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4 of the Scariest Home Pests

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Halloween is right around the corner, but the ghosts, zombies, and vampires aren’t the only things stirring up scares this month! There’s nothing more spooky than coming face to face with an unexpected home pest in the middle of the night.

At ABC Home & Commercial Services, we’ve faced off against all of the most daunting infestations. Here are four of the scariest home pests and some tips for spotting them early.

1. Black Widow Spiders

If you notice some cobwebs that aren’t part of your Halloween decorations, look carefully at the type of spider inside. Most spiders are harmless, and they can actually be handy for eliminating other unwanted pests. But black widow spiders have a venomous bite that can be deadly. These spiders are shy, so their bites are pretty rare. However, it is still important to know how to identify them to protect yourself, your family, and your pets.

Tell-tale signs … Read Full Post »

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Electrical Safety Tips To Protect Your Family At Home

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Electrical Safety Tips

You’ve dealt with electricity in your home before. We all have. Say the power goes out and you need to flip the breakers. A much more common experience is the countless times you’ve had to change a light bulb. No big deal.

So, when you decided to put ceiling fans around your house, you opted to do it yourself. After all, you’re a smart person. How hard could it be?

Most homeowners soon discover that dealing with electrical tasks around the house isn’t as straightforward as we’d imagine. Using the example of installing ceiling fans, perhaps you flipped off the breakers in the places where you were putting the fans. You got the right tools. You hung the fans up, one by one. Boom. Done. Except that when you flipped the power back on, two of them didn’t work. Sigh.

So, you went back and forth, turning off the power, working on the fans, then turning the … Read Full Post »

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How Long Do Rats Live?

. Posted by in • Orlando
How long do rats live

How long do rats live? It’s a common question and an important one if you have rats living and breeding in or near your home. Rats are known to be unsanitary and carry diseases (bubonic plague, anyone?), and they can cause extensive property damage if they’re allowed to build nests and breed in places they shouldn’t. Rats in the wild are prey to snakes, coyotes, owls, and other animals, so they often live for less than a year, but rats living in more protected indoor areas can live for two to three years. If their breeding is unchecked, they can produce thousands of babies throughout their lifetimes.

Homeowners across the southern states have reported a recent uptick in rat activity in many residential neighborhoods, which makes it all the more important to understand rats and their habits so that you can protect your home from these dangerous pests. Read on for … Read Full Post »

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Why Am I Running Out of Hot Water Faster Than Before?

. Posted by in • Austin
a thumbnail from the video featured in this blog

Running out of hot water faster than normal is extremely frustrating. Typically, this issue happens more often with tank style heaters, but it can still happen with tankless heaters. According to Michael Marugo, Plumbing Operations Manager at ABC Home & Commercial Services, homeowners start to run out of hot water faster than normal when there is sediment in the bottom of your water tank.

Unfiltered water can have sediment in it which, overtime, can settle into the bottom of your tank water heater. You can remove this sediment by having your water heater flushed annually. If you water heater isn’t flushed, this debris and limescale can build up on the bottom of your tank. If you have inches and inches of this sediment, it takes away from water that could be heated by your water heater. You may be running out of hot water faster before because there’s less space for … Read Full Post »

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When To Apply Fungicide On Lawns: Experts Weigh In

. Posted by in • Corpus Christi
When To Apply Fungicide On Lawns

Homeowners lead busy lives, with a seemingly endless list of things that need to be done at any given time. Faced with the reality of juggling work, home and recreation, it’s easy for your lawn to become an afterthought.

As much as we wish this wasn’t the case, healthy and well-manicured lawns don’t take care of themselves. First, you need to make sure your grass is getting the amount of water and sunshine it needs—and not too much. Then, you need to make sure you are mowing your grass to the proper height. Although most homeowners stop here, to keep your lawn happy and looking great you’ll also want to have an understanding of your soil chemistry to determine what nutrients might be lacking.

What are some of the risks you run if you don’t care for your grass? Lawn diseases, weeds and a dead, yellow lawn, just to name a few.

Lawn … Read Full Post »

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Fall Fun Events in DFW

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth

The summer heat is starting to slowly ease, and soon the leaves will be changing colors. The scent of pumpkin spice fills the air in coffee shops. It’s fall in DFW!

We love to celebrate each season, and we want to help our customers do the same. This year, we have compiled a list of fall fun events in DFW to help you spot the perfect pumpkin or get into the spooky spirit just in time for Halloween. Here’s a fall fun round up for all of our Dallas/Fort Worth customers from your friends at ABC Home & Commercial Services.

Autumn at the Arboretum

September 22 – November 21

One of the most popular and beautiful fall attractions in the Dallas area is Autumn at the Arboretum. Wander through displays of more than 90,000 pumpkins and enjoy the fall foliage in 15 different gardens. This year’s fall theme is “Adventures in Neverland” and features … Read Full Post »

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When To Stop Feeding Hummingbirds For The Year

. Posted by in , • Houston
When to stop feeding hummingbirds

If you are like many homeowners, you love hummingbirds. Watching them flitter and flutter around your yard is captivating. Seeing them hover in place as they enjoy the nectar you’ve left out for them is even better. Their speed and size and almost unnatural presence are awe-inspiring.

So, when your neighbor told you that you were stopping them from migrating by leaving out your feeders in the fall, your first instinct was to rush out and take them down. After all, you don’t want to do anything that could possibly harm these beautiful creatures.

Luckily, you decided to do some research first. Smart move on your part.

Why?

Because what your neighbor told you is a myth, and it’s one that lawn technicians hear all the time.

Leaving feeders out does not stop migration. Quite the opposite, in fact. If you leave a hummingbird feeder out while these birds are migrating, you’re actually providing these … Read Full Post »

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Does Cold Weather Kill Fleas? Your Questions Answered

. Posted by in , • San Antonio
Does-cold-weather-kill-fleas

You couldn’t help yourself. You saw the cutest dog and decided she needed to become part of your household.

Six months later it happened. You woke up scratching.

Oh no.

Immediately you checked out your pup. And it was just as you feared: fleas.

The next day you got flea shampoo, thinking that would be that.

But a few days later, you woke up scratching again.

The shampoo wasn’t enough. Maybe you hadn’t killed them all the first time. Or maybe your furry family member was re-infesting the house with fleas from outside.

When the weather began getting colder, you thought perhaps you’d just wait them out. After all, wasn’t the cold supposed to kill fleas?

Not exactly.

Homeowners tend to underestimate fleas because we’ve been taught that they’re no big deal. Most of us assume that we can just head to the store and buy something and it will solve our problems like snapping our fingers.

Sometimes, though, it doesn’t, … Read Full Post »

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How To Stop Birds From Building Nests In Gutters

. Posted by in , • Austin
How To Stop Birds From Building Nests In Gutters

Most people understand the purpose of installing gutters around the roofline of their homes and garages: to divert rainwater from the roof and house to someplace safe, well away from any structures that could potentially sustain water damage. Pretty simple, right? Yet this standard home-maintenance task is one that many homeowners push to the back burner in favor of dealing with seemingly more pressing problems.

Part of the issue is the old saying about “out of sight, out of mind”. This is especially true with gutters, since they are located well above our line of sight. Most people can’t see the debris collecting in their gutters without going to some trouble to do so. Clogged gutters can lead to big problems down the road, however, including water damage, flooding issues, unwelcome visitors like birds and mosquitoes nesting or breeding in gutters, and more.

Following is the lowdown on how to … Read Full Post »

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Best Christmas Lights Houston, 2018 Edition

. Posted by in • Houston

Every year, it seems as if Back to School kicks off a long, fast slide through autumn and the holiday season, and before we know it, we are into the new year. The calendar starts filling up in early fall, and the excitement of the holiday season builds.  Whether you’ll be spending the holidays with beloved family and friends or on your own, there’s something for every Houstonian to make the season merry and bright. Cue the holiday music and prepare for all the twinkling, sparkling holiday lights displays. Whether you’re into full-scale, over-the-top events or, more minor, DIY neighborhood displays, we’ve got you covered. Use our guide to plan your Christmas lights Houston 2018 holiday tour now, so you’ll be sure to experience maximum holiday cheer this season!

Houston Christmas Lights Tours

When it comes to Houston Christmas lights tours, you have several options. Taking a guided tour is a fun … Read Full Post »

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