ABC Blog

Why Do My Christmas Lights Keep Blowing a Fuse?

A strand of Christmas lights that keep blowing fuse

Christmas is typically a joyful time of year, but preparing for the holidays can be incredibly stressful. Every year, homeowners spend hours decorating their house just to realize that a bulb or even a whole strand of lights isn’t working once they plug everything in. Other times, a display works just fine on the first night, and then the lights suddenly go out the next day.

These annoying problems often stem from blown fuses in the lighting system. The main reasons why your Christmas lights keep blowing a fuse include using multiple strands of lights, using the wrong type of lights or using damaged lights.

Using Multiple Strands of Lights

Whether indoors or outdoors, homeowners often string together several strands of Christmas lights when decorating. This can be an efficient method to cover a section of your roof or light the full length of a tall tree. However, if you link too many … Read Full Post »

Do Possums Attack? Your Questions Answered

A possum bearing its teeth as if it was going to attack

Possums are undeniably odd-looking animals, especially when they’re feeling threatened. When they sense danger, their first response is often to hiss and bare their teeth. But, do possums attack? Consider this as a clue: When hissing and showing off that triangular-shaped mouth full of pointy little teeth doesn’t scare off a potential predator, the possum’s next move is the one responsible for the common phrase, “playing possum.” That’s right—when faced with danger, this creature rolls over, goes limp, closes its eyes and pretends to be lifeless. Not exactly the behavior of an aggressive, menacing attacker.

Possums are not known to attack. In fact, they are known to be quite gentle and docile, though pet owners do report dogs or cats getting into fights with possums. Like any wild animal, possums do their best to avoid being cornered. They are far more likely to flee or play possum than to use any … Read Full Post »

Do Raccoons Attack? What You Need to Know

A raccoon climbing down a tree, which may lead a homeowner to wonder, "Do raccoons attack?"

In response to your dog barking at something in the backyard, you turned on your patio lights to see a raccoon. This discovery brings many questions to the forefront of your mind, including whether or not a raccoon would attack you, your family members or your pets.

The good news is that, in many cases, raccoons will back off if confronted by a person or loud pets. However, this isn’t a guarantee. Sometimes raccoons can and will attack people, and this can be dangerous.

Generally speaking, raccoons attack in three situations:

  • when they’re cornered,
  • when they’re protecting their young and
  • when they’re sick.

The first two situations both fall under the larger umbrella of protection because healthy raccoons only attack humans to protect themselves or their families. Otherwise, they’ll run.

Then, why do raccoons have a reputation for being menacing?

Raccoons behave in such a way that can be intimidating to get out of bad situations. However, the … Read Full Post »

Cockroach Identification and Management Tips

A German cockroach

You turn on the light in the morning to get started with your day when you see a brown bug scurry out of sight. You’re pretty sure you just saw a cockroach, but, if you are being honest with yourself, you admit that you’re in denial. It could’ve been something else, right? After all, you work hard to keep your home nice and clean.

Well, the unfortunate truth is that cockroaches can make their way into even the tidiest of homes. And, while there are many different species of cockroaches, in general, these creatures are flat insects, and many species will have two pairs of wings that lay flat on their back. Their color ranges from light brown to black, and size can vary from as small as a half of an inch in length all the way up to two inches long. While finding a cockroach is never ideal, some … Read Full Post »

Not Sure What Fleas Look Like? Identification Tips

A flea biting a human

If you’ve ever had itchy bites on your skin and asked yourself whether they might be flea bites, you’ve probably also wondered what fleas look like. If you’ve never encountered these creatures before, you’re lucky, but also means you may be in the dark about whether you might have a flea problem. Unfortunately, fleas are so small and move so quickly, that they can be hard to spot, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Fleas are about the same size and color as a speck of black pepper, and their eggs are smaller than grains of sand. Unless you have sharp eyesight, you could have fleas in your midst—even infesting your home—and not realize it.

Why should you worry about fleas? After all, while they do bite, they don’t carry or transmit diseases to humans or our pets as some types of insects do. But they are still … Read Full Post »

Big Flies in House: How Can I Get Rid of Them?

A big fly in a house sitting on a couch

What started with just one or two big flies in your house started to become a pattern, which led you to wonder if you had some kind of a larger pest problem. Swatting away at these flies soon became a constant battle and a big headache. What brought these flies into your house, and what can you do now to both get rid of them for good and prevent this from happening again?

Unfortunately, during the warmer months, it’s not uncommon to feel as if keeping flies out of your home is a constant battle that you’re losing. There are several different types of flies that people routinely find in their homes, and many of them are there simply because they’re opportunistic—meaning, they come in from outdoors when they get the chance, in search of food and shelter. They can slip through even if you simply open the door briefly to … Read Full Post »

Tick vs. Flea: How Can I Tell Them Apart?

A tick crawling on a leaf

After a hike with your family and dog, you give Fido a belly rub and find a small, dark brown colored bug in his fur. You know that ticks are commonly found in tall grassy areas like the one you just visited, but you also know that it’s flea season. So, what are the differences between ticks and fleas, and how can you tell which one you have seen?

For starters, you should know that ticks aren’t technically bugs at all but rather small arachnids, and while they can vary in size, once they have fed, they generally swell to a quarter-inch long and are clearly visible. On the other hand, fleas are considered true insects and are much smaller than ticks, rarely exceeding an eighth of an inch in size.

Let’s delve a bit deeper into what these pests look like and their behavior so you know more about each creature … Read Full Post »

What Colors Are Mosquitoes Attracted To?

A mosquito that landed on someone who is wearing jeans

Swimming, yard work, grilling out—these are just a few of the hallmark activities of warm weather. But when these pastimes switch from fun outdoor time to itchy battles with mosquitoes, many people start to wonder what they can do to prevent those obnoxious bites. For example, is there a color of clothing you could wear that would offer you protection against mosquitoes?

It’s a smart possibility to consider, since research has shown that mosquitoes do seem to bother people wearing light-colored clothing less than those wearing darker colors. Is this because dark clothes retain more heat, causing us to sweat more than lighter ones? Or is it because dark clothing provides a greater contrast against daytime skies, helping mosquitoes close in on their targets and hide more effectively once they land and start to feed?

The answer to these questions is still up for debate, but many scientists agree that blue or … Read Full Post »

Why Are My Sprinkler Heads Not Popping Up?

Sprinkler heads not popping up on an irrigation system can rob your grass of water it needs

If you want a yard full of lush, beautiful grass, you need to supply plenty of what it needs most: water. Of course, that can be easier said than done, especially if you’ve ever turned on your yard’s irrigation system only to discover that your sprinkler heads are not popping up. So, what should you do when you encounter this problem?

While there are several different types of sprinkler systems, pop-up sprinklers are very common in residential areas because they lie flush to the ground a majority of the time, so they don’t detract from your lawn’s visual appeal. The top of the sprinkler has a nozzle coming from a piston that comes up when your system is on and retracts when not in use.

When you turn on the sprinklers and one or more sprinkler heads don’t pop up, the first possibility to consider is also one of the simplest to … Read Full Post »

I Have Cloudy Pool Water: What Is Going On?

A swimming pool with cloudy pool water

It can be quite alarming when you head outside, ready to take a dip in your pool, only to notice that your pool water is cloudy. What went wrong, and what can you do to fix it? Can you still swim in cloudy pool water? And, perhaps most importantly, how can you keep your water crystal clear going forward?

Quite simply, cloudiness means that your pool is dirty. Whether it’s because of organic matter or bacteria, you’ll want to resolve the problem before getting in, as it’s generally not hygienic nor safe to swim in a pool that is murky. The first step to clearing up your cloudy pool is figuring out the cause of the problem. A pool professional will likely tell you that there are a few reasons that this would be happening.

Unbalanced Chlorine Levels

Chlorine is the main chemical in a pool to keep the water safe. This sanitizer … Read Full Post »