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Friday; 8 a.m. – Noon Saturday; Closed on Sundays.
Appointment requirements	Free inspections on most services; NPMA-33 real estate reports and bed bug inspections are priced separately; online instant quote tool available
Emergency availability	Same-day and emergency slots as the county route allows
Primary service area	Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
Additional areas served	Dunmore, Dickson City, Throop, Olyphant, Blakely, Jessup, Archbald, Carbondale, Taylor, Moosic, Old Forge, Moscow, Clarks Summit, Clarks Green, South Abington Township, Dalton, Factoryville, and Tunkhannock
Website	https://thepestrangers.com/
Google Business Profile	Scranton GBP Link

FAQs

Where is The Pest Rangers’ Scranton office?

There is no public Scranton office. The Pest Rangers covers Scranton as a service-area business: technicians are dispatched across Lackawanna County through the (570) 343-0567 line, and the company’s headquarters is at 2601 S. Main St. in Hanover Township. The Lackawanna County operation traces to July 2019, when the company took over Ajax Environmental Solutions of Dalton, a family firm dating to the mid-1950s.

What does Scranton’s rental license have to do with pest control?

Every Scranton rental property must carry a city rental license, renewed by March 15 each year, and under the 2022 rental ordinance each unit is inspected on a three-year cycle for health and safety. The city enforces the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code, which requires structures to be kept free of insect and rodent infestation. A documented pest program gives a landlord the paper trail an inspector asks for and avoids re-inspection charges.

Has the spotted lanternfly reached Scranton?

Yes. Lackawanna County entered Pennsylvania’s spotted lanternfly quarantine in March 2021, a year after Luzerne County. Businesses that move goods, equipment, or vehicles through the quarantine need a Department of Agriculture permit, and homeowners should scrape egg masses from vehicles and outdoor items before traveling. Lanternfly treatment on host trees, siding, and decks is available citywide.

Why does my century-old Scranton house keep getting mice?

Three out of four Scranton homes predate 1940, according to HUD housing data, and a century of settling over abandoned anthracite workings has left many foundations cracked and patched. Each repair seam, original sill gap, and shared wall in a double-block is a route for mice. Trapping alone refills every fall; sealing the entry points is what ends it, which is why exclusion is part of every Scranton rodent job.

Were West Nile mosquitoes found in Scranton recently?

Yes. Lackawanna County’s West Nile Virus Prevention Program traps mosquitoes from May through September, and in 2024 positive samples came from trap sites in the Minooka, West Scranton, and South Scranton sections. The state tallied 32 positive mosquito samples and one human case in the county that year. Monthly barrier treatments from April through October knock down populations in yards during the same period.

How bad is Lyme disease in Lackawanna County?

The Pennsylvania Department of Health recorded 428 Lyme disease cases in Lackawanna County in 2023, in a year when Pennsylvania reported the second-highest case count of any state. Blacklegged ticks concentrate on the wooded slopes of East Mountain and West Mountain, around Nay Aug Park, and in suburban yards with leaf litter. Tick applications are part of the company’s mosquito and tick barrier program.

What will I pay for pest control in Scranton?

The three published tiers are $45 (Home Protection Plan), $55 (Plus+, which adds bed bug coverage), and $75 (Premier, which adds an active termite protection system) per month, with the two upper tiers limited to owner-occupied single-family homes. Multi-unit buildings, commercial accounts, termite treatments, and one-time jobs are priced after an inspection, and whole-structure bed bug heat remediation starts at $1,500.

Can I get same-day service in Scranton without a local office?

Often, yes. Same-day and emergency appointments are offered when the Lackawanna County route has an opening; the team is routed across the county rather than dispatched from a storefront, so proximity to a downtown office is not a factor. Call (570) 343-0567 for the earliest available slot.

Is a termite report required to sell a house in Scranton?

Pennsylvania does not require a termite inspection for every sale, but sellers must disclose known termite or wood-destroying insect damage under the state’s seller disclosure law, and lenders on FHA and VA loans usually require an NPMA-33 wood-destroying insect report before closing. The Pest Rangers produces NPMA-33 reports for Scranton and Lackawanna County transactions.