Bed Bugs In My Couch: What Should I Do?

bed bugs in a couch in a brown living room

If you’ve had an experience that led you to suspect the presence of bed bugs in your couch, you might wonder if that’s even possible. The name “bed bugs,” after all, suggests these pests are found in people’s sleeping areas, not their living room furniture. But anyone who’s ever dozed off on the couch while watching their favorite TV show and then later found lines of itchy red bumps on their skin knows that isn’t true.

Bed bugs definitely don’t restrict themselves to beds, although they are most often found in places where people sleep. That’s because they are safest when they feed on the blood of their victims while they are still, often when a person is fast asleep. Bed bugs have been known to infest many types of furniture and spaces where people spend lots of time, including couches, sectionals and easy chairs. So, if you suspect there are … Read Full Post »

Do Mosquito Foggers Work? How To Get Relief

A backyard with lots of greenery that might make a homeowner wonder: do mosquito foggers work

Whether we’re attending neighborhood barbecues, hosting parties outside, playing with our kids in the backyard or all of the above, we tend to spend more time outdoors as the weather starts to warm up. Unfortunately, warmer weather doesn’t just mean we get to spend more time with family and friends in our yards—it also means that mosquitoes are back. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of multiple mosquito bites knows that it’s an unpleasant experience. And, if you’ve recently felt attacked by these biting insects while spending time in your own yard, you’re probably looking for a solution. Fortunately, there are a lot of options for mosquito control out there, but some of these methods are more effective than others. You have likely heard of a variety of different products that claim to kill these pests, such as bug zappers, citronella candles and mosquito foggers. But, how effective … Read Full Post »

Can Bed Bugs Live In Carpet? Your Questions Answered

March 4, 2020. Posted by Holt Myers in Bed Bug Control, Pest Control • Austin

If you’re currently dealing with a bed bug infestation, or wonder if what you have seen in your home are bed bugs, you probably are wondering where these pests can be hiding. Since we typically can’t feel a bed bug bite, it can be difficult to know when we are getting bitten, even if we understandably assume it’s in our beds. To make matters even more complicated, some people don’t have an allergic reaction to a bed bug bite until as long as two weeks after it happens. With that in mind, how can you find these tiny pests? Can bed bugs hide in your carpet? Where else do they tend to spend time?

Yes, bed bugs can live in carpet, as well as in and around just about every upholstered surface in your home. A bed bug’s narrow body lets it hide easily in the smallest cracks and crevices, including … Read Full Post »

Do Mosquitoes Nest? Controlling These Pests

February 28, 2020. Posted by Holt Myers in Mosquito Control, Pest Control • San Antonio

A backyard with lots of greenery that could contain a mosquito nest

Some people aren’t bothered by mosquitoes, but most of us can’t stand them. Their itchy bites, that annoying whine in the ear, even the tiny tickle on the skin when they’re hovering around—for many of us, mosquitoes are seriously annoying! Summertime is prime mosquito season, but if you live in a warmer, wetter part of the country, you might have to deal with them for the better part of the year. And if you have a mosquito problem at your home, you might find yourself wondering whether or not mosquitoes make and live in nests.

This is a great question, and the answer involves an issue of semantics. Mosquitoes do not technically nest or build nests for living and breeding the way that ants, termites, bees, wasps and other insects do. Since mosquitoes aren’t social the way these other insects are, they have no need for a nest. While mosquitoes don’t … Read Full Post »

Do Cockroaches Bite? Your Questions Answered

February 27, 2020. Posted by Russell Jenkins in Pest Control • Dallas-Fort Worth

If you find a cockroach—or even multiple cockroaches—in your home, it’s only natural to be concerned about the impact these pests can have on you and your family members. Since these creatures often seem to come out of nowhere and take you by surprise, you may have even wondered whether cockroaches bite or if they pose any other dangers.

While roaches are capable of biting us and our pets, this happens very rarely. With slightly cupped jaws that move sideways to chew food, a cockroach can technically gnaw on skin, although researchers argue that this only happens when a person is immobile and there are food particles stuck on hair and skin. These creatures would much rather feast on the food in your pantry, the leftovers on your counter or the scraps in your trash. Roaches are scavengers and omnivores and will consume practically any type of organic matter. As such, … Read Full Post »

Pool Pump Won’t Prime: What Is Going On?

February 21, 2020. Posted by Vanessa Jenkins Green in Swimming Pool Service & Repair • Houston

A blue pool with a pump that isn't priming

Pool pumps are supposed to make it easier for you to keep your pool beautiful, clean and ready to enjoy with family and friends. However, when a pool pump won’t prime correctly, it can spell disaster at the worst possible time.

Priming is the process of creating a vacuum effect so the pump can pull water out of the pool, pass it through the filter and push the filtered water back into the pool. When this process fails, pool water can quickly become dirty, cloudy and overrun with algae and bacteria.

Some common issues that can prevent a pool pump from priming correctly include:

Air in the pool pump
A dirty pool pump impeller
Low water pressure
Pool pump leaks

When your pool pump won’t prime, the best way to save time and money is to call a swimming pool repair expert. A professional can identify and fix most of these problems quickly and help prevent future … Read Full Post »

Brown Recluse Vs Wolf Spider: Which One Is On My Property?

February 19, 2020. Posted by Holt Myers in Pest Control • Austin

You may be anxious after finding a brown spider in or around your home. After all, you know that brown recluses are native to the area and a bite from one of these spiders can be dangerous. That said, you’ve also heard about wolf spiders. Wondering which type you have spotted? There are a few major differences between a brown recluse and a wolf spider that can help you properly identify which is which, including:

The size. A wolf spider is shockingly large, growing up to an inch and a quarter in length. Meanwhile, the brown recluse is rarely larger than three-quarters of an inch.
The appearance. As its name suggests, the wolf spider is hairy, with a fuzzy or furry appearance. In contrast, the brown recluse spider has smooth body parts.
Markings. The wolf spider has a pattern on its back with multiple colors, most commonly stripes, whereas the brown recluse is … Read Full Post »

What Eats Termites? Controlling An Infestation

February 17, 2020. Posted by Vanessa Jenkins Green in Pest Control, Termite Control • Orlando

Many homeowners, especially those who spot signs of termite activity in their homes or elsewhere around their property, may wonder if there are any animals that eat termites. Do these pests have natural predators that can help keep termite populations low and protect homes from damage? Termites cause billions of dollars worth of damage to American homes and other structures each and every year, and once they have infested a home, they are notoriously difficult to get rid of.

Worse, termite colonies are typically hidden to the untrained eye, which means these insects can go about their destructive business for quite a long time before they’re detected. The varieties responsible for the vast majority of serious damage to our homes, subterranean termites, largely live out their lives in the dark, and their queens can lay many eggs in a single day. This means that termites’ natural reproductive and feeding habits can … Read Full Post »

Termite Frass And Other Signs Of An Infestation

February 13, 2020. Posted by Holt Myers in Pest Control, Termite Control • Corpus Christi

Termites are stealthy, destructive pests that cost homeowners in the U.S. billions of dollars in damage each year. Part of the reason these pests are capable of causing such extensive damage is that they tunnel underground and out of sight. However, there are a few signs that a homeowner can look out for that indicate the presence of termites, including termite frass, which is the technical term for this insect’s waste products.

Other common signs to look out for that can indicate that you have termites on your property include:

Flying swarmers
Piles of wings
Mud tubes
Cracking wood or wood surfaces that sounds hollow when you knock against them

Subterranean termites mix their feces with saliva and chewed wood to make their tunnels, called mud tubes. These passageways are most commonly found around the foundation of your home or along walls. About as thick as a pencil, mud tubes are typically brown, or are similar … Read Full Post »

Why Does My Air Conditioner Keep Running When Turned Off?

February 10, 2020. Posted by Tom Riggs in Air Conditioning & Heating • San Antonio

a vent with air blowing out of it even when air conditioner is off

You are pleasantly surprised that after a heatwave, the weather outside is nearly perfect. So, you turn off your air conditioner and head outside to take advantage of a beautiful afternoon. However, after coming back in a few hours later, you realize that your air conditioner is still running, even though you turned it off. While this is arguably a better situation than having an air conditioner that won’t turn on, it’s still wasting energy and money. So, what can you do to turn off your air conditioner? Or is this a problem that requires the help of a professional?

Electrical issues are the most common cause of an AC unit that won’t stop running and these types of problems typically need to be addressed by a licensed heating and cooling specialist. However, before contacting a professional, you can check your fan to make sure this isn’t the problem.

Sometimes, when cleaning … Read Full Post »