Appanoose County · 52544
Pest Control in Centerville, Iowa
Centerville is famous for the world's largest town square — and infamous for the heaviest mosquito and tick pressure in our service area, thanks to Lake Rathbun and the surrounding wetlands. If you live in or around Centerville, your yard treatment plan needs to be more aggressive than what works in Des Moines or Ankeny.
Centerville by the numbers
Quick facts about Centerville, Appanoose County, Iowa.
- Founded
- 1846
- Population
- ~5,300
- County
- Appanoose County (seat)
- Elevation
- 1,047 ft
- Famous for
- Largest courthouse square in the U.S. (~6 acres)
- Heritage
- Iowa's deepest coal-immigration history
- Annual event
- Pancake Day (since 1949)
- Nearby
- Lake Rathbun (Iowa's 2nd-largest lake)
A short history of Centerville
Centerville was platted in 1846 and was originally going to be named Senterville, after Tennessee senator William T. Senter — a clerical error in the state legislature dropped the 's' and the town has been Centerville ever since. It is the seat of Appanoose County, named for the Sauk chief who lived in the area before forced removal.
Centerville's town square is the largest courthouse square in the United States — about 6 acres around a Renaissance Revival courthouse — and was once the busiest commercial square in southern Iowa during the coal boom. From the 1880s through the 1930s Appanoose County coal mines employed thousands of immigrants from Italy, Croatia, Sweden, and the Balkans, and Centerville's annual Pancake Day (since 1949) descends directly from that immigrant-community tradition.
Lake Rathbun, built in 1969, sits just north of town. At 11,000 acres it is the second-largest lake in Iowa and the single biggest driver of summer recreation — and mosquito and tick pressure — in the entire region.
Services we provide in Centerville
- Ant Control
- Cockroach Control
- Bed Bug Treatment
- Rodent Control & Exclusion
- Termite Inspection & Treatment
- Spider Control
- Mosquito Control
- Box Elder & Asian Beetle Control
- Commercial Pest Control
- Agricultural & Barn Pest Control
- Quarterly Maintenance Plan
Common Centerville pest problems
Rathbun Lake mosquito pressure is the worst in our entire service area. Cabins and lake homes need monthly treatments May through October — bi-weekly during peak weeks.
Tick exposure is a real risk for anyone with kids, dogs, or yard time near wooded edges. Tick-focused treatments make a huge difference.
Older Centerville homes around the square have the standard old-home issues — mice, ants, occasional carpenter ants.
Cockroach and bed bug treatment is available for rentals, cabins, and homes across Appanoose County.
Neighborhoods we serve in Centerville
- Town Square
- Rathbun Lake area
- South Centerville
- Sundown area
Why Centerville homeowners choose Pest Control Techs
We understand Rathbun. The mosquito plan that works in Des Moines doesn't work here. We design treatment frequency around lake-area pest pressure — not a generic schedule.
Our full service area
Centerville is part of our Central & Southeast Iowa coverage area.
"Showed up the same day, professional, fair price. Easy to recommend to anyone in Centerville."
— Recent Centerville customer
Centerville pest control FAQ
Service area near Centerville
Ready for pest-free living in Centerville?
Free quote, same-day service across town.