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How Many Roaches Is An Infestation? Assessing Your Problem

. Posted by in • San Antonio
How many roaches is an infestation

The first sight of a cockroach in your home can send waves of panic down your spine, often accompanied by high-pitched shrieks. While nobody wants to have an eye-to-eye encounter with roaches, the truth is that pesky pests love our homes. What’s alarming is the fact that for every roach you see, it’s likely that there are many more you don’t. These nocturnal pests can be extremely hard to detect. They nest and breed comfortably in the dark and hard-to-reach areas of your home. Roaches usually live in your house without being noticed for a long time.

After that first encounter, most homeowners want to quickly and effectively handle the problem before it gets out of control. So, exactly how many roaches is an infestation? Knowing the extent of your problem is often the first step in deciding what to do next.

Cockroach Infestation Signs 

Unfortunately, there is no magic number of cockroaches … Read Full Post »

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Tarantulas: Science Fiction Stars Gone Wild

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Almost everyone can identify a tarantula. The fierce-looking, hairy spiders can grow as large as dinner plates and cause arachnophobic homeowners to hug their chandeliers. They are pests to some and pets to others, and if you live in Texas, you’ll probably encounter one sooner or later. If you’re unlucky, you may find one in your yard. If your luck is even worse, one might decide to slip into your home unnoticed. In either case, you should be prepared.

What to do if You Encounter a Tarantula

First, relax. Finding a huge, hairy spider is disturbing, but tarantulas aren’t the dangerous monsters many people think they are. Compared to some of their fellow arachnids, they’re not very dangerous. They have fangs, but they rarely bite unless it’s in self-defense. If a tarantula does bite you, it would hurt like a bee sting, and you might have some mild swelling. Unless you’re severely … Read Full Post »

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How to Add a Water Feature Without Attracting Mosquitoes

. Posted by in • Austin
How to stop mosquitoes breeding in water features

 

Ponds, fountains and other water features can transform your backyard into a tranquil oasis. If you live near a highway or in a noisy area, water features can drown out ambient noise and replace it with a soothing, natural sound. Adding a water feature can also enhance existing landscaping, often at a marginal cost and with little required maintenance. Lastly, providing a water source in your yard can help local wildlife, including birds, butterflies and hummingbirds. There is one animal that you don’t want to attract when you add water to your landscape, however: mosquitoes.

How to stop mosquitoes breeding in water features

Most species of mosquitoes lay their eggs in water. Larvae can thrive in even an ounce of standing water. With that in mind, if you do want to add a pond, waterfall or a fountain to your landscape, you’ll want to learn how to add a water feature without attracting … Read Full Post »

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The History of Toilets: How Modern Features Can Transform Your Bathroom

. Posted by in • San Antonio
history of toilets timeline

You probably take your toilet for granted—that is, until you have a problem. How have toilets evolved over time, and what recent advances have changed the way you spend time in your bathroom?

The History of Toilets Timeline

Before the invention of flushing toilets and sophisticated plumbing, many people used chamber pots or simply used the restroom in the streets. Obviously, people of this age weren’t very sensitive to odors. The Saxons created pits in the streets with wooden seats over them. People in some countries built drains under their homes that led to rivers or primitive sewer systems. Ancient Egyptians used limestone or wooden seats with sand-filled containers under them. These primitive toilets had to be emptied by hand. People in the Indus Valley civilization built grid-patterned streets with sewers underneath. Their toilets were flushed with water.

Who Invented the Modern Toilet?

Although the invention of the modern flush toilet is sometimes attributed to … Read Full Post »

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Air Conditioning History Timeline

. Posted by in • San Antonio
air conditioning history timeline

It’s hard to imagine a hot Texas summer with sweltering temperatures consistently topping 100 degrees without air conditioning. As citizens of a modern world, perhaps we’ve become spoiled in our expectations of daily amenities, and this got us thinking: who was the genius that invented the modern air conditioning system?

That question turned out to be a little more difficult to answer than we thought. The “invention” of air conditioning was not so much one single “Aha!” moment, but rather several ideas over a few hundred years that got us to the modern HVAC system that we all know and love. Below is a brief air conditioning history timeline to explain how the air conditioner parts and functions have evolved.

Ancient Egypt: Where It All Got Started?

Ancient Egyptians are vaguely credited as being the first to use evaporative cooling by hanging wet cloth or reeds in windows and doorways. As the wind blew … Read Full Post »

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What Attracts Scorpions to My Home?

. Posted by in • Austin

Of all of the common household pests here in Texas, one may be the creepy-crawliest of them all: the scorpion. While some scorpions may be limited to crawling on the floor, others are able to climb walls, drapes and hide in the folds of clothing. You might find a scorpion in a variety of places, such as inside of a shoe or under a piles of clothing. In addition to being painful, a scorpion’s sting is venomous and can cause serious illness. In a few cases, the sting may even cause death. To know how to eradicate these poisonous pests, homeowners must understand what attracts scorpions to homes.

What Attracts Scorpions to My Home?

The more you know about these arachnids, the more equipped you are to know where and when to spot them, how to know they have made it inside of your home, and most importantly, how to get them out—for … Read Full Post »

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Best Temperature For AC To Save Money: Tips And Tricks

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Best Temperature for AC to Save Money

Summers in Texas are longer and hotter than in other areas of the United States. This increased use of air conditioning is one of the primary factors in the increased spending on electricity and natural gas, which means homeowners have less money to spend on other things. It’s not all bad news, though. With the help of some money saving tips and techniques for coping with increased summer temperatures in central Texas, you can save some of your hard earned income. Read on to learn more about the best temperature for AC to save money. By following these simple tips, you can have some extra spending money to use to pay for items your family will really enjoy.

Raise The Temperature

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends keeping the indoor temperature of your home at 78 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce your electricity bill. Although this might seem high at first, it is a … Read Full Post »

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Is it Worth Switching to a Tankless Water Heater?

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Average Cost of Heating Water

Expenses for air conditioning and heating in San Antonio can be costly and the energy used to heat water can be expensive as well. About 20% of an average family’s energy consumption goes to heating water for household activities like dishwashing, clothes washing, showering, and bathing. Traditional water heaters that store water can cost around $450 to operate every year and about 20% of that cost goes to waste year after year. Those conventional water heaters waste energy because they keep heating water in storage tanks even when nobody is using the water.

Benefits of a Tankless Water Heater

  • You may qualify for a tax credit if you install an efficient water heater in your home.
  • When you turn on a tap, a tankless unit will supply hot water within five seconds.
  • You never run out of hot water with a tankless heater.
  • A tankless heater requires much less space and … Read Full Post »
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Flat Enamel Paint And More: Types Of Paint And Their Uses

. Posted by in • Austin
Flat Enamel Paint

 

Paint is often the cheapest and easiest way to make a big change in your home. Once you have decided to paint your kitchen, bedroom, living room or bathroom, you need to determine what type of paint to use in which rooms and on which surfaces. It can be a difficult decision to make when faced with a huge selection of paint colors and types.

Let’s break down the common paint types and finishes so that you can make an educated decision about what type of paint you need for your next project.

Flat Enamel Paint

Similar to matte finish paints, flat enamel paint also has a nonreflective finish. However, flat enamel paint tends to be more durable than matte finish. Flat enamel is ideal for bathrooms, kitchens or powder rooms, since these surfaces tend to be cleaned more frequently and are exposed to more moisture.

Matte Finish 

Sometimes referred to as flat finish or wall … Read Full Post »

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Getting to Know Chiggers

. Posted by in • Austin
chiggers in Texas

Common chiggers, also known as berry bugs, harvest mites, “jiggers” and “redbugs,” are tiny pests whose size don’t match the amount of torment they can cause humans. Chiggers attach themselves to tender skin areas to feed. The bites can cause intense itching and small reddish welts. Chiggers in Texas can be a big pain for families who enjoy spending time outside.

Getting to Know Chiggers

Because chiggers are so small, they are hard to avoid. Most people cannot see these minuscule creatures without a magnifying glass, and so the bites may be the only indication that the bugs have infested a certain area.

How to Identify Chiggers

In the larval stage, chiggers are orange, yellow or light red. They are less than 1/150 of an inch in diameter, with hairy bodies. Larvae have six legs and their mouthparts include two pairs of grasping palps with forked claws. The nymphs and adults have eight … Read Full Post »

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