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Best on the Block: Top 10 Design Ideas to Light Up Your Home for the Holidays

. Posted by in • Houston

Aren’t you sure what to do with your home for the holidays? Check out our top 10 ideas for transforming your Houston home into a stunning seasonal success.

1. Emphasize existing landscape features and the graceful branches of deciduous trees by illuminating them with ground-level flood lights. Use existing landscape lighting or modular spotlights to highlight wreaths and green decorations. Fill fountains, urns, and birdbaths with gazing balls or evergreen boughs to maximize their seasonal appeal.

2. Think about your landscaping before you decorate. Watch for decorative plants that will complement your holiday display. Treat landscape shrubs in late fall to protect them and keep them looking healthy all season. Evergreens, hollies, and berry-producing shrubs are ideal for incorporating into your holiday display.

3. Place greenery, topiaries, garlands, and evergreen wreaths on entryways, windows, mailboxes, columns, and porches. These items will look beautiful during the day before the timer activates your lights.

4. Add … Read Full Post »

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Top 5 Ways to Keep Raccoons Away

. Posted by in • Orlando

Though they are often admired for their ability to pilfer food from garbage cans in the dead of night, raccoons can be quite dangerous. They are known to spread disease, injure family pets and inflict property damage that can be expensive. However, these ingenious critters can be kept far away from family residences with the following five tips.

1. Secure All Trash Receptacles

Raccoons are widely known for their talent. For example, sliding aside a partially open garbage can lid is quite easily accomplished. For this reason, property owners will want to secure all trash receptacles fully. Kitchen garbage cans and other interior food sources should also be sealed—plenty of verified stories of raccoons entering homes through pet doors and gobbling up unsecured food waste.

2. Reduce Nesting Areas

Because raccoons do not build their dens, they search for places to raise a family. Attics, basements, crawlspaces, and any other nooks and crannies that … Read Full Post »

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5 Reasons Why You Should Map Your Irrigation System

. Posted by in , , • Houston

While the amount of work that goes into setting up a lawn or garden irrigation system may tempt you to get it installed and be done with it, you should document the process. Even if your system works admirably for years and you never change a thing, knowing exactly where all the conduits and sprinkler control valves are will be helpful later. Read on to learn why mapping out your irrigation system with the help of a Houston lawn care specialist is such a good idea.

1. Ensuring Coverage Efficiency

Mapping things out before you start minimizes the water your system requires to keep your lawn healthy. This may not be a big concern, but if your area suffers a drought or implements summer water usage restrictions, your irrigation map will help you avoid watering the same place twice so that your plot stays green and pretty while your neighbors’ are fading.

2. … Read Full Post »

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10 Worst Pests Around the World

. Posted by in • Houston

Texas is known for having some pretty destructive pests, from crazy ants to cockroaches, but these local bugs can’t compete with the problems worldwide. Below are 10 of the strangest and worst invasive species of insects, rodents, amphibians, and even plants found worldwide:

1. The Asian Tiger Mosquito. Originating in Asia, this black-and-white striped mosquito is now one of the most widespread animal species on the planet. In just two decades, it’s spread to 28 separate countries. Like other mosquitoes, it can carry West Nile virus and other blood-borne diseases.

2. The Cotton Whitefly. These tiny bugs measure just a millimeter in length and don’t seem threatening. However, they are devastating to plant life, carrying up to 100 different plant viruses and feasting on 900 species of plants. These bugs exist in every continent except Antarctica.

3. The Snakehead Fish. This fearsome fish has been destroying local ecosystems in several countries, including the … Read Full Post »

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Termites Are A Slow But Sure Expense

. Posted by in • Orlando
termites damage to home

Termites are one of the most destructive pests you’ll encounter, and stopping an infestation early is crucial to reducing the expense associated with their damage. Although it may take a termite a long time to chew through the wood of your home or office, it will eventually succeed in severely weakening the structure. A termite infestation could result in substantial damages and lengthy repairs if left alone.

The Life of a Termite

Termites are social insects that are related to ants. Like ants, they live in colonies, each member filling a specific role. They feed primarily on wood pulp and are often found chewing through a house’s foundation, flooring, and walls. Termite colonies can become very large very quickly, and the growing size represents an increasing threat to the stability of your home.

As a colony grows, the colony will seek to expand by sending out a new young queen. This winged termite will … Read Full Post »

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The Newest Invasive Species in Texas

. Posted by in • Houston

Texas is under invasion. Outside intruders are visiting our backyards, waterways, and agricultural fields. As people and goods travel across state and national borders faster than ever, invasive species from faraway places like Africa and Asia threaten our native plants and animals.

According to TexasInvasives.org, a multi-agency partnership that aims to educate Texans about the threat of invasive species, individual invasive species can cause crop and lawn damages of $100 million or more per year. Although only 15% of non-native organisms can be classified as “invasive,” these unwanted pests threaten the native species that make Texas unique and prosperous. Here are a few of the state’s newest enemies.

African Cluster Bug

This invasive insect is just as gross as its name implies. It’s often found in damaging swarms that can descend on cropland and gardens. With a fearsome reproduction rate and an appetite for local cash crops like flax and thyme, the African … Read Full Post »

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Pests…On Your Plate

. Posted by in • Orlando
ant infestation

Are you cooking with… insects?

It’s hard to picture insects and arachnids as anything more than bothersome pests that disrupt barbeques, cause painful stings, and freak many of us out. But it may be time to start welcoming these creatures into your life….and on your plate.

The Latest Food Trend

Sweet and salty snacks, blackened seafood, alternative milk, and bug burgers? Believe it or not, these are all popular food trends this year, and yes, insects have solidified a spot in the culinary industry. Concerns about feeding the world’s ever-growing population and some courageous foodies’ efforts have given these creepy crawlers a new purpose.

The health benefits of this “alternative food source” can’t be denied, either. While the Huffington Post reports that eating insects can combat obesity, you should also know that many pests are protein, lipid, and calorie-rich and packed with many essential vitamins and minerals. Pair that with their abundant availability and … Read Full Post »

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5 Ways to Prepare Your Yard for the Changing Season

. Posted by in • Houston

Summer is over, but it’s not quite a time to hang up your lawn tools for the year. Here are the final five lawn care tasks you need to complete before winter:

Remove Dead Leaves Immediately

Raking your leaves might sound common sense, but many homeowners put it off until all their trees are completely bare. Trees can drop leaves for more than a month, and they’ll pile up. After a good rain, those leaves will become damp and heavy, and you’ll have difficulty blowing or raking them into a pile.

Try to remove dead leaves at least once a week as soon as they begin dropping, and you’ll split up an enormous task into manageable chunks. Dead leaves will also prevent grass from receiving sunlight, which will decimate your lawn after a few weeks. Fungus and mold will also take their toll.

Eliminate Weeds on Your Lawn

Most plants begin to conserve nutrients in … Read Full Post »

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In the News: Tiny Wasps Cultivated Here in Texas for Use as a Citrus-Saving Weapon

. Posted by in • Houston

While you no doubt love having your citrus trees, you’ve probably noticed that you aren’t the only one in the neighborhood who enjoys easy access to fresh fruit. Insects like the Asian citrus psyllid have been wreaking havoc in Texan citrus fields and home gardens, but pesticides may not be the best answer. Mass spraying tends to have pretty nasty side effects, and some species may even develop tolerance to such chemicals. Fortunately, a local lab is taking clues from nature by cultivating a non-stinging wasp that is a highly effective deterrent.

What’s Wrong with Psyllids?

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, wouldn’t be such a problem if all it did was suck sap out of new shoots on various citrus tree species. Unfortunately, these tiny bugs also create a toxic byproduct that mangles some buds and kills off others, preventing trees from growing out properly. As if this isn’t bad enough, … Read Full Post »

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Bee Removal: Protecting Our Bumble Buddies

. Posted by in • Orlando
why do bees swarm

Many people are afraid of bees due to the threat of bee stings. In most cases, bees are not dangerous to humans unless you are allergic. They are a necessary component of the ecosystem and responsible for pollinating many of the plants we eat. All the same, a hive can sometimes be built in an inconvenient location, and bee removal does become necessary on occasion.

The Life of Bumblebees

Whenever you identify a bee colony living near your home or office, the first step to removal is correctly identifying the bee species. Bumblebees have different habits than carpenter bees and honey bees, and understanding these habits will aid in your pest control efforts.

Bumblebees are docile and live in small colonies. They prefer to nest in grass clumps or old mouse holes, but they can also make their homes in birdhouses, under porches, in old planters, or in any other cozy space. The … Read Full Post »

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