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Insecticidal Cinema: Top 5 Bug Horror Movies

. Posted by in • Austin

There’s no denying that movies about big, scary, disgusting, deadly insects are simply irresistible. The movie industry would have a much duller history without them. No one’s really sure why we love our bug monsters so much. Perhaps when our fear of the very real insects we encounter is amplified, we just can’t look away. Here’s our list of the top five insect movies. If they’re not on an old VHS tape in your attic, you can probably find most of them available for streaming. Grab your popcorn, but make sure it’s not moving before you turn out the lights.

1. The Fly

In the original 1958 film starring David Hedison and Patricia Owens, a scientist tries to transport his body’s molecules through a device he invented, but a house fly gets trapped in the transport chamber. The poor guy ends up with the head and arm of the fly. The fly, … Read Full Post »

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New Study Gives Insight on How Bed Bugs Spread

. Posted by in , • San Antonio

Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that tend to congregate near their preferred hosts. And yes, you guessed it, we are their preferred hosts. This makes beds and other warm areas appealing to these pests as daytime hideouts. They usually come out to feed at night, resulting in a rather itchy situation. Understanding how bed bugs find a home in your home and how to get rid of them will help you combat infestations before they get out of hand.

How Do Bed Bugs Spread?

Bed bugs can find their way into your home by hitching a ride on clothing, luggage, secondhand furniture and even guests. Anyone who visits an infested area can bring the bugs back with them, risking new invasions elsewhere. This is a growing problem in the San Antonio area, but a recently completed study offers insight into how these bugs multiply once they’ve found themselves a home, and … Read Full Post »

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Pest Picnic: The Foods You’re Accidentally Feeding Rodents

. Posted by in • Austin

Hidden ways you feed and attract rodents

Even though you go to great lengths to keep rodents away from your home, you could be inadvertently welcoming them by not being careful enough with leftover food. Here are some common foods that rodents eat and ways to keep these pests away.

Foods That Bring Rats into Your Yard

Open garbage cans are a rodent’s favorite place to snack. These places are filled with all kinds of foods, especially old meat and scraps of cooked goodies. As these items begin to rot, they become extremely appealing to gluttonous rodents. To avoid these problems, it’s important to seal all garbage in a closed plastic container.

Fruits and berries that fall to the ground from trees in the yard will attract mice and rats as well. To stop attracting these vermin, it’s important to rake up and collect any fruit that has fallen. The only way to totally … Read Full Post »

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15 Native Plants Every Texan Needs (Part 1)

. Posted by in • Bryan-College Station

Landscaping will be more enjoyable and require less maintenance if you use plants native to your own regional climate. Native plants are easy to care for and resist pests and diseases. Because they’ve naturally adapted to their environment over thousands of years, they won’t need as much fertilizer and water as non-native plants.

If you aren’t familiar with the plants native to Texas, here are a few examples of Texas trees and shrubs ideally suited to the Bryan and College Station climate.

Native Texas Trees

Trees are the largest and most long-lived parts of your landscape. You don’t want to put time and effort into planting a fabulous tree only to watch it wither and die two or three years later. Choosing native varieties will give you plants that will thrive in the Texas heat and require far less water than their northern cousins.

• Live Oak—The live oak is a drought-tolerant shade tree … Read Full Post »

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Can Termites Spread Through Clothes?

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Can termites spread through clothes

Termites are a big threat to your home. How do these dangerous pests find their way onto your property? Can termites spread through clothes? Learn more about termites, their preferred habitats and their behavior so you’ll be better equipped to protect your home against the menace of these wood-munching insects.

Can Termites Travel in Clothes?

The biggest questions homeowners usually have about termites is how they spread. Since termites look similar to ants to the untrained eye, many of us assume termites travel in the same way ants do. That might mean they could crawl into your suitcase while you are packing or hitch a ride in your gym bag when you set it in your garage before you leave.

The truth of the matter is that most of the serious damage done to a home by termites is linked to the subterranean species. These termites prefer to stay close to the soil, as … Read Full Post »

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Will Sheep-Sized Rats Take Over the Earth?

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth

Any list of rodent facts makes it abundantly clear that rats can go with the flow. In fact, they’re so adaptable that when nature shifts course and larger mammals become extinct, the little critters might just grow into giant sheep-sized rats to take up the space. If you think they’re icky now, just wait until their tails are two feet long.

It’s Happened Before

It’s inevitable that some of our larger animals will die out. When they do, scientists believe that rodents will evolve to fill the ecological niche. They’ll grow larger and develop whatever features enable them to survive, thrive and produce offspring.

It isn’t just a theory; it’s happened before. In the Cretaceous Period, dinosaurs occupied a large portion of space on the planet. During their reign, mammals were much smaller; many were the size of our modern mice and rats. Once the big guys were out of the picture, though, … Read Full Post »

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Five Everyday Activities That Could Be Destroying Your Plumbing

. Posted by in • Austin

Every day, you might be making some simple mistakes that could be destroying your plumbing. As much as you might like to become best friends with the plumbers in Austin, we’d like to offer some helpful tips to avoid major plumbing disasters.

Some plumbing issues are just annoying, while others can actually pose a hazard to your family’s health. Minor issues quickly escalate into expensive ordeals if not dealt with properly. Follow these tips to avoid learning the hard way.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Hair clogs are a common cause of blocked drains in showers, bathtubs and sinks. Avoid brushing your hair right over the sink, and always put the hair from your comb or brush directly in a trashcan. When washing your hair, be mindful of the hair that you lose, and gather it after each shower or bath. Keep a small trashcan nearby so that you can quickly dispose of the … Read Full Post »

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Things That Ruin a Garbage Disposal

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Before you toss that banana peel down the drain, find out which things can bring your garbage disposal to a grinding halt

The garbage disposal is responsible for more residential plumbing calls than any other single device. By knowing which foods are fine for the disposal and which aren’t, you can avoid the expensive fees of the handyman.

The Power of Cleaning

You can give your garbage disposal a lot of help simply by running cold water. This will help flush food through the drainage lines and prevent a clog from forming. Adding ice and salt to your disposal every so often can keep it clean and sparkling.

Things That Ruin a Garbage Disposal

By keeping the following things out of the drain, you can avoid expensive appliance repair:

  • Bones

The remnants of chicken tenders may be fine for the disposal, but you should avoid putting bones of any kind down the drain. Even very small bones … Read Full Post »

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Need Some Extra Cash? Take a Look at Your Tank

. Posted by in • Austin

Don’t let your hot water heater drain you out of house and home

How much hot water do you use each day? You’re probably not running your tap nonstop, so what is your water heater doing the rest of the time?

If it’s the normal, tank-type variety, it’s probably pretty busy. Nobody puts in a requisition for hot water. With no idea of when you’re going to want it, your heater must stand at the ready, keeping the water continually toasty in case you make a request.

It does this by making steady demands on your energy supply. If it didn’t keep working around the clock, the water in the tank would not remain hot for long.

What if you never had to waste energy keeping your water hot? What if you could heat it on demand at the moment you need it?

With a tankless water heater, that’s exactly what you can do.

The Workings … Read Full Post »

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Avoid Large Irrigation Bills This Summer with These 5 Easy Tips

. Posted by in , , • Bryan-College Station

Stop pouring water and money down the drain

Thanks to the arid Texas weather, it’s often necessary to install an irrigation system that keeps your landscape looking good. However, this system may cost a fortune to operate. Here are five easy tips to help you keep irrigation expenses down this summer.

1. Run the Sprinkler in the Morning

Early in the day, the temperature is cool and wind is usually at a minimum, which means that less water will be lost from evaporation. Watering your plants at night can cause diseases to form on leaves and roots. Most often this is a problem in a humid climate like Texas.

2. Check for Leaks

If water appears to be running onto your sidewalks after your sprinkler has been turned off, there may be a leaky valve in your system. This can cause a great increase in irrigation bills because water is constantly running. Many times this … Read Full Post »

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