ABC Blog
Choose a City

How To Identify Different Types of Mice

. Posted by in , • Tyler
a house mouse which is a common type of mouse in homes

A mouse is not just a mouse. There are many different kinds of mice throughout the world. In fact, mice are a part of the rodent group. This includes thousands of different types of small and tiny mammals that use their front teeth to gnaw on things. Each kind of rodent has some things in common, but they also have several unique characteristics.

Knowing what kind of rodents you have can help you figure out why they entered your home and how to make them leave. Otherwise, you might waste precious time and money trying pest control treatments that will not work. That is why it is best to contact a qualified pest control professional to handle rodent invaders. These experts have the training and experience to take care of everything effectively and efficiently for you.

House Mice

House mice are one of the most common types of rodents found in and around … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Fire Ant Control & Identification Guide

. Posted by in , • Dallas-Fort Worth
fire ants coming out of a nest

They say everything is hotter in Texas. That’s usually in reference to the weather and the food, but it can also apply to the burn you feel when you’re bitten by fire ants. If you spend any time outdoors, you’ve probably been bitten by these insects at least once or twice. They get their name from the fiery sensation caused by their bites.

Unfortunately, fire ants are an especially aggressive species of ant. That means you aren’t imagining it: When their nest gets disturbed, they will come after you, fast. Their bites sting and burn, and they can also cause raised, pus-filled blisters on the skin.

Interestingly, these ants don’t just bite people—they bite first to grab hold of you, and then they curl their abdomens under to sting your skin. It’s actually the venom in their sting that causes the painful, burning sensation. Their stingers are at the tip of their … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

How Long Do Mice Live?

. Posted by in , • Dallas-Fort Worth
a mouse in an attic

The thought of having mice in your home is disturbing. If these creatures have shown up, you are probably wondering how long they might stick around. Well, the average lifespan of each mouse is just around two and a half years. However, where there is one mouse, there are typically many more mice.

This means that even if the one mouse that you know of dies off, it does not necessarily mean that your mouse problem is over. This animal might have left behind several more friends and family members.

This is due to the nature of the mouse life cycle. Female mice can get pregnant as early as just a month or two after they are born. Once they reach sexual maturity, female mice are fertile as often as every four to five days. They typically mate at night and can breed at any time of the year. Once a female … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

What Do House Mice Eat?

. Posted by in , • Dallas-Fort Worth
house mice eating cereal

If you’ve ever had a mouse problem, you probably wondered what attracted the mice to your house in the first place. What do house mice eat? Their natural habitat is outdoors, so what do they live on when they move into a person’s home? Unfortunately, the short answer is that mice can eat a wide variety of foods. This is why they can live so well inside a house, as long as there is access to water as well as some food that they can get into.

The truth is, most of us have plenty of food that mice could get into if they tried. For example, readily available food left in fruit bowls on our countertops. Or, the thin plastic bags and cardboard boxes filled with cereals and snacks found in our pantries. These materials are easy for mice to chew through to get to the food inside.

Outside in nature, … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Does Salt Kill Fleas? How To Control These Pests

. Posted by in , • Tyler
a salt shaker that has been knocked over

Fleas can invade your home by hanging onto your pet or another animal in your neighborhood. Once these pests make it into your house, they often spread quickly and can be tough to get rid of. Thankfully, a pest control professional can help you free your house of fleas and reclaim your home from these pests as soon as possible. However, if you prefer to handle the infestation on your own, there are a number of flea control options that you might consider.

A common natural remedy for controlling fleas is to spread table salt or sea salt that you might have in your cabinet. Salt naturally absorbs moisture, so when you sprinkle it on fleas, it dries out their bodies. This is because many pests like fleas take in oxygen through tiny tubes all over their bodies. When they breathe in salt through these tubes, it can kill them

To use … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

How Long Does It Take to Pressure Wash a House?

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth
a homeowner pressure washing their home

When you want to pressure wash your house, one thing you will likely consider is how long the project will take. Will you need a couple hours to finish the job? A whole weekend? Something in between?

In general, it takes around three to five hours to pressure wash a small to medium-sized house. This estimate includes the time needed to complete the basic steps involved in power washing, such as:

  • preparing the area you want to clean;
  • setting up your equipment;
  • spreading detergent on the area;
  • letting the detergent set;
  • rinsing off the cleaning solution;
  • cleaning up the project area and
  • putting your equipment away.

However, the exact amount of time for each pressure wash job depends on several different factors. Here are some reasons why your project might take more or less time.

The Size of Your Home

It might be obvious that power washing a 5,000 square foot home will usually take longer than trying to wash a … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Can Bed Bugs Climb Metal?

. Posted by in , • Dallas-Fort Worth
a bed bug climbing on a person's skin

If even the thought of bed bugs makes you cringe, you aren’t alone. Most people live in fear of encountering these pests because they are notoriously hard to get rid of. Many are eager to learn easy ways they can prevent these pests. For example, some people wonder whether bed bugs can climb metal. The thinking here is that a metal bed frame might offer protection if these bugs have a hard time climbing the slick surface of the frame. Although bed bugs do find it easier to climb more textured surfaces like fabric or wood, they can climb metal. Unfortunately, this means beds on metal frames can harbor these pests just as well as any other type of bed. However, by learning the early signs of bed bugs, you can help prevent a full-blown infestation. 

Bed bugs can be creative about how they reach you in … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Can You Get Lyme Disease From Mosquitoes?

. Posted by in , • Tyler
a homeowner getting bitten by a mosquito which makes them wonder if you can get lyme disease from mosquitoes

For most folks, the itchy bites that mosquitoes inflict on us are reason enough to want them gone. But, once you start thinking about the diseases these pests can spread, you may want to know the quickest ways you can get rid of these pests. Unfortunately, the CDC reports that illnesses from mosquito, tick and flea bites have tripled in the United States. From 2004 to 2016, there were more than 640,000 reported cases of illnesses transmitted from these pests.

Recently, it has become pretty well known that mosquitoes can spread the Zika virus. Therefore, it’s natural to wonder if they can also spread Lyme disease or other diseases.

There is good news for those worried about Lyme disease. According to the CDC, Lyme disease cannot be spread by mosquitoes. It can only be spread through the bite of infected ticks. Adult ticks are about the size of a sesame seed, and … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Where Do Mosquitoes Come From?

. Posted by in , • Tyler
a group of mosquitoes flying in a homeowners yard which makes them wonder where mosquitoes come from

There are over 3,500 kinds of mosquitoes, and they can be found in almost every country in the world. In the U.S. alone, there are nearly 200 different types of mosquitoes, many of which came to the country aboard ships over the past several hundred years.

For example, it’s believed that the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito came to the U.S. on trading ships in the late 1400s and early 1500s. More recently, some types of mosquitoes have traveled to the U.S. on ships coming from the Caribbean. Another species—the Aedes albopictus—came to the country from Asia in the 1980s through a ship carrying tires.

This can be of particular concern due to the diseases mosquitoes transmit. Some of these pests carry diseases like the Zika virus, the West Nile virus, malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever that can make humans sick or even fatally ill.

Of the nearly 200 types of mosquitoes in … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

How Do Termites Get in Your Home?

. Posted by in , • Tyler
a home with tree branches touching the roof which is how termites could have gotten in the home

If you’re dealing with a termite infestation or if you think you may be dealing with a termite infestation, you may be overwhelmed and confused. How did termites find your home? How did they make their way inside? What can you do next?

To answer these questions, it’s important to know the different types of termites that are likely to infest your home. In the U.S., the two most common types of termites are subterranean termites and drywood termites. Knowing the differences between these two types is important because the way they enter homes and the treatment methods for each are different.

Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites travel around by crawling through a network of underground tunnels. This species of termite needs a moist environment to survive. Once they get beneath or to the edge of a house, they build mud tubes, which they use to get into the structure. These tubes are about … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed