Fort Worth Weekly Classifieds // February 11-17, 2026

Thursday, February 19

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METROPOLIS

Somethin’s Happenin’ Here

When it’s The Man determining what is and isn’t a crime during a protest, walking out of class doesn’t pay.

BY ANTHONY MARIANI

As students protest creeping dictatorship, recrudescent Nazism, and the recent shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents on U.S. soil, at least one campus cop has some thoughts.

At a local school the other day, students said they overheard their on-duty patrolman say a lot of perhaps expectedly spicy stuff, like how high school students don’t know enough to even know what they’re protesting (we’d argue most do) and that they’re wasting everyone’s time (not quite). Protesting has a way of changing public perception, which can lead to tangible progress.

One (other) thing this policeman allegedly said that stands out betrays an uncomfortable truth: that students should protest on their own time and outside of school.

We agree.

The only people hurt by walking out of class — which has been happening since the Vietnam War — are the students. Becoming smart future voters who can change the laws and lawmakers ruining both Texas and the United States

demands showing up for instruction. And now Gov. Greg Abbott says he’s going to arrest student walker-outers who are “violent” (as determined by The Man), because that’s totally normal in a functional democracy with First Amendment rights for every citizen.

Kids, and parents, and I hate to say this because I understand that protesting should not be comfy and cozy, but don’t test him. An arrest record will only work against you, and the reward for walking out — maybe a viral social media post? — is not worth the incredibly high academic and professional risk. In other words, be cool, stay in school. There are lots of other ways to express your displeasure with the White House and its gestapo. Write letters, post Reels, call your representatives, volunteer, and march at organized after-school protests.

Fort Worth students appear to be heeding the warnings. Kids at Boswell High School protested Monday afternoon after dismissal, though many are worried they still may be disciplined by their district, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw.

Dallas students? Not so much. Hundreds walked out Tuesday during school hours.

“The law of free speech is more complex than that,” Abbott said recently. “You don’t have freedom of speech to say and act any way you want to, anywhere you want to, anytime you want to. The Supreme Court has been very clear about free speech of students, and that free speech of students does not include leaving the school to go protest.”

Greg Abbott is a terrible governor for many reasons but especially because the First Amendment and the right to free speech and assembly mean nothing to him. An outspoken Trumper, Abbott is taking the decision to protest the government — not murder someone or steal from them or rape them, simply express displeasure with the people in charge — and making that decision his and not ours. Kids who want to protest and fall behind? That’s their right. Threatening them with jail time or worse for their intellectual self-harm is un-American,

which is really saying something in our current fascist state.

The kids aren’t going to listen to me, some middle-aged writer-bro whose white, straight, male privilege supersedes whatever middling success he may have experienced in his wretched life. (Not much.) Hopefully, some parental figures out there will realize that allowing their children to protest during class time is counterproductive. Today is not 1967. We now live in a de facto dictatorship, and in Texas, the punishments — expulsion, the clink, worse — are not worth destroying your future or losing your life over. The best thing our kids can do is learn more and learn better and become the kinds of voters we need to turn the country around. Data crunchers say that Abbott is attacking 400,000 potential new voters by the end of this school year. That’s a huge, clearly engaged bloc he’s pissing off, which

is good news for nice, empathetic, non-hateful Texans everywhere.

In response to all the student walkouts across the state, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) recently issued guidelines at the behest of Gov. Abbott. Now, teachers will mark students protesting during class time as absent, teachers could lose their licenses for even helping protesting students stay safe, and districts that allow walkouts during class could lose funding or find their boards replaced by managers hand-picked by the state GOP.

Like millions of others across the globe, the students are mainly protesting ICE, whose heavy-handed tactics have resulted in the deaths of several protestors and the deportation and/or detainment of thousands of noncriminal U.S. citizens. Student walkouts have occurred over the past couple of weeks and days at several area schools, including the Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Trimble Technical High School, and Birdville High School. The number of protestors has ranged from a couple dozen at various campuses to around 100 at the predominantly Hispanic Haltom High School. One Buffalo told the Star-Telegram, “We’re protesting ICE today because they kill people and get no punishment at all,” referring to the recent, highly publicized shooting deaths in Minneapolis of Good and Pretti by federal agents.

Students’ speech has been upheld by the courts for decades. In 1969’s Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the Supreme Court ruled that schools could not keep students from protesting the Vietnam War by wearing black armbands. In the Tinker ruling, the court went on to indicate that schools could intervene only if students’ actions created “substantial disruption.”

Again, when The Man is making the determinations, best to err on the side of caution. l

This column reflects the opinions of the editorial board and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.

Swipe This! The death of dating apps and … dating?

BY MARK HENRICKS

“Since the beginning of the year, every client I’ve had that’s single has said, ‘I can’t do this online dating thing anymore. I would sooner tear my hair out than go on another Hinge date.’ ”

That’s a local dating coach talking about the ways dating seems to have hit a major inflection point.

So, in case you’re single and wondering what’s gone wrong lately, it’s not just you. And it’s not just Fort Worth. When Austin-based Bumble — the second most-downloaded dating app in America after Tinder — laid off 30% of its workforce last year, it hammered home the broad and steep decline of the apps that have ruled relationship-finding for decades.

What’s taking their place? Some people are sticking with the apps and just trying to do digital dating better. Others are going back to the old-fashioned approach, trying to meet partners face to face in real life through clubs, teams, and interest groups. And, although it violates the spirit of Valentine’s Day season to suggest it, could it be that some are just giving up on love altogether?

It could.

“I do think people are giving up,” said Ashley Shihab, the above-quoted Dallas-based dating and life coach. “People are burning out. The same way you would burn out on a job, people are burning out on dating.”

Death of Apps

It’s not entirely clear that everybody or even most people are canceling their search for a relationship. However, it is plain and unmistakable that the dating apps have been hit hard.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about Bumble, market leader Tinder — part of Dallasbased dating app titan Match Group — Hinge, or any of the other plethora of digital yentas out there. The themes tend to be identical: declines in paying subscribers, fewer newer sign-ups, and broad-based user burnout with the swipe-andmessage approach to finding connection.

The apps are stumbling for one major reason: People don’t like them. When Forbes magazine surveyed 1,000 app users in 2024, 78% said they at times felt emotionally, mentally, or burned out from the experience.

Part of the explanation for app wilt is their previous success. When apps first entered the mainstream 20 or so years ago, they diverged enormously from the tried-and-true methods of meeting people at church, school, and work that had served singles since time immemorial.

“There was a lot of excitement about the idea of meeting people you wouldn’t be able to otherwise meet and having this wide access to other partners,” said Sarah E. Hill, a TCU psychology professor. “A lot of the enthusiasm about that has waned.”

The apps’ ability to serve up seemingly endless potential new mates, while initially appealing, ultimately worked against them.

“When you have an infinite number of options, it decreases your satisfaction with any one option you choose,” Hill said.

This appears to be basic human psychology. It operates whether you’re choosing a jar of jelly or a lifetime partner. It’s familiar to anybody who recalls how easily they could pick a television show when Fort Worth had only four broadcast channels and compares to scrolling through the hundreds of cable programs available today only to decide that nothing is worth tuning in to.

Excess optionality makes online daters reluctant to commit, Hill said. By that, she means any commitment at all. Something as trivial as meeting for coffee or having a phone chat seems more likely to make it harder to pick someone better in the future than to connect you with someone acceptable now.

Just as the slightest commitment seems to be asking too much, even minor variances from the hypothetical ideal become ample cause to reject a prospect.

“This person likes the third season of West Wing, and that’s the worst one, so enough of that,” Hill said.

As if all this is not enough, there’s online fakery.

“Modern ways of connecting, particularly digitally, can allow individuals to misrepresent themselves in small and large ways,” said Rachel Joy Voth Schrag, associate professor of social work at UTA. “This makes people wary of forming connections or committing to others, particularly if they have previous experiences of folks they met in online spaces misleading them — kittenfishing — or trying to take advantage of them for money or resources — romance scamming.”

Want something else to blame for your empty social calendar? Try the economy.

“There are suggestions that an increased sense of economic vulnerability, including job instability and housing instability, is connected to people feeling less comfortable dating, because of the financial cost of going on dates, the need to focus on economic priorities first, and the sense that they are not in a space to make long-term commitments,” Voth Schrag said.

Last but perhaps not least we have the tinfoil-hat explanation. This one says the apps are intentionally sabotaging your dating life. As conspiracy theories go, it’s not that farfetched.

Dating apps run on algorithms, Shihab noted. The dating services have had decades of gathering data and market-testing to tune their algorithms to do all manner of jobs. They can and do, for instance, present potential subscribers with particularly alluring matches only to then barricade the best choices behind paywalls.

Is it crazy to think they might show only near-misses interesting enough to keep you paying for subscriptions and premium features without ever presenting your actual soulmate? Shihab doesn’t think so, because if you get into a longterm relationship, naturally, you’ll cancel your subscription.

“It’s an algorithm, and it’s all trying to keep you on that app,” Shihab said. “Their goal is not to help you meet somebody.”

Conceivably, you could be feeling some or all of these frustrations but still not be ready to give

Dating apps can and do present potential subscribers with particularly alluring matches only to then barricade the best choices behind paywalls.

up yet. What are some different approaches you could take to online dating? First, stop blaming other people, Shihab said. Own your part, and be the change you want to see.

If other people’s profiles seem too skimpy, for instance, pack yours with revealing detail. If others seem to want only surface conversations, strive for authenticity and openness in your communications. At the same time, even if you want to stay on the apps, try limiting their use. One of the big changes to online dating is that today it’s mostly done through apps running on smartphones that didn’t exist 20 years ago.

The ubiquity of smartphones means your dating app is also ubiquitous. That’s changed online dating from something you do when sitting at a computer to something that interrupts face-toface meetings with notifications that you just got a like or message. Constantly monitoring dating app activity like it’s social media is a recipe for burnout, Shihab said.

“I tell my clients, if you want to do these dating apps, put limits around it,” Shihab said. “Only get on for 30 minutes a day or don’t have the notifications set, so it’s not interrupting. Put something around it, so it doesn’t become the black hole that is TikTok and Instagram.”

App Alternatives

Believe it or not, a few folks today still look for love in all the real places. Does that mean antiquated ideas like speed dating, matchmaking services, singles meetups, and social sports leagues? It does, and they might be worth a look.

“There are some who are trying to meet people by going analog and finding potential partners the old-fashioned way,” Hill said. “These are things like joining clubs, taking up interests, going to conferences, taking up a new hobby, being more engaging at the gym, playing pickleball.”

Flirting at the grocery store, learning to line dance, and other real-life methods of meeting someone have built-in limitations. Chief among them is the fact that most people you might continued on page 8

approach in the wild aren’t available because they’re already in relationships, but face-to-face courting has similarly potent pluses.

“There are some things you can’t get from pictures and communication,” Hill said. “It could be smell, the sound of their voice, the way they move, little mannerisms. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. A face-to-face interaction is worth a billion words.”

It’s harder than giving your credit card number to an app, but you can get a shot at one of those billion-word interactions if you’re intentional about it, Shihab said. Start by working on yourself. If you want to pick one trait to boost, low self-confidence is one of the most common issues she sees in her clients.

Then start connecting with people in as many face-to-face ways as you can think of.

“This is about building a network and a community,” Shihab said. “If you want to have a relationship, start by having a life. The more you have activities you enjoy and a variety of relation-

The Death of Dating

There’s still another way to deal with dating frustration, and that’s to give up. This is an actual trend.

“There has been a real increase in single individuals who are not actually interested in or pursuing dating,” Voth Schrag said.

Indeed, back in 2022, the Pew Research Center found a solid majority of single Americans weren’t looking for romance on Valentine’s or any other day. And worries about COVID were the least important of several reasons. Tops on the list: “Just like being single.”

No matter what Pew’s pollsters found, you don’t hear a lot of hit songs extolling the virtues of sleeping alone, so why are people turning away from all forms of dating? TCU’s Hill suspects that real-world connection skills have atrophied due to over-reliance on digital communication.

This may be especially true of more recent generations.

“I think that younger people haven’t been raised to interact,” Hill said. “They don’t know how to make telephone calls. Kids just don’t know how to interact with each other because they’ve spent their lives online.”

The particular challenges men face today

Dating’s Future

continued from page 8

said. “Women who are educated and accomplished aren’t getting what they want either, because they are looking for someone who has at least as much education and accomplishment as themselves.”

The most committed dating ditchers can just go all-digital. Joi is an AI sex chat company that provides users with all-artificial companions. Despite being limited to chat, these seem to have some appeal. Joi reported its April 2025 survey of 2,000 members of Gen Z found 83% could have a deep emotional bond with an AI partner. Almost as many would consider marrying one, whatever that means.

These and related digital services will likely find some users, Hill said. “You’re going to have some small pockets of the population that are turning to AI to meet their emotional needs. You’re going to have people having their sexual needs met with pornography. Some people are opting out and fulfilling their desires for connection and sexual release digitally.”

“There’s

we don’t have figured out.”

Somewhere between app burnout and AI love lies the future of dating. AI-based dating is one possibility that kind of blends these two.

Ditto, an AI dating matchmaking service for college students, launched last year promising to match relationship-seekers using data they put into the service, as well as planning their dates for them. Another, Three-Day Rule, updates a traditional matchmaking service with AI coaches trained by real human matchmakers.

In addition to these startups, Match-owned Tinder is testing an AI feature called Chemistry that it says will get around the endless swiping necessary to identify potential dates. If AI works better, it may be no bargain. A new AI plan being tested by Grindr, the leading app for LGBTQ+ daters, could cost more than $200 a week.

Despite the discouraging trends, it’s likely too soon for us to give up on love, at least as a species.

“There’s a lot about attraction we don’t have figured out,” Hill said.

That leaves room for a turnaround.

And optimism persists. Match’s 2025 survey of 5,000 American singles found most — 57% — felt they would someday find true love. The youngest, Gen Zs aged 18 to 29, were the most hopeful, with 80% envisioning themselves eventually enjoying the real thing.

Some of those optimistic types may be recalling that love and sex are not exactly new on the scene.

“We’ve inherited our brains from millions of years of successful survival and reproduction by our ancestors,” Hill said. “The one thing our ancestors have had in common is the ability to find a mate and reproduce.”

So, whatever you’re feeling or facing, or however much you have to evolve to cope with the current situation, know that Mother Nature is on your side.

“We have a brain meant for pair bonding and love,” Hill said. “People are always going to want relationships and sex.” l Feature

The Beauty & the Blecch

FX’s new Ryan Murphy series has hot models, slick action sequences, and just about zero substance.

BY DANNY GALLAGHER

Ryan Murphy’s shows and movies outside of the American Horror Story universe feel like properties designed for the digital information age, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. They feel engineered for an era of collapsing attention spans, built around viral moments instead of stories.

Of course, every media empire has to adhere to the viewing habits of their audience if they want to thrive or even survive, and Murphy has become the modern master of the viral TV show. FX’s The Beauty is a great example of a media consumption model. It’s like trying to make a loaf of bread out of a handful of really tasty crumbs.

The problem arises when you have to sit down and actually consume the thing from beginning to end. By the time you’re done, the whole thing just falls apart in your hands into a jumbling, inconsistent, bewildering mess.

This time, Murphy and his bleak sense of storytelling along with co-show creator Matthew Hodges take on the high-fashion world, a subject that he seemed destined to tackle after exploring the world of real and fictional villains like Nurse Ratched, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ed Gein. After all, there are few industries seedier than one that treats its most valued employees as disposable pieces of meat on the most shallow of terms.

Murphy also throws in a heavy dose of international espionage with two FBI agents, Evan Peters (Cooper Madsen) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall), and corporate malfeasance overseen by a ruthless capitalist Byron Forst (Ashton Kutcher). However, the characters all seem like afterthoughts to the big moments built around the plotlines.

The titular “Beauty” refers to a serum delivered in the form of a sexually transmitted disease that turns people into model-grade hunks and babes, which may be the most Ryan Murphy story ever created for the big and small screen.

The series starts with one of the most action-packed openings ever to a Murphy property.

Model Bella Hadid shows us the effects of the serum/ STD as she goes on a violent rampage through a Paris fashion show and eventually the streets of the city. We learn early on that the stuff causes the body to overheat at an exponential rate, and God help anyone who gets in between them and an open toilet. Then, at the peak of the drug’s effect, the person explodes in a bloody, fleshy mess.

This leads to an investigation that introduces us to Agents Madsen and Bennett, who are partners

Look Again

with benefits. It’s bewildering the choice Murphy and Hodges make to introduce us to characters in this series. They don’t seem to be married or cheating on each other, but they talk about their sex and work partnership like two people who just learned some big words and are way too eager to use them. They come off as more reprehensible than interesting. We’re not sure if they’re someone we’re supposed to root for or not because they are mixing business with pleasure. They don’t seem to have any connection other than a badge or a bed. At least a “will they or won’t they?” plotline gives us a meaning to following their story, especially if something happens to one of them. Their investigative skills are laughable. The agents are being briefed on this new outbreak, and they literally watch footage of a person exploding into a bloody mess in their car. They don’t put it together that this incident might be connected to the exploding

(!!!) model they were just called in to investigate. Do exploding people happen more often than we realize in this universe, or did Kash Patel just hire these agents?

The show also follows the life of an ordinary incel named Jeremy (Jaquel Spivey) who is affected by this beauty-enhancing toxin or virus or whichever it inevitably decides it wants to be. He starts as a reprehensible, basement-dwelling troll who still lives at home and can only find happiness in self-pleasuring sex toys and OnlyFans channels. His story starts off promising as he gets plastic surgery to enhance his look and feels like we might get some wise commentary on the dangers of a society that swims in shallowness, but the decisions Murphy and Hodges make veer into purely shock territory as he turns the clinic who transformed him into an active shooter situation. By the time he transforms into the post-Beauty Jeremy (Jeremy Pope), there’s no reason to really care what happens to him.

It’s not even really clear what Kutcher is doing in this series other than to have a big star name to latch onto in the opening credits. He plays the head of a conglomerate that’s trying to make the Beauty a viable product, but he seems so detached from everything around him, as if he’s only there to spout ominous lines about how beautiful people think “the rules don’t apply to them.”

The Beauty feels like it doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be but will figure out something by the end of the run. It borrows heavily from David Cronenberg’s body-horror fascination and the far-superior film The Substance, but it learns nothing from either. Murphy’s earliest work on Nip/Tuck, the foundational FX drama upon which he built his television empire, had a clear message about the dangers of pursuing perfection and the price that must be paid to achieve. The Beauty feels like a first and very rough draft of that, and we’re only in the first season. l

“We must grasp the sword of justice, shield ourselves with the truth, and shoulder the burden that history will bestow upon us if we fail to fight for our

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

APPLICATION AZZ Inc., has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an amendment to and renewal of Air Quality Permit Number 34144, which would authorize modifications to and continued operation of a Hot Dip Galvanizing Facility located at 1530 Gilman Road, Kennedale, Tarrant County, Texas 76060. AVISO DE IDIOMA ALTERNATIVO. El aviso de idioma alternativo en espanol está disponible en https://www.tceq.texas.gov/permitting/air/newsourcereview/airpermits-pendingpermit-apps. This link to an electronic map of the site or facility’s general location is provided as a public courtesy and not part of the application or notice. For exact location, refer to application. https://gisweb.tceq.texas.gov/LocationMapper/?marker=-97.235,32.662777&level=13. The existing facility and/or related facilities will emit the following air contaminants: carbon monoxide, hazardous air pollutants, nitrogen oxides, organic compounds, particulate matter including particulate matter with diameters of 10 microns or less and 2.5 microns or less and sulfur dioxide.

The applications were submitted to the TCEQ on January 15, 2026. The permit renewal will be issued in conjunction with the amendment. This permitting action also includes the incorporation of permits by rule, and changes in emission factors related to this permit. The reasons for any changes or incorporations, to the extent they are included in the renewed permit, may include the enhancement of operational control at the plant or enforceability of the permit. The applications will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ central office, the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth regional office, and the Kennedale Public Library, 316 West 3rd Street, Kennedale, Tarrant County, Texas beginning the first day of publication of this notice. The facility’s compliance file, if any exists, is available for public review in the Dallas/Fort Worth regional office of the TCEQ.

The executive director has determined the applications are administratively complete and will conduct a technical review of the applications.

PUBLIC COMMENT You may submit public comments to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below. The TCEQ will consider all public comments in developing a final decision on the applications and the executive director will prepare a response to those comments.

PUBLIC MEETING You may request a public meeting to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below. The purpose of a public meeting is to provide the opportunity to submit comments or ask questions about the applications. A public meeting about the applications will be held if requested by an interested person and the executive director determines that there is a significant degree of public interest in the applications or if requested by a local legislator. A public meeting is not a contested case hearing.

NOTICE OF APPLICATION AND PRELIMINARY DECISION. In addition to this NORI, 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) § 39.419 requires this application to also have a Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision (NAPD) after the application is determined to be technically complete and a draft permit is prepared. Note: The TCEQ may act on this application without issuing a NAPD and without seeking further public comment or providing further opportunity for a contested case hearing if changes to representations in the application make the application no longer subject to the applicability requirements of 30 TAC § 39.402. In such cases, this NORI will be your final notice of this application and you will not have additional opportunities to make comments or request a contested case hearing. If a NAPD is required, it will be published and mailed to those who made comments, submitted hearing requests, or are on the mailing list for this application, and contain the final deadline for submitting public comments.

OPPORTUNITY FOR A CONTESTED CASE HEARING You may request a contested case hearing if you are a person who may be affected by emissions of air contaminants from the facility. If requesting a contested case hearing, you must submit the following: (1) your name (or for a group or association, an official representative), mailing address, daytime phone number; (2) applicant’s name and permit number; (3) the statement “[I/we] request a contested case hearing”; (4) a specific description of how you would be adversely affected by the application and air emissions from the facility in a way not common to the general public; (5) the location and distance of your property relative to the facility; (6) a description of how you use the property which may be impacted by the facility; and (7) a list of all disputed issues of fact that you submit during the comment period. If the request is made by a group or an association, one or more members who have standing to request a hearing must be identified by name and physical address. The interests which the group or association seeks to protect must also be identified. You may also submit your proposed adjustments to the application/permit which would satisfy your concerns.

The deadline to submit a request for a contested case hearing is 30 days after newspaper notice is published. if a request is timely filed, the deadline for requesting a contested case hearing will be extended to 30 days after the mailing of the response to comments.

If a hearing request is timely filed, following the close of all applicable comment and request periods, the Executive Director will forward the application and any requests for contested case hearing to the Commissioners for their consideration at a scheduled Commission meeting. The Commission may only grant a request for a contested case hearing on issues the requestor submitted in their timely comments that were not subsequently withdrawn. If a hearing is granted, the subject of a hearing will be limited to disputed issues of fact or mixed questions of fact and law relating to relevant and material air quality concerns submitted during the comment period. Issues such as property values, noise, traffic safety, and zoning are outside of the Commission’s jurisdiction to address in this proceeding.

MAILING LIST. In addition to submitting public comments, you may ask to be placed on a mailing list to receive future public notices for this specific application mailed by the Office of the Chief Clerk by sending a written request to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below.

AGENCY CONTACTS AND INFORMATION. All public comments and requests must be submitted either electronically at www14.tceq. texas.gov/epic/eComment/, or in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. Please be aware that any contact information you provide, including your name, phone number, email address and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record. For more information about the permitting process, please call the TCEQ Public Education Program, Toll Free, at 1-800-687-4040 or visit their website at www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/pep. Si desea información en Español, puede llamar al 1-800-687-4040. You can also view our website for public participation opportunities at www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/participation.

Further information may also be obtained from AZZ Inc., 3100 West 7th Street, Suite 500, Fort Worth, Texas 76107-8701 or by calling Mr. Jason Pence, EHS Director at (817) 810-0095.

Issuance Date: January 29, 2026

Best Time of Year to Schedule Preventive Pest Control in Fort Worth

BY ZEE SHAN

If you’ve lived in Fort Worth for any length of time, you already know pests don’t really take a season off. Ants show up in the spring, mosquitoes take over in the summer, rodents look for warmth in the fall, and winter doesn’t always give you the break you’d hope for. That’s why preventative pest control matters more here than in many other parts of the country.

The question most homeowners ask isn’t whether pest control is necessary, but when it makes the most sense to schedule it. The answer depends on Fort Worth’s unique climate, pest cycles, and how proactive you want to be about protecting your home. Understanding the timing can help you stop infestations before they ever start.

Pest Control in Fort Worth Starts Before You See a Problem

One of the biggest misconceptions about pest control is that it’s something you do only after pests show up. In Fort Worth, waiting until you notice insects or rodents inside usually means the problem has already been developing for weeks or even months. That’s why pest control in Fort Worth works best when it’s preventative rather than reactive.

Professional providers focus on year-round protection, not just one-time treatments. They understand how North Texas weather patterns affect pest behavior and use that knowledge to

time inspections and treatments strategically. Instead of chasing visible pests, preventative services aim to disrupt breeding cycles, block entry points, and reduce attractants before infestations become established.

This approach is especially important in Fort Worth, where mild winters allow many pests to survive rather than die off. Without a preventative plan, those lingering populations are ready to explode as soon as temperatures rise.

How Professionals Identify Pest Activity Before It’s Obvious

Homeowners often miss early warning signs because pests are experts at staying hidden. That’s where professional inspections make a difference. Even when there’s no visible infestation, trained technicians know what to look for.

Expert pest companies that identify the presence of pests explain how subtle clues like droppings, nesting materials, moisture damage, and structural gaps reveal activity long before homeowners notice anything unusual. Preventative pest control relies on these early detection methods. Catching activity at this stage allows for targeted treatments that are less disruptive and more effective than dealing with a full-blown infestation later.

What Winter Pest Control Really Looks Like in North Texas

Many people assume pest control isn’t necessary in winter, but in Fort Worth that’s rarely the case. While outdoor insect activity slows, indoor pest issues often increase. Rodents, cockroaches, and even some ant species remain active when conditions allow.

Winter is an excellent time for inspections, monitoring, and preventative treatments that focus on interior spaces and structural vulnerabilities. It’s also a quieter season for pest control companies, making it easier to schedule thorough evaluations without the urgency of peak infestation periods.

Why Spring Is the Most Popular Time to Schedule Service

Spring is often considered the ideal time to schedule preventative pest control in Fort Worth, and for good reasons. As temperatures warm, insects become more active, and many species begin breeding. Ants, termites, spiders, and wasps all start expanding their territories during this time.

By scheduling service in early spring, you’re essentially cutting off the problem at its source. Treatments applied before peak activity can reduce populations before they have a chance to establish nests inside or around your home. Spring inspections also help identify damage or entry points caused by winter weather, such as foundation cracks or gaps around doors and windows. For many homeowners, spring marks the reset point where pest control shifts from reaction to prevention…

Continued in Living Local at FWWeekly.com.

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3958 Vickery | 817.731.3223

BCI BATH SHOWER

The bathroom of your dreams in as little as 1 day. Limited Time Offer: $1000 off or No Payments/No Interest for 18 months for customers who qualify. Many options available. Quality materials, professional installation. Senior and military discounts available. Call 1-855-659-5784 today!

CUPIT CASINO NIGHT

Lucky in Love “Cupit” (get it?) Casino Night is Saturday, February 21st on the levee at 1108 Quaker St in Dallas, benefitting The Love Pit who is on a mission to save bully breeds thru rescue, rehab, education, and advocacy. Learn more at: Facebook.com/TheLovePit

EMPLOYMENT

Alcon Vision, LLC has openings for Principal Platform Owners - Digital Health for the Fort Worth, TX office. Provide strategic direction to the Digital Health Foundational Services organization to drive competitive advantage and enable accelerated growth aligned with overall business strategy as it relates to cloud and identity services. Up to 10% domestic and international travel required. 40 hours per week. Please send resumes to Sylvia Cruz, Alcon Vision, LLC, 6201 South Freeway, Fort Worth, TX 76134, Ref. No. IT0226.

HISTORIC RIDGLEA THEATER

THE RIDGLEA is three great venues within one historic Fort Worth landmark. RIDGLEA THEATER has been restored to its authentic allure, recovering unique Spanish-Mediterranean elements. It is ideal for large audiences and special events. RIDGLEA ROOM and RIDGLEA LOUNGE have been making some of their own history, as connected adjuncts to RIDGLEA THEATER, or hosting their own smaller shows and gatherings. More at theRidglea.com.

HOST A PET FOOD DRIVE!

Thinking of hosting a Pet Food Drive? That’s great! Not sure how to begin? No problem. Don’t Forget to Feed Me will help you get started. Visit the website and look for “Host a Pet Food Drive” in the “Support DF2FM” dropdown: DontForgetToFeedMe.org

JOIN THE FREEMASONS

Or join the Free Gardeners Secret Society or become a Knights Templar. My Classroom will teach you about any of those organizations and make you a new member of these organizations. Call 702-350-1848.

MEET EMMA SCHWARTZ

“As an independent insurance broker, I will shop the market for YOU and make sure you’re paying the least amount possible for the best coverages. I guarantee you’re over-paying for your home, auto, renter’s, and all other policies. Let me take a look for you!” Call or text today: 682-312-2566

NEED A FRIEND?

Ronnie D. Long Bail Bonds

Immediate Jail Release 24 Hour Service. City, County, State and Federal Bonds. Located Minutes from Courts. 6004 Airport Freeway.

817-834-9894

RonnieDLongBailBonds.com

SAFE STEP:

North America’s #1 Walk-In Tub

Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our FREE shower package and $1600 Off for a limited time! Financing available. Call Safe Step at 1-877-578-6218 today!

VETERAN CAR DONATIONS

Donate your car, truck, boat, RV and more to support our veterans! Schedule a FAST, FREE vehicle pickup and receive a top tax deduction. Call 1-844-450-1590 today!

VENDOR SPACES AVAILABLE

The Vintage Shops on Lamar has expanded and we are on the hunt for fabulous vendors. Stop in and check us out. Our unique space is fresh, clean, modern and If you can make your booth “tell a story” we want want you!

747 W Lamar Blvd, Arlington Tue-Sat 10:30-5:30 // Sun 12-5

Exquisite Body Clinic