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Avoiding Costly Damages with Termite Pretreatment

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth

Termites are among nature’s most destructive pests. If you own a wooden structure, chances are good that you’re aware of the damage they can cause. By pre-treating vulnerable spaces, however, you might be able to avoid the most costly impacts of a termite infestation.

Signs of Potential Termite Damage

Termites may be active in a structure for months or years before the damage they inflict is visible. During this initial period, they dig tunnels, lay eggs and fortify their living spaces. If you’re observant, you might spot telltale signs of such activity. These include:

• Holes or cracks in furniture
• Small piles of droppings
• Bubbling or peeling paint
• Holes or “mud tubes” near the exterior walls of a structure

Most Common Types of Damage

In Texas, most termite infestations are caused by drywood termites that favor large pieces of furniture and above-ground interior walls. When termites take to furniture, they eventually cause visible damage that … Read Full Post »

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How to Scout for Harmful Pests in Your Yard

. Posted by in • Austin

Although it may look calm, your yard is home to a thriving ecosystem of life. From the microbes in the soil to the grass and flowers of your lawn, a well-tended yard hosts many types of life. Not every resident in your yard is a welcome visitor, however, and unwanted pests may be lurking just out of sight. Learning to spot the signs of unwanted pests will help you keep them under control without threatening the safety of the plants and friendly insects that dwell in your lawn.

Good Bugs vs. Bad Bugs in Your Yard

Of the 30,000 insects native to Texas, only about 100 are real pests, and only a fraction of these will ever be found around your home. The vast majority of the bugs you find in your yard will be harmless or even beneficial. Beneficial insects help to keep the numbers of more threatening pests at bay. … Read Full Post »

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Garden Magic: Making an Amazing Compost Mix

. Posted by in , • San Antonio

A well-kept lawn or bright flower garden can significantly add to your home’s curb appeal and value. Of course, maintaining a beautiful lawn or garden in the hot climate of San Antonio can be tough. Keeping up with regular watering and lawn maintenance is important, but it won’t take care of all of your healthy lawn needs. If you want to create a lawn or garden that’s truly well nourished and adds value to your property, it’s time to start a compost pile.

Creating Your Basic Compost Mix

Composting is the process of allowing waste materials to decay so that they are broken down into a nutrient-rich mix that can be used to fertilize lawns, plants, trees and gardens. If you’d like to start composting, you’ll need to buy or build a compost bin. You should be able to find wire, wooden and metal compost bins. Metal bins are generally built to … Read Full Post »

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Appliance 101: What Do Your Clothes Say About Your Washer & Dryer?

. Posted by in • Austin

For modern homeowners, washers and dryers are more than just a convenience; they’re integral appliances that can throw a household into a tizzy when they break down. After all, you don’t have the time to wash your clothes by hand and hang them to dry. Fortunately, there are ways to detect a washer or dryer meltdown before it happens.

Is Your Washer or Dryer on the Fritz?

Most American families wash about 400 loads of clothes per year, making your washer and dryer some of the most frequently used appliances in your home. Be on the lookout for the following signs, which can indicate that problems are on their way:

• Your clothes aren’t completely dry after a regular drying cycle.
• Your clothes are very wrinkled when they come out of the dryer, even when you dry a small load.
• Clothes have rips, tears or holes that were not present before washing or … Read Full Post »

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15 Native Plants Every Texan Needs (Part 2)

. Posted by in • Bryan-College Station

Last week we discussed how you can make your landscaping and lawn care more manageable by selecting native Texas plants for your yard. For the first part of this article, which focused on native trees and shrubs, click here. In the following post, we’ll introduce you to a few of the most low-maintenance, drought-resistant perennials, grasses, and vines for the Bryan and College station areas.

Native Texas Perennials

While annuals require planting or seeding each year, perennials grow back year after year from a single planting. Some annuals self-seed easily, but true perennials grow from the same root system each year. Texas has a lot of beautiful native varieties to choose from.

• Flame Acanthus—The flame acanthus is an example of a xeriscape perennial that does fine without water but produces better blooms with a little watering. Hummingbirds are drawn to the beautiful orange-red blossoms.

• Calylophus—Calylophus produces gorgeous yellow blooms that are about … Read Full Post »

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Extreme Pest Invasions

. Posted by in • San Antonio

They may come from nature, but certain pests are anything but natural as far as the area they’re found is concerned. When left unchecked, invasive pests can run rampant in new ecosystems, destroying plants, upsetting the food chain and wreaking general havoc. Here are some of history’s most extreme pest invasions.

Asian Citrus Psyllids: This small insect transmits a disease called Huanglongbing, or greening disease, which is one of the most virulent threats out there to citrus plants. Originating in Asia, these pests were first introduced to Florida in 1998 and have spread from there to Louisiana, Georgia and South Carolina. They crossed the border from Mexico a decade later and now represent a serious threat to California orchards.

Erythrina Gall Wasps: These flying pests have threatened ecosystems all over the world, but they’re at their most dangerous in Hawaii. First discovered in 2005, these wasps complete their life cycles in just … Read Full Post »

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Insecticidal Cinema: Top 5 Bug Horror Movies

. Posted by in • Austin

There’s no denying that movies about big, scary, disgusting, deadly insects are simply irresistible. The movie industry would have a much duller history without them. No one’s really sure why we love our bug monsters so much. Perhaps when our fear of the very real insects we encounter is amplified, we just can’t look away. Here’s our list of the top five insect movies. If they’re not on an old VHS tape in your attic, you can probably find most of them available for streaming. Grab your popcorn, but make sure it’s not moving before you turn out the lights.

1. The Fly

In the original 1958 film starring David Hedison and Patricia Owens, a scientist tries to transport his body’s molecules through a device he invented, but a house fly gets trapped in the transport chamber. The poor guy ends up with the head and arm of the fly. The fly, … Read Full Post »

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New Study Gives Insight on How Bed Bugs Spread

. Posted by in , • San Antonio

Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that tend to congregate near their preferred hosts. And yes, you guessed it, we are their preferred hosts. This makes beds and other warm areas appealing to these pests as daytime hideouts. They usually come out to feed at night, resulting in a rather itchy situation. Understanding how bed bugs find a home in your home and how to get rid of them will help you combat infestations before they get out of hand.

How Do Bed Bugs Spread?

Bed bugs can find their way into your home by hitching a ride on clothing, luggage, secondhand furniture and even guests. Anyone who visits an infested area can bring the bugs back with them, risking new invasions elsewhere. This is a growing problem in the San Antonio area, but a recently completed study offers insight into how these bugs multiply once they’ve found themselves a home, and … Read Full Post »

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Pest Picnic: The Foods You’re Accidentally Feeding Rodents

. Posted by in • Austin

Hidden ways you feed and attract rodents

Even though you go to great lengths to keep rodents away from your home, you could be inadvertently welcoming them by not being careful enough with leftover food. Here are some common foods that rodents eat and ways to keep these pests away.

Foods That Bring Rats into Your Yard

Open garbage cans are a rodent’s favorite place to snack. These places are filled with all kinds of foods, especially old meat and scraps of cooked goodies. As these items begin to rot, they become extremely appealing to gluttonous rodents. To avoid these problems, it’s important to seal all garbage in a closed plastic container.

Fruits and berries that fall to the ground from trees in the yard will attract mice and rats as well. To stop attracting these vermin, it’s important to rake up and collect any fruit that has fallen. The only way to totally … Read Full Post »

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15 Native Plants Every Texan Needs (Part 1)

. Posted by in • Bryan-College Station

Landscaping will be more enjoyable and require less maintenance if you use plants native to your own regional climate. Native plants are easy to care for and resist pests and diseases. Because they’ve naturally adapted to their environment over thousands of years, they won’t need as much fertilizer and water as non-native plants.

If you aren’t familiar with the plants native to Texas, here are a few examples of Texas trees and shrubs ideally suited to the Bryan and College Station climate.

Native Texas Trees

Trees are the largest and most long-lived parts of your landscape. You don’t want to put time and effort into planting a fabulous tree only to watch it wither and die two or three years later. Choosing native varieties will give you plants that will thrive in the Texas heat and require far less water than their northern cousins.

• Live Oak—The live oak is a drought-tolerant shade tree … Read Full Post »

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