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End the Hard Water Nightmare with a Water Softener

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Have you spent half the day washing dishes by hand after they went through your dishwasher? If you’re struggling with hard water, you’re not alone. Most people don’t realize how much water quality can affect routine activities. Many products are available to manage the symptoms, but installing a water softener will take care of multiple problems at once.

Hard Water: The Symptoms

If you have hard water, you may experience one or many of the following symptoms in your home.

• Soap, shampoo and other cleansing products don’t lather well
• Reduced water flow through pipes
• Scale buildup in coffee makers, teapots and other items that have frequent water contact
• Residue in pet water bowls
• Spots and streaks on dishes
• Greasy, grimy residue in tubs and sinks
• Dingy-looking laundry
• Rough-feeling, stiff fabrics
• Lifeless, dull hair
• Dry, itchy or irritated skin

What Causes Hard Water?

According to Texas A&M University, these water problems are related to the … Read Full Post »

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Pests That Invade and Annoy All Year Round

. Posted by in • Bryan-College Station

It’s hard enough to deal with a temporary pest infestation, but many Central Texas homeowners have to face pests that invade and annoy all year long. Unfortunately, the mild climate and rich biodiversity of this region creates a welcoming environment for many household and yard pests that don’t need to hibernate or die off during cool or dry periods. Fortunately, dealing with year-round pests isn’t much different from dealing with seasonal pests. We’ve identified some of the most common year-round pests below.

Plus-Size Rodents: Brown Rats

There are several different types of “objectionable” rodents. Among the most common—and most off-putting—is the brown rat. With characteristic brown fur and beady eyes, the brown rat can grow to more than a foot in length. In the relatively warm climate of Central Texas, these creatures don’t hibernate or go dormant. Early signs of an infestation may include scratching or squealing within your walls, basement crevices … Read Full Post »

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Is There a Way to Prevent Clogged Drains?

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Do your drains become clogged so often that you’re on a first-name basis with folks at the Plumbing Contractor’s Association? Life doesn’t have to be so hard. You might just need to tweak your water-related habits. Here are some great tips to help you keep clogged drains from slowing you down.

Simple Ways to Keep Clogs at Bay

1. Run hot water down your drains regularly. It helps to loosen clogs and melt grease, soap and other debris. If you make it a habit to run hot very water for several minutes each time you wash dishes, you may experience fewer clogs in your kitchen sink.

2. Avoid putting grease in your drain. It coats the sides of your pipes and causes other debris to get stuck. Drain and store grease in a metal can or other container instead.

3. Don’t put sticky, gummy or fibrous food waste in sink or garbage disposal. Foods … Read Full Post »

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Will Texas Oak Wilt Spread to Other Trees in My Yard?

. Posted by in • San Antonio

From high blood pressure and Type II diabetes to emphysema and elevated cholesterol, humans have to deal with many diseases that doctors call “silent killers.” You might be surprised to learn that common tree species face similar threats. While your white or red oaks won’t come down with diabetes anytime soon, they may face a “silent killer” of their own: Texas oak wilt. Learn more about how to prevent the spread of this tree-killing disease.

What Is Texas Oak Wilt?

Texas oak wilt is a fungal infection that resides in the vascular systems of healthy trees. Over time, it kills most if not all of the trees that it infects. However, its precise progression depends on the species of the infected tree and certain environmental conditions.

Recognizing the Signs

The fungus that causes Texas oak wilt can spend months in a dormant or semi-dormant state within the vascular systems of affected oaks. In red … Read Full Post »

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What Do Nocturnal Insects Do During the Day?

. Posted by in • Austin

What You Need to Know About Nocturnal Pest Control in Austin

Unless you’re a night owl, you might not spot many of the insects that infest your home and damage your garden. That’s because some of Central Texas’s worst insect pests are nocturnal critters that emerge from daytime hiding spaces to feed and cause havoc. Learn more about some nocturnal pests and their day-walking counterparts.

Common Nocturnal Pests and Their Daytime Activities

Several species of cockroach bedevil Central Texas homeowners. At night, they forage through indoor living areas and eat just about any organic matter that they can find. Their favorite foods include starchy foods, meat and sugary substances as well as “inedible” items like leather, wallpaper paste and certain types of glue. During the day, they may hide in natural habitats like garden beds and wood piles or artificial spaces like cracks and crevices within basement foundations. In general, their daytime hiding … Read Full Post »

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After Avoiding the Spotlight for Years, Bed Bugs Are Making a Big Comeback

. Posted by in , • San Antonio

Returning Stars of the Pest Parade

They top the list of unwanted guests with the Texas hospitality industry, and San Antonio homeowners cringe at the idea of sharing space with these tiny trespassers. After a 40-year absence, bed bugs crawled back on the pest scene in the late 1990s, but it’s safe to say they never really retired.

Ancient Players

As far back as 400 BC, Cimex lectularius snuggled down with ancient sleepers and feasted on kings and commoners alike. Over the centuries, the insect’s reputation rose and fell with prevailing attitudes. Some civilizations considered its blood sucking abilities a cure for everything from ear infections to hysteria. These mistaken assumptions eventually fell to the wayside, but early pest control methods, such as dusting with black pepper and filling a home with smoke, involved a good share of nonsense as well.

Old-Fashioned Strategies

By the 1940s, the introduction of heavy-duty pesticides put a dent in … Read Full Post »

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ABC’s Filter Fetch Service

. Posted by in • Atlanta

How long has it been since you changed your HVAC filter? Like many people, you may often forget to swap it out in a timely manner. If you’d like to make your heating and cooling equipment last as long as possible and maintain its efficiency, you need to change your air filters early and often. Due to the hectic nature of everyday life, though, this may be easier said than done. Why risk forgetting all about your HVAC filter when you can sign up for ABC’s Filter Fetch Service?

Avoid the Hassles of Buying Replacement Air Filters

By the time you finally realize you need to replace the air filter in your heating and cooling system, you may be at a loss about how to proceed. You have to figure out which size you need, and then you have to go to a local big box retailer to find it. Even if … Read Full Post »

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Your Home as Rodent Cuisine

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Your San Antonio home is a safe, welcoming retreat filled with all the creature comforts from soft beds to full pantries. More than 30 native species of mice and rats agree. These furry pests are on the lookout for a warm spot and an easy meal. You don’t intentionally set the table for them, but these rodents relish moving into your home.

An Attractive Appetizer

Mice are always looking for shelter where they can settle in and raise a family. Urbanization has moved field rats into town and forced their city cousins into tighter quarters. This pest housing crisis makes your home an enticing hors d’oeuvre filled with tiny holes and cracks in the foundation, walls and floors. Pet bowls on the porch and bird seed in the backyard become trails of crumbs that invite four-legged invaders into your house. Once they move in, it’s too late to put up the sneeze … Read Full Post »

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Battling Bed Bugs: A Pest Built to Reproduce

. Posted by in , • Austin

Until recent years, many homeowners and travelers believed that bed bugs were no longer a threat. Thanks to the use of DDT in the ’40s and ’50s, few bed bugs remained in the U.S. until recent years. Unfortunately, this troublesome pest has made a comeback. With the resurgence of bed bug infestations across the nation, many homeowners wonder what makes these pests so hard to eliminate.

What Makes Bed Bugs So Resilient?

Any homeowner who has dealt with a bed bug infestation knows that it can feel as if it’s impossible to get rid of these pests. If you’re facing bed bug problems, it’s important to understand this pest’s lifecycle. Though the bed bug lives a short life, it’s able to reproduce rapidly. This means that infestations can grow out of hand quickly, leaving so many bed bugs behind that it’s very hard to kill them all.

The bed bug’s life is comprised … Read Full Post »

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Controlling Texas Ants

. Posted by in • San Antonio

“The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah,” is a refrain everyone is familiar with, but does anyone actually cheer when the ants are marching? You certainly won’t be singing if they’re marching across your kitchen counter searching for missed crumbs to feast on. In San Antonio, this is an especially big problem because we play host to several different species of ants, including red imported fire ants, carpenter ants, acrobat ants, pharaoh ants, crazy ants, odorous house ants, rover ants, and leaf cutting ants. To make things even worse, each type of ant has different behaviors and characteristics, often requiring different pest control treatment methods.

So, what is the average person supposed to do when those first brave ants start scouting out your home?

First, it’s a good idea to know what type of ant you’re dealing with. Check out this Texas A&M article about how to identify your new … Read Full Post »

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