ABC Blog

Please choose a city to view local blog posts:

Choose a City

Identify Home Moisture Issues to Prevent Pest Problems

. Posted by in , • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler
Identify Home Moisture Issues to Prevent Pest Problems

Rainy springtime weather can have a big influence on the number and kind of pests that can enter a building. Warm and wet weather can cause pests to leave their outdoor shelters and head into manmade ones.

Many pests spend the majority of the winter months under rocks, logs, mulch and soil. By staying below the frost line, they are able to survive extremely cold temperatures. But when the warmer weather and April showers saturate the ground, most of these pests are forced out. That’s why ants and other pests often enter buildings following a heavy rain.

In addition to rainfall driving pests out of their natural homes, water also encourages termites, carpenter ants and other wood-boring insects, encourages mold growth, and serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects.

How to Identify Moisture Issues Around the Home

Even if you don’t think there are any moisture problems around your property, it’s … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

How Pest Control Can Help Facility Management

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth

Most facility management resources agree that there are five key areas where Facility Managers track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).  Pest control can help facility management in each of these key areas.

These Facility Management KPIs cover the areas of:

  • Financial
  • Operational
  • Value-Added
  • Strategic
  • Customer Satisfaction

There are many ways pest control can help with all five of these KPI areas in 2018! Here are some of the different methods:

How Pest Control Can Help Facility Management with Financial KPIs

Modern pest management is about examining pest trends and determining ways to provide better service for facilities while keeping costs down, protecting your brand, and protecting your resources .  Since for all companies time is money, what if we could reduce time at your facility?  What if we could adjust your service to a different frequency, reduce applications? All without affecting the goal of the program – controlling pests.

How Pest Control Can Help Operational KPIs

Would it be helpful to you if your … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

How to Protect Yourself from Mosquito Bites

. Posted by in , • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler
How to Protect Yourself from Mosquito Bites

Rising temperatures means more time spent outdoors at pools, sports, barbecues and cookouts. Unfortunately, mosquitoes can ruin all the fun.

Prevent the bite of summer by taking time this spring to prevent one of the most irritating and dangerous of pests—mosquitoes.

If you ask most people which insect they hate the most, they will mostly likely put the malicious mosquito in the #1 spot. Mosquitoes are especially troublesome in the state of Texas.

Mosquito-Borne Threats

Every year, there are dozens of reports of mosquito-borne diseases, including:

  • Encephalitis (human symptoms include high fever, convulsions, delirium and other central nervous system problems)
  • Malaria (human symptoms include fever and flu-like symptoms, including chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea)
  • Zika (human symptoms include fever, rash, muscle and joint aches, red eyes
    Babies of infected mothers risk microcephaly and poor pregnancy outcomes)
  • West Nile Virus (human symptoms include fever and flu-like symptoms; more severe cases can affect the nervous system and … Read Full Post »
Comments Closed

Air Conditioner Maintenance Checklist: Tips From The Experts

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Air conditioner maintenance checklist

If you’re like most people, your home’s air conditioner plays a vital role in keeping you and your loved ones cool in the summer and warm in the winter, regardless of the temperature or humidity outdoors. Despite the importance of their ACs in their daily lives, however, many homeowners rarely think about their HVAC systems until they break down—but this can become a costly mistake.

Repairs to your air conditioner can run into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars, while annual air conditioner maintenance is quite affordable and more than worth the cost. Keeping your air conditioner running at peak performance will save you money on your monthly electricity bills. This is not, however, the only benefit. Regular AC maintenance can also catch problems early and prevent, or at least mitigate, the need for many types of repairs.

But what should you be doing to maintain your air conditioner on a … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

How To Keep Bees Out Of Pool And Avoid Other Stinging Insects

. Posted by in , • Austin
How to keep bees out of pool

With summer coming soon and warm weather already here in the south, you decided it was time to get the pool ready. So, you went to the store to stock up on chemicals and cleaning supplies. You knew it might be a big job, but nothing could have prepared you for what you found: bees. Dozens of them. Treating your swimming pool like their own personal drinking fountain.

This is not an uncommon scenario for pool owners. Not just bees either, but other stinging insects, such as wasps. Maybe you just want to take a dip in the pool, but you can’t go more than a few feet without worrying about getting stung. If a family member of guest is allergic to bee stings, this is especially important. Or, perhaps, your poolside barbecues don’t just get invaded—they get swarmed.

You’re not too keen on the idea of getting stung while trying to escape … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Spring Cleaning Tips to Keep Pests Away | National Pest Management Month

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler
Spring Cleaning Tips to Keep Pests Away | National Pest Management Month

Warmer weather brings everyone out, including plants and animals. They look forward to spring just as much as we do. That’s why April has been designated as National Pest Management Month by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).

People often think of spring cleaning as a way to declutter and improve indoor air quality, but regular cleanings and inspections are also important for keeping pests away. When tackling your spring cleaning to-do list, don’t forget about these common pest hot spots.

Indoor and Outdoor Spring Cleaning Tips to Keep Pests Away 

Whether it’s ants, termites, beetles, spiders, or rodents, use these pest-proofing tips to help keep the pests away. Let’s start with the outdoors.

Outdoor Spring Cleaning

Professional Pest Inspection

There are many ways to prevent pests from entering your home. Perhaps the best way is to contact a professional, and spring is the ideal time to do it.

In many cases, a barrier insecticide around the perimeter … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches: Advice For Homeowners

. Posted by in • Corpus Christi
How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches

The vast majority of homeowners have come across a cockroach in their home. That’s because these critters are among the most common pests in homes, schools and businesses. There are around 3,500 species of cockroaches globally, but only 55 species are known to live in the United States. Fear not, though. If you are wondering how to get rid of cockroaches, you have a number of options. But before we dive into the details of how to remove these common pests, let’s go over a few characteristics that set this critter apart from the other creatures possibly inhabiting your home.

As you’ve probably noticed before, cockroaches have flattened bodies and heads that are concealed by a plate-like structure called a pronotum. Cockroaches have elongated, spiny legs that move incredibly fast—as we all know from attempting to squish one—and equally long antennae that help them find food and move around in the … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Are Centipedes Poisonous? Your Questions Answered

. Posted by in • Orlando
Are centipedes poisonous

You wake up in the middle of the night. Thirsty, you head to the restroom to get a drink of water.

Then it happens—you feel something skitter over your foot. Immediately you kick it off and flip on the light, only to see a creature out of your nightmares speed across the bathroom floor and disappear into a pile of clothing.

It was long and flat but with long legs—almost like a spider. It had way more than just eight legs. There were dozens, at least. They were everywhere.

A centipede, you guess, but not like any centipede you’ve ever seen before. You want it out. But is it dangerous? Poisonous? Will it bite you? Infect you with something? Is there a nest of hundreds of them somewhere in your home?

Unlike ants, spiders, roaches, mosquitoes, and many other types of insects, most people don’t have run-ins with centipedes regularly. Because of this, it … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Flying Termites: How To Keep These Pests Out Of Your Home

. Posted by in • Houston
Flying termites

Being a homeowner has many benefits: having a space to call your own, a financial investment, and a place to create memories with your family. While the perks are numerous, we also recognize that there are a few headaches that present themselves as a homeowner. One of those annoyances is pests.

No matter which pest species decide to call your home theirs, homeowners often discover they have an infestation after noticing increased pests around their home, many times before it’s too late. Take flying termites, for example. Because termites live inside your home’s walls, many homeowners are unaware of their presence until they see winged pests flying inside or find shredded wings around doors and windows inside their homes. If you’re curious to know if you have an infestation, flying termites are a key warning sign indicating a problem.

Three major species of termites can potentially infest your home: dry … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

How to Start an Organic Lawn & Garden | National Lawn Care Month

. Posted by in , • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler
How to Start an Organic Lawn & Garden | National Lawn Care Month

April is National Lawn Care Month and National Pest Management Month! To help your May flowers get off to a healthy, pest-free start, learn how to start your first completely organic garden. Your lawn and garden will look lush and green, and of course, will be completely organic. Spring is the best time to start!

How to Start an Organic Lawn & Garden

Even if your soil looks dead and lifeless, it can be brought back to life. But in order to find out what your soil needs, you need a soil test. 

  1. Get a Soil Sample

Testing your soil is the first step toward building good garden soil. You could waste a lot of money and energy, not to mention the possibility for poisoning, by adding things to your soil before conducting a soil test.

It’s a good idea to test your soil every 3-5 years since levels change all the time. Spring is … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed