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Will Texas Oak Wilt Spread to Other Trees in My Yard?

. Posted by in • San Antonio

From high blood pressure and Type II diabetes to emphysema and elevated cholesterol, humans have to deal with many diseases that doctors call “silent killers.” You might be surprised to learn that common tree species face similar threats. While your white or red oaks won’t come down with diabetes anytime soon, they may face a “silent killer” of their own: Texas oak wilt. Learn more about how to prevent the spread of this tree-killing disease.

What Is Texas Oak Wilt?

Texas oak wilt is a fungal infection that resides in the vascular systems of healthy trees. Over time, it kills most if not all of the trees that it infects. However, its precise progression depends on the species of the infected tree and certain environmental conditions.

Recognizing the Signs

The fungus that causes Texas oak wilt can spend months in a dormant or semi-dormant state within the vascular systems of affected oaks. In red … Read Full Post »

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What Do Nocturnal Insects Do During the Day?

. Posted by in • Austin

What You Need to Know About Nocturnal Pest Control in Austin

Unless you’re a night owl, you might not spot many of the insects that infest your home and damage your garden. That’s because some of Central Texas’s worst insect pests are nocturnal critters that emerge from daytime hiding spaces to feed and cause havoc. Learn more about some nocturnal pests and their day-walking counterparts.

Common Nocturnal Pests and Their Daytime Activities

Several species of cockroach bedevil Central Texas homeowners. At night, they forage through indoor living areas and eat just about any organic matter that they can find. Their favorite foods include starchy foods, meat and sugary substances as well as “inedible” items like leather, wallpaper paste and certain types of glue. During the day, they may hide in natural habitats like garden beds and wood piles or artificial spaces like cracks and crevices within basement foundations. In general, their daytime hiding … Read Full Post »

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After Avoiding the Spotlight for Years, Bed Bugs Are Making a Big Comeback

. Posted by in , • San Antonio

Returning Stars of the Pest Parade

They top the list of unwanted guests with the Texas hospitality industry, and San Antonio homeowners cringe at the idea of sharing space with these tiny trespassers. After a 40-year absence, bed bugs crawled back on the pest scene in the late 1990s, but it’s safe to say they never really retired.

Ancient Players

As far back as 400 BC, Cimex lectularius snuggled down with ancient sleepers and feasted on kings and commoners alike. Over the centuries, the insect’s reputation rose and fell with prevailing attitudes. Some civilizations considered its blood sucking abilities a cure for everything from ear infections to hysteria. These mistaken assumptions eventually fell to the wayside, but early pest control methods, such as dusting with black pepper and filling a home with smoke, involved a good share of nonsense as well.

Old-Fashioned Strategies

By the 1940s, the introduction of heavy-duty pesticides put a dent in … Read Full Post »

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ABC’s Filter Fetch Service

. Posted by in • Atlanta

How long has it been since you changed your HVAC filter? Like many people, you may often forget to swap it out in a timely manner. If you’d like to make your heating and cooling equipment last as long as possible and maintain its efficiency, you need to change your air filters early and often. Due to the hectic nature of everyday life, though, this may be easier said than done. Why risk forgetting all about your HVAC filter when you can sign up for ABC’s Filter Fetch Service?

Avoid the Hassles of Buying Replacement Air Filters

By the time you finally realize you need to replace the air filter in your heating and cooling system, you may be at a loss about how to proceed. You have to figure out which size you need, and then you have to go to a local big box retailer to find it. Even if … Read Full Post »

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Your Home as Rodent Cuisine

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Your San Antonio home is a safe, welcoming retreat filled with all the creature comforts from soft beds to full pantries. More than 30 native species of mice and rats agree. These furry pests are on the lookout for a warm spot and an easy meal. You don’t intentionally set the table for them, but these rodents relish moving into your home.

An Attractive Appetizer

Mice are always looking for shelter where they can settle in and raise a family. Urbanization has moved field rats into town and forced their city cousins into tighter quarters. This pest housing crisis makes your home an enticing hors d’oeuvre filled with tiny holes and cracks in the foundation, walls and floors. Pet bowls on the porch and bird seed in the backyard become trails of crumbs that invite four-legged invaders into your house. Once they move in, it’s too late to put up the sneeze … Read Full Post »

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Battling Bed Bugs: A Pest Built to Reproduce

. Posted by in , • Austin

Until recent years, many homeowners and travelers believed that bed bugs were no longer a threat. Thanks to the use of DDT in the ’40s and ’50s, few bed bugs remained in the U.S. until recent years. Unfortunately, this troublesome pest has made a comeback. With the resurgence of bed bug infestations across the nation, many homeowners wonder what makes these pests so hard to eliminate.

What Makes Bed Bugs So Resilient?

Any homeowner who has dealt with a bed bug infestation knows that it can feel as if it’s impossible to get rid of these pests. If you’re facing bed bug problems, it’s important to understand this pest’s lifecycle. Though the bed bug lives a short life, it’s able to reproduce rapidly. This means that infestations can grow out of hand quickly, leaving so many bed bugs behind that it’s very hard to kill them all.

The bed bug’s life is comprised … Read Full Post »

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Controlling Texas Ants

. Posted by in • San Antonio

“The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah,” is a refrain everyone is familiar with, but does anyone actually cheer when the ants are marching? You certainly won’t be singing if they’re marching across your kitchen counter searching for missed crumbs to feast on. In San Antonio, this is an especially big problem because we play host to several different species of ants, including red imported fire ants, carpenter ants, acrobat ants, pharaoh ants, crazy ants, odorous house ants, rover ants, and leaf cutting ants. To make things even worse, each type of ant has different behaviors and characteristics, often requiring different pest control treatment methods.

So, what is the average person supposed to do when those first brave ants start scouting out your home?

First, it’s a good idea to know what type of ant you’re dealing with. Check out this Texas A&M article about how to identify your new … Read Full Post »

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ABC Dallas Takes Home Angie’s List Super Service Award

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth

Prize Proves We’re Trusted by North Texans and Feared by Pests

To rid your home of nasty critters and harmful insects, you need a pest control company with experience, expertise, and a sterling reputation. But how do you identify such a company? Well, if a business wins the 2013 Angie’s List Super Service Award—as we did—that’s definitely a powerful endorsement.

Angie’s List is a nationally-known customer protection brand. This website collects tens of thousands of reviews from consumers every month that rate and discuss the services provided by companies in more than 700 different categories. Today, millions of Americans rely on the aggregate judgments that this website renders.

The Angie’s List Super Service Award is not easy to win. To be considered for this honor, a company must consistently earn rave reviews. Specifically, it needs a recent A average and an A average during the periods when the website’s selection committee chooses award … Read Full Post »

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At-Home Pest Control: What You Need to Know

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Although the vast majority of the population will generally agree that having pests in the home is completely unacceptable, the ways that people deal with these issues vary greatly. By learning a bit more about various pest control options, however, you can get a better idea of how to keep these creatures out of your home.

Store-Bought Pesticides

The first instinct that many people have after seeing an insect, rodent or other household pest is to invest in a store-bought spray or other chemical treatment. If you purchase the right product and use it as directed, you might see some difference in the number of pests that are in your home. These products can be dangerous if they are not used correctly, however, and many of them don’t work as well as advertised. Although store-bought products might work well for minor pest-related issues, they aren’t usually sufficient for handling infestations.

Traps

From small traps … Read Full Post »

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Selecting Trees for Your Lawn

. Posted by in • Bryan-College Station

Planting, Trimming and Nurturing in a Tough Climate

We’re partial to the Bryan-College Station area, so we never hesitate to call attention to the attributes that make its lawns and landscapes so beautiful. At the same time, we recognize that the weather here can offer serious challenges for homeowners who want to keep their properties looking great all year long. From crushing droughts and searing summer temperatures to unexpected fall freezes and soaking spring thunderstorms, these four tree species are adept at handling the region’s variable climate.

Texas Ash

The Texas ash is a hardy tree that grows well in most soils and provides a brilliant color display in November or early December. While it prefers well-drained upland areas, it can tolerate slightly sandy soils as well. For maximum effect, plant young trees after the last frost and provide plenty of water. Although the Texas ash grows rapidly during its early life, its … Read Full Post »

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