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Well-Maintained Trees Boost Home Values in San Antonio

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Getting the most out of your saplings, shades and shrubs

Trees add to your home’s curb appeal and help you enjoy the great outdoors. Whether they’re fresh saplings, mature specimens or stately shrubs, their branches spread a special peace. The climate in San Antonio is ideal for nurturing native trees, and these canopied beauties can actually improve your property’s value along with its landscaped good looks.

Growing Green Investments

Residential trees aren’t a cash crop, but a recent study by the city estimates that they add as much as 7% to your property’s value. Just one mature live oak commands an appraisal value of $10,000. With careful pruning, trimming and the right touch of mulch, you’re doing more than caring for the trees: you’re making an investment that pays off if you decide to sell the house. You’re also enjoying aesthetic dividends that keep your home beautiful for many years to come.

Planting With … Read Full Post »

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Riding Mowers Cost More Than You Think

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Do-it-yourself lawn care isn’t cheap

Many homeowners in Texas mow their lawns with riding mowers. These machines offer a fast and relatively easy way to cut the grass. However, it’s important to realize how expensive it has become to buy, maintain and operate yard equipment. The costs can really add up.

Initial Purchase

Depending on its size and features, the price of a mower typically ranges from $900 to $2,000. Fast commercial-grade models cost even more. Keep in mind that Texas adds a 6.25% sales tax to the purchase price. This raises the total expense by $55 to $130.

If you don’t have enough cash for a riding mower, be prepared to pay considerably more. For example, perhaps you decide to finance a $1,600 model at 4.25% interest. This would increase the total cost by almost $180. Loan processing and documentation fees may also apply.

Mowing Supplies

After you buy a riding mower, it’s time to … Read Full Post »

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Put Your Air Conditioning System to the Test

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Will your AC pass or fail this summer?

Summertime in San Antonio is always cooler with iced tea, pool time and an air conditioner you can count on. The last thing you want on a sweltering day is a failing HVAC system. You can help your AC make the grade, but a professional checkup should always be part of the strategy.

Do Your Homework

It’s so easy to forget about that AC filter. Meanwhile, it collects dust, pet hair and carpet fibers that cut down on critical air circulation. When you replace it, write the date on the new filter’s frame and be sure to change it every three months. The outside unit needs a little special care too. Turn the system off before you mow the yard, so it won’t suck up clippings while you work. Be sure to give it a monthly spray with the garden hose to clear out dead … Read Full Post »

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Library Menaces: Are Insects Destroying Your Books?

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Bugs that like to feast on books could be making a meal of your San Antonio library.

For those who love to read and collect books, every volume is precious. Whether they’re well-worn modern paperbacks or stunning leather-bound antiques, keeping books in top condition is important when maintaining your personal library. Unfortunately, there are pests that enjoy books just as much as you do—except they enjoy literary treasures for eating, not reading.

Common library pests include cockroaches, silverfish, beetles, booklice and even termites. Each likes to dine on different parts of books. Infestations of any of these can cause a great deal of damage if not identified and dealt with quickly. Pests see books as sources of food and won’t hesitate to nibble on or burrow through the volumes that you’ve worked so hard to collect.

Cockroaches like to munch on cloth bindings and the edges of pages, leaving behind light patches and … Read Full Post »

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The Worst Pest in San Antonio: Crazy Ants, Scorpions or Bedbugs?

. Posted by in , • San Antonio

Nobody roots for these contenders

The Hill Country landscape makes living in San Antonio a joy, and its beautiful vistas are filled with unique ecosystems. The critters and insects that inhabit these areas are good at figuring out that your home is a safer haven than their natural habitat. Of all the little invaders that sneak into the house, there are three that cause the most concern. It’s hard to pick the worst, but these are the top contenders.

Their Name Is Insane

They run like tiny race horses with spindly legs and long antennae, but nothing about crazy ants makes them worth cheering across the finish line. These pests are displacing fire ants throughout the area with sheer numbers. Each colony harbors millions of ants, and their voracious foraging includes anything that carries electricity. These frenzied insects ruin residential wiring, overrun computer equipment and short-circuit communication systems. Crazy ants prey on beneficial … Read Full Post »

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As the Weather Warms, the Bugs Return

. Posted by in , • San Antonio

Spring into…pest control?

Spring is a wonderful time in the San Antonio area. As the threat of frost and ice diminishes, locals emerge from their slumber and actually use their lawns, gardens and porches as they’re intended. Unfortunately, humans and pets aren’t the only creatures that look forward to spring. Much to the chagrin of local homeowners, a range of pesky bugs and other pests thrive in warmer weather.

Fire and Carpenter Ants

Our part of the world is home to several species of ants. These critters form massive colonies in the ground near our homes and in our gardens, and they’re not deterred by colder weather. That said, they tend to become dormant during cold snaps. Once the weather warms for good, you’ll see these critters building mounds near your home. Over time, they could cause structural problems for your home or outbuildings and pose stinging threats to pets and children.

Paper Wasps

Most … Read Full Post »

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Has Your Landscape Hit a Wall?

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Retaining Your Soil’s Sanity

If anyone needs proof that the earth isn’t flat, it only takes a drive around San Antonio to confirm the obvious. The Hill Country is beautiful, but its rolling terrain slips landscaping challenges into your best-laid plans for a stable yard. An attractive retaining wall can shore up your shifting scenery and restore some sanity to the area’s expansive soil.

Walls That Work Hard

Retaining walls might look like ornamental additions to a landscape, but the Riverwalk wouldn’t exist without these humble feats of engineering. While they appear to define the water’s flow, they actually support the massive soil foundations of the buildings that line the river’s banks. Even a small wall performs the same vital function: It acts as a barrier that shores up soil along changes in the landscape’s elevation. The wall’s strength rests on a base built below ground level and a compacted backfill that supports … Read Full Post »

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Cool Pest Science: Using Beetle Pheromones for Pest Control?

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Over the years, modern science has come up with a stunning range of solutions to everyday pest problems. Many of these are conventional and even boring, but others capture the imagination of the public. We’re betting that you’re not familiar with an offbeat yet effective means of controlling structural pests and other unwanted insect visitors: beetle pheromones.

What Are Pheromones, Anyway?

Pheromones are biological compounds that animals excrete to attract mates, communicate or perform other important tasks. Human pheromones exist mainly to strengthen ties between mates and family members, but other animals use these chemicals for different purposes. Although some pheromones are associated with strong odors, many of these compounds are odorless and can’t be detected by the human sensory system.

Origins and Application

According to groundbreaking research, the female Asian longhorned beetle—an invasive species that has devastated structures and foliage across wide swathes of the United States—secretes a powerful sex pheromone that attracts … Read Full Post »

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Can Your Lawn Reveal Your Deepest Secrets?

. Posted by in , , • San Antonio

You probably won’t find lawn conditions mentioned in many pop psychology books, but if you look carefully, there may be a correlation between a person’s lawn and their personalities and priorities. At first glance, it might not seem important, but if you’re looking for a mate or trying to impress your neighbors, your personal environment and what it reveals about you could be a make-or-break factor. Here are a few personality types that could potentially be linked to lawn condition (and of course, we take these results with a grain of salt!).

The Control Freak

The Control Freak’s lawn is never more than a fraction of an inch too long or short. It’s the perfect shade of green, and any blemishes are quickly isolated and treated intensively until they’re back in formation. The Control Freak regularly inspects every plant in the yard and references the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab when necessary.

The … Read Full Post »

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A Snappy History of the Mousetrap

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Throughout history, humans have looked for ways to manage mice and rats. The small, furry creatures can cause a host of problems by invading food stores, chewing building materials and spreading disease. One classic mouse management tool is the spring-loaded mousetrap. A subject of both controversy and humor, the mousetrap consists of a flat wooden base and a wire spring mechanism triggered by a rodent’s weight.

A Brief and Snappy History

British inventor James Henry Atkinson created the “Little Nipper,” the prototype on which the modern spring-loaded mousetrap is based. Atkinson sold his patent to Proctor in 1913, and the company has been manufacturing the traps ever since. Not to be outdone by the Brits, American inventor John Mast received a patent for a similar snap-trap in 1903. His became the best-selling mousetrap of all time. Mast claimed that his design was safer; human users wouldn’t risk losing their fingers while loading … Read Full Post »

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