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Ideas for a Drought-Tolerant Front Yard

. Posted by in • Houston
a home's front yard

Most areas in the United States experience drought to some extent, with climate change and water shortages worsening the dry periods. While water conservation has never been more crucial, it doesn’t mean you should let your front yard dry out and wither away. With drought-resistant techniques, you can maintain lush greenery around your home without wasting resources.

Here are some landscaping tips that can help no matter how hot and dry it gets in your area.

How To Create a Drought-Tolerant Front Yard

Front yards can consume much water, especially if it has turf grass that needs irrigation. You can create a drought-tolerant front yard and reduce water consumption by growing water-wise plants that thrive in dry conditions. Let’s go through some drought-tolerant landscaping ideas.

Plant Groundcovers

You don’t have to maintain a massive lawn. You can reduce its size and plant groundcovers instead. The roots will prevent soil erosion, and the flowers will add … Read Full Post »

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What Do Flea Larvae Look Like?

. Posted by in , • Houston
a flea on skin

If you have furry pets long enough, you will likely encounter fleas. Fleas are incredibly well adapted to living with humans, and the odds are they will find you and your pets at some point.

Your pets can get fleas even if they never leave the house. Fleas are very well adapted to living with us and can come in from outside by various methods:

  • They can hitch a ride inside on pets or rodents.
  • They can hop in through an open door or window.
  • They can come inside through air ducts or unsealed cracks.
  • They can come in on used clothing or upholstered furniture.

Flea Larvae

Fleas follow a typical life cycle. Flea eggs hatch as worm-like larvae an eighth to a quarter of an inch long after one or two weeks. They’re actually more extensive as larvae than adult fleas. The larvae are whitish and often have brown heads. You’ve probably never noticed flea larvae … Read Full Post »

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Mosquito Repellent Plants in Texas

. Posted by in , • Houston
a group of mosquitoes

In Texas, mosquitoes can be irritating, whether you’re spending time outdoors or trying to enjoy your peaceful garden. However, Texas is home to many species of plants that can help repel mosquitoes.

Some plants release oils into the air that mosquitoes find unpleasant, which may help keep them away from your home.

Additionally, certain types of flora also provide an environment unsuitable for mosquitoes to bother you. These plants may soak up excess water, and since mosquitoes prefer still water sources to lay their eggs, they will make their homes elsewhere.

While professional pest control strategies are the best way to control mosquitoes, a few plants in Texas can help you avoid unwanted pests.

Citronella

Citronella is one of Texas’s most well-known plants used to ward off mosquitoes. It works by masking the smells of your skin and emitting an unpleasant aroma for mosquitoes.

Citronella plants are heat and drought-tolerant. They grow well in most parts … Read Full Post »

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How to Design a Sprinkler System

. Posted by in , • Houston
a sprinkler in a yard

When it comes to having the lawn of their dreams with lush flower beds and a perfectly manicured yard, many homeowners have to make a choice between spending their time maintaining their lawn or finding a way to automate a lot of the care.

With our hot summers, a sprinkler system seems like a perfect solution. Watering your yard can take hours every week, and missing even one day can damage your lawn on sweltering days. It can mean you take twice as long the next day to make up for the day you missed. Sometimes even that isn’t enough to save your plants.

Sprinklers are the obvious solution. Oscillating sprinklers that arc back and forth overhead are quiet but must be moved regularly. These sprinklers do a great job covering a rectangular patch evenly, but that’s all they do. They can’t be tuned for oddly shaped areas and don’t move from … Read Full Post »

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How To Tell if Termites Are Active

. Posted by in • Houston
white termites in soil

While an infestation of something like cockroaches, ants, or spiders might be more apparent, knowing whether your home is housing termites can be more difficult. 

For many people, it takes uncovering damage to wood during construction or seeing a swarm to raise the issue of a termite infestation. These insects are largely silent, hard to discover, and found in every U.S. state except for Alaska, where temperatures are too low for termites to survive. Because of how widespread this pest is and the extreme damage it can cause before being discovered, termites cause more than $50 billion in property damage yearly. 

How To Tell if Termites Are Active

Termites aren’t a problem you can fix on your own. A licensed pest control professional will be able to inspect your structure and determine whether:

  • You have termites.
  • There was a previous termite issue that is no longer a threat.
  • Your home … Read Full Post »
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Crazy Ants: Identification & Control Guide

. Posted by in , • Houston
a crazy ant

Do you know how to tell crazy ants apart from other ant species? Crazy ants, which are found in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia, get their name because of the way they move. Instead of following uniform lines, they run in erratic zig-zag patterns.

Crazy ants are also known for multiplying rapidly since their colonies can have multiple queen ants. They can quickly become a nuisance for homeowners because of their large swarms and reproduction rates.

A third distinction is that crazy ants do not build their own nests. Instead, they camp out in trees, debris and crevices inside homes. Since they will leave their homes at a moment’s notice, controlling them with bait is challenging. For more on crazy ant behavior, appearance, and habitat, keep reading.

There are several things homeowners can do to prevent a crazy ant infestation. However, once they have taken up residence, professional pest control is required. … Read Full Post »

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How To Get Rid of Algae in Your Pool

. Posted by in • Houston
green algae in a pool

Algae can grow in your pool overnight. If you’re lucky, it may only be a green film on the surface. Even that requires several steps to clear properly. If you’re not so lucky, you may be in for a lot more of a challenge to reclaim your hideaway.

Algae are plants. They don’t have much in common with land plants except that they use photosynthesis. Multi-cellular forms of algae are known as seaweed. The algae that invade your pool are single-cell forms. One of the problems with the algae in your pool is they sometimes harbor bacteria.

Algae are everywhere. They can travel by wind, colonizing any water they happen to land in. They can also fall in raindrops. Algae also cling to objects, so swimsuits, pool toys, and even your dog can bring algae from a swimming hole (or a mud puddle) straight to your pool. Algae from the ocean or … Read Full Post »

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Where Do Bees Go in the Winter?

. Posted by in • Houston
a group of honey bees

When the days get shorter and nights get colder in the fall, you’ll see honey bees out, checking the flowers for some pollen. Then one day, they’re gone, and you really don’t notice until one of those warmer winter days, and you spot a few buzzing around trash. They’ll vanish again until the earliest days of spring when they’re suddenly everywhere. So where are the bees when you don’t see them around in winter?

The answer depends on what kind of bees you’re talking about. There are about 4,000 native bee species in the United States and 20,000 species worldwide. We rarely (if ever) see most of them, of course.

Lots of folks have trouble distinguishing between bees and other stinging insects. The simplest way to tell them apart is to remember that bees tend to be hairy, while wasps and hornets do not. That’s because bees collect pollen from flowers. Bees … Read Full Post »

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Are Mosquitoes Attracted to Carbon Dioxide?

. Posted by in , • Houston
a mosquito on denim

Are you a super attractor for mosquitoes? These pesky insects are attracted to many odors and chemicals that humans give off, and some people attract them more than others.

The good news is that there are several steps you can take to make yourself less attractive to mosquitoes, such as wearing light-colored clothing and using an effective insect repellant.

If mosquitoes have become a nuisance on your property, the best way to control them is to identify where they are laying their eggs. Female mosquitos can lay hundreds of eggs at a time, and it doesn’t take long for them to hatch into larvae. Knowing what larvae look like and where they live while they molt is an important step in eliminating a mosquito infestation.

One place that mosquitoes love to lay eggs is inside pet water bowls. Read this guide to learn how to keep them out of your pet’s water. Finally, … Read Full Post »

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Why Does My Pool Pump Have Low Pressure?

. Posted by in • Houston
pool pump

Your pool pump is an important part of your pool’s filtration system. When it is not working properly, your pool can become dirty and unsanitary. The most common pool pump issues are when the pressure is too high or low. 

There are several reasons why your pool pump is experiencing low pressure, and it is usually due to a blockage on the suction side of the pump.

Homeowners often ask what their pool pump pressure should be, and the answer is that it varies depending on your pump model and pool. However, it is easy to determine when the pressure is too high or low and solve the problem with normal pool maintenance. 

Lastly, it’s important to run your pool pump often enough to keep your pool clean. How often to run a pump depends on the type of pump you own. Keep reading for everything you need to know about your pool … Read Full Post »

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