Do Possums Carry Disease or Parasites?

January 20, 2015. Posted by Les Stobart in Rodent & Wildlife • Bryan-College Station

Taking the garbage out is something all of us do regularly. It’s fairly easy to tie up your trash bag, take a short walk to the curb and toss it in, right? Sounds simple enough, but when you lift up the lid only to find a possum feasting on your family’s leftovers, it can be scary!

Do Possums Carry Disease or Parasites?

Your first instinct is probably to run, and we don’t blame you. You’ve probably heard time and time again that possums have rabies. The thing is, that’s a myth. Your chances of encountering a rabid opossum are slim at best. Any mammal can contract rabies, but opossums have an advantage. Their body temperatures are low in comparison with other mammals, making their bodies less hospitable to the rabies virus. However, they can carry a variety of other types of disease that can be potentially harmful to your family. So the … Read Full Post »

Do Flies Feel Pain? Do Roaches? Your Questions Answered

January 19, 2015. Posted by Les Stobart in Pest Control • San Antonio

Many customers ask us about whether insects feel pain during their pest control treatments. Do flies feel pain? Do cockroaches feel pain? The science on the subject isn’t nearly as settled as you might think.

After all, pain as we know it is actually a complex neurological and emotional experience that can vary from person to person. Since pain is subjective on some level, scientists struggle with potential indicators of pain in animals. Behavioral changes may indicate something is amiss, such as when a dog becomes less social with its owners or when a cat stops eating. Discomfort in mice, rats, horses and rabbits can be evaluated on a “grimace scale” first developed to evaluate pain in children. When a rabbit is hurt, for example, you may see a stiffening of the whiskers, notice a narrowing of the eyes or observe it pinning back its ears.

To make matters more complicated, evolution discourages animals … Read Full Post »

Concrete & Termites: Separating Fact From Fiction

January 12, 2015. Posted by Les Stobart in Pest Control • Bryan-College Station

Subterranean termites are a homeowner’s worst nightmare. The hordes of tiny, wriggling insects can effortlessly gobble up your home and your savings account. As horrifying as they seem, they’re just doing what nature designed them to do. In the forest, termites remove debris from the earth’s surface and help return nutrients to the soil. Unfortunately, when they’re on your property, they can’t tell the difference between a dead stump and an antique piano. The ecosystem’s little janitors know that they’ve found a yummy cellulose material to devour, and they have voracious appetites. You may be worried about your foundation because you’ve heard that termites can even eat their way through concrete.

You may have heard of subterranean termites, or even the invasive Formosan variety, but is there such a thing as concrete termite? Let’s answer that question and more so that you can protect your home from the pest that is … Read Full Post »

The Best Way To Heat A House During The Winter

January 12, 2015. Posted by Les Stobart in Air Conditioning & Heating • San Antonio

Winters in San Antonio aren’t too severe, but temperatures can drop to frigid lows quite suddenly. It’s hard to get out of bed when you’re waking up to a freezing house. For most of us, our home heating system is our saving grace from late December to February. The last thing you need on an icy night is a broken heater. Follow these three simple guidelines for helpful ways to save on heating costs and to find out the best way to heat a house during the winter.

Find And Seal Leaks

A tiny draft can turn into a big problem when you’re trying to stay warm. Chilly air from outside usually gets in through gaps in your windows and doors. Weatherstripping around your doors and windows will keep warm air from escaping. It’s an easy “do it yourself” job; kits are inexpensive and available at any home improvement store. For a heavier … Read Full Post »

Can Mice Chew Through Walls? How to Keep Mice Out

January 5, 2015. Posted by Les Stobart in Rodent & Wildlife • San Antonio

When you were a child, you probably didn’t think much about the cute little mouse hole at the base of the wall in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. But if you ever saw a rodent in your home, there would be nothing nostalgic about the situation. But can mice chew through walls? Believe it or not, the animator borrowed a fact from real life—rats and mice can and actually do chew right through walls, and that’s just the beginning. That “mouse in the wall” scratching noise can mean real trouble for your home.

How a Rat or Mouse in the Wall Can Damage Your Home

Rodents come in a variety of species and are a talented and sneaky family of animals that are perfectly capable of destroying much of what we build in order to meet their immediate needs for food and shelter. Unfortunately, most mice aren’t as charming as Jerry and most … Read Full Post »

Shower Water Not Hot Enough During Winter? Here’s What To Do

January 2, 2015. Posted by Les Stobart in Plumbing • Austin

Have you ever hopped in the shower on a winter day, only to be greeted by a jet of freezing cold water? Several different factors could explain why your water heater might be having trouble maintaining a consistent temperature during colder weather.

Should You Turn Up Your Water Heater During Winter?

If it starts taking longer for your shower water to warm up, your first instinct might be to turn up the temperature to your hot water heater. Before you take that step, you may want to consider other solutions, and whether the problem with your hot water isn’t linked to the weather outside.

Why Water Temperature Drops

Just as summer weather makes it harder to get cool water in the shower, colder weather means lower temperatures in the air and underground. These conditions chill the water entering your water heater, causing the unit to have to work harder to reach the right temperature. … Read Full Post »

Can Termites Destroy or Penetrate Concrete?

December 18, 2014. Posted by Les Stobart in Termite Control • Bryan-College Station

When termites invade a home, it can seem as though they’re getting in everywhere, including through the foundation. This has given rise to the belief that these pests are able to eat into concrete, a material which is supposed to be secure. Though there’s no truth to this story, your home’s foundation can still be a way for termites to enter your home and cause significant damage.

Can Termites Eat Concrete?

The short answer is no. Termites cannot digest concrete. Although wood is their preferred source of nutrition and what they are well-known for eating, termites have also been known to eat drywall, foam, plastics and even thin lead and copper cheeting materials especially when it’s in the way of them getting to wood.

If there’s wood on the other side of your concrete foundation, termites will do whatever they can to get at it. Termites are persistent, so they’ll keep looking for entry … Read Full Post »

Inside the Bug-Busting World of Integrated Pest Management

December 12, 2014. Posted by Les Stobart in Pest Control • Austin

Preventative Austin Area Pest Control Service

Many people are concerned about the damage that pests can cause to their property, and they’re also worried about the environmental impact of unnecessary pest control products. Luckily, ABC Home & Commercial Services provides an effective preventative program known as integrated pest management (IPM). Taking this approach enables us to reduce pest control product usage without compromising the effectiveness of dealing with an infestation of unwelcome pests in your home.

What is Integrated Pest Management?

IPM is an innovative preventative method that involves an analysis of the bugs on your property to determine which of them present an actual threat. After all, there are some pests that are necessary for the ecosystem, and it’s also possible to experience a small quantity of certain species without developing an actual issue. Therefore, our trained technicians will carefully assess your specific situation, and they’ll also factor in the time of … Read Full Post »

5 Reasons to Avoid a Plumbing Snake

October 30, 2014. Posted by Les Stobart in Plumbing • San Antonio

When you have a drain that’s hopelessly clogged, it’s tempting to grab a plumbing snake to take care of it. Also called pipe snakes, these coiled wire tools can be effective at clearing clogs, but they can also cause a great deal of damage if you don’t know what you’re doing.

5 Reasons to Avoid a Plumbing Snake

The top plumbing problem homeowners face is clogged drains. There are a number of tools you can use to unclog a drain, the most frequently used being a plunger, a plumbing snake and a drain auger. The last thing you want to do when using a snake to unclog a drain is to do further damage to your home. Here are five reasons you may want to hit the pause button before reaching for a plumbing snake:

#1: You May Have The Wrong Type of Snake for the Job

Most homeowners don’t realize there are several different types … Read Full Post »

Air Ducts Leaking? Watch Out For These Warning Signs

October 29, 2014. Posted by Les Stobart in Air Conditioning & Heating • San Antonio

Many San Antonio home and business owners are not aware that their HVAC’s air ducts are leaking. All they know is that their home or office is uncomfortable and seems as if there is no air coming out of vents because something feels “off” about the temperature. We know how frustrating it can be to notice a problem but not know what is going on exactly, or how to fix it.

Air duct leaks are more common than you would think. If you have noticed any of the following warning signs, schedule an appointment with a trusted air conditioning professional to help you determine whether or not your AC issue is caused by a duct leak.

Stuffy Air Or Uneven Temperatures

If certain rooms are difficult to cool, or you notice the air not circulating well in some areas, it’s possible that the air from the AC unit is seeping out through the … Read Full Post »