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Do Mosquitoes Bite Dogs? Your Questions Answered

. Posted by in , • Austin
A dog that is getting bitten by a mosquito while playing in a yard

While notorious for attacking us humans, mosquitoes actually aren’t that picky—they’re more than willing to bite any mammal they can land on. If you’ve ever asked yourself the question: “Do mosquitoes bite dogs?”, you should know that these pests will prey on our precious pups. When mosquitoes are looking for a blood meal, they’re searching for a warm, active mammal. Dogs can get bitten, and other companion animals are also at risk, including cats, horses and livestock. If a mosquito can find a way to get to their skin, any of these animals can become a mosquito’s next victim.

Unfortunately, just like humans can get malaria from mosquito bites, animals can contract a number of illnesses, some that are quite serious. Heartworms are a big problem when it comes to animal mosquito bites. These parasites affect dogs, cats and ferrets, and these worms can spread their eggs through mosquito bites. Dogs … Read Full Post »

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Water Leaking From AC Unit: Should I Be Worried?

. Posted by in • Austin
Water leaking from an ac unit

Finding a pool of water near your air conditioner can be alarming. You may ask yourself: Why is this happening? Is this liquid water, or could it be refrigerant? While being in this situation can be alarming, you should know that it’s not uncommon to find moisture near your AC unit, and this may not actually be a bad thing. To determine whether your water leak is serious, it’s helpful to understand how air conditioning systems work.

Air conditioners use refrigerants to cool down the air that flows through your home. These systems operate thanks to a handy piece of physics: When a liquid turns into a gas, it absorbs heat. So, with a substance that changes from a liquid to a gas at a relatively low temperature, as is the case with refrigerants, you can harness that heat-absorption power to cool down a home on a hot summer day.

Air conditioners … Read Full Post »

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Can Bed Bugs Live In Carpet? Your Questions Answered

. Posted by in , • Austin
A bed bug crawling on someone

If you’re currently dealing with a bed bug infestation, or wonder if what you have seen in your home are bed bugs, you probably are wondering where these pests can be hiding. Since we typically can’t feel a bed bug bite, it can be difficult to know when we are getting bitten, even if we understandably assume it’s in our beds. To make matters even more complicated, some people don’t have an allergic reaction to a bed bug bite until as long as two weeks after it happens. With that in mind, how can you find these tiny pests? Can bed bugs hide in your carpet? Where else do they tend to spend time?

Yes, bed bugs can live in carpet, as well as in and around just about every upholstered surface in your home. A bed bug’s narrow body lets it hide easily in the smallest cracks and crevices, including … Read Full Post »

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Brown Recluse Vs Wolf Spider: Which One Is On My Property?

. Posted by in • Austin
A brown recluse spider

You may be anxious after finding a brown spider in or around your home. After all, you know that brown recluses are native to the area and a bite from one of these spiders can be dangerous. That said, you’ve also heard about wolf spiders. Wondering which type you have spotted? There are a few major differences between a brown recluse and a wolf spider that can help you properly identify which is which, including:

  • The size. A wolf spider is shockingly large, growing up to an inch and a quarter in length. Meanwhile, the brown recluse is rarely larger than three-quarters of an inch.
  • The appearance. As its name suggests, the wolf spider is hairy, with a fuzzy or furry appearance. In contrast, the brown recluse spider has smooth body parts.
  • Markings. The wolf spider has a pattern on its back with multiple colors, most commonly stripes, whereas the brown recluse is … Read Full Post »
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Signs Of Hard Water: Tips From The Experts

. Posted by in , • Austin
A cream colored bathroom that is suffering from signs of hard water

Water isn’t something homeowners typically think much about. Turn on a faucet, crank up the shower, push a button on the dishwasher or washing machine and the water flows. Depending on where you live, however, your home might have what’s commonly referred to as hard water, which means that you have dissolved magnesium and calcium compounds and possibly other metallic elements in your running water. If your pipes or appliances are showing signs of hard water, it might be time to take action.

Homes get their water from different naturally occurring sources. Groundwater, a common source, flows through limestone or other rocks, absorbing the minerals contained inside of them. Over time, those minerals build up in a home’s plumbing system. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 85% of homes in the United States have some level of hard water.

Your water would be labeled “hard” if it contains more than 61 milligrams … Read Full Post »

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A Homeowner’s Guide To Termites In Texas

. Posted by in , • Austin
A group of termites on wood

There are many reasons Texans love calling this part of the country home. We have warm weather nearly all year round, with so much to offer in terms of nature, history, sporting events, museums and other attractions. Unfortunately, we aren’t the only ones that are drawn to this state. Termites in Texas—specifically, the subterranean, Formosan and drywood varieties—are a major problem for countless homeowners. These destructive pests are responsible for costing homeowners in Texas hundreds of millions of dollars of damage each year.

How does this tiny pest get away with so much?

Subterranean termites, the most common species of termite found in Texas, tunnel in moist soil in search of cellulose, their primary food source that is found in wood, plants, cardboard, insulation and even pet excrement. Because these pests are tunneling underground, many homeowners are unaware they have a problem until these voracious insects have already caused extensive damage. These … Read Full Post »

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Why Is My Dishwasher Backing Up Into The Sink?

. Posted by in , • Austin
dishwasher backing up into sink and overflowing

The kitchen is the center of activity in most homes, and the sink is the heart of the kitchen. If you’re busy doing dishes, you expect everything—including the faucet, disposal, dishwasher and pipes—to work. The last thing you want is to run into any kind of problem that would result in a backed-up sink or dishwasher full of dirty, smelly water and bits of decomposing food that won’t go down. If you find your dishwasher backing up into your sink, that’s just the type of plumbing problem you’ll have on your hands, and it will need to be resolved quickly, so you can get back to your normal routine without much disruption.

There are several common causes of a dishwasher backing up into a sink, including a block in the air gap, an obstruction in your dishwasher or a clogged garbage disposal. One of the most likely culprits is a simple … Read Full Post »

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How Often Should I Mow My Lawn?

. Posted by in , • Austin
Someone mowing their lawn

When caring for your outdoor spaces, one of the first considerations is how often you should mow your lawn. A number of factors will dictate the frequency of your mowing schedule, including the type of grass you have in your yard and the climate in your geographical region. As a general rule of thumb, during the colder portions of the year, when most varieties of grass go into their dormant phase, you shouldn’t have to mow your lawn often, if at all.

During the warmer seasons, however, you’ll need to mow regularly. For most yards, that means mowing once a week, or at least two to three times a month. The most important consideration when it comes to cutting your grass is how tall a healthy sprout is. Three of the most common grasses throughout the warmer regions of the United States are zoysia, St. Augustine and Bermuda grass and each … Read Full Post »

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Who Fixes Garbage Disposals?

. Posted by in , • Austin
Kitchen sink with a garbage disposal

Doing the dishes is already a tedious chore for many homeowners. When you’re standing at the sink with the water running and scrub brush in hand, you expect everything to work. That’s why it can be such a disappointment when you rinse food off your dishes into the sink and hit the switch to activate your garbage disposal, only to hear an odd noise, detect a terrible smell or worse—to hear nothing at all. In any of those scenarios, the question will instantly pop into your mind: Who fixes garbage disposals? Should you call an appliance repair person, a plumber or someone else entirely?

The short answer to that question is that both appliance repair technicians and plumbers can address issues with garbage disposals. Do keep in mind, though, that choosing the right person to call when your garbage disposal breaks can depend on the type and extent of the particular … Read Full Post »

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How To Unclog A Dishwasher With Standing Water

. Posted by in , • Austin
How to unclog a dishwasher with standing water

While cleaning up after dinner, you notice that a significant amount of water has accumulated in the bottom of your dishwasher. You know that a little water is normal, but this seems excessive. Before you tackle another load of dishes sitting in the sink, you may realize you don’t know how to unclog a dishwasher with standing water. You’re probably also wondering why this happened in the first place and how can you prevent it from happening again.

The most likely reason water is pooling in your dishwasher is that you have filters that have been become blocked because of food debris that has built up over time. Most newer models have manual-clean filters, unlike the self-cleaning filters that were more common in these units a decade ago. Clogged filters can prevent water from rising or draining, and can even make your dishes smell. Thankfully, cleaning your manual filters is relatively … Read Full Post »

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