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Jumping Spider: Texas Homeowners’ Questions Answered

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Jumping spider Texas

Ever seen a jumping spider? Chances are, if you live in Texas you have—and seeing it move so quickly in its trademark jerky, hopping manner probably either made you lean closer in curiosity or gave you the shock of your life, if not both. There are a few things about a jumping spider Texas homeowners need to know: For starters, these little critters are no scarier than any other eight-legged arachnid. They’re just startling because they move so far, so quickly! Their appearance may seem a bit threatening, however. When crossing paths with one of these, any reasonable person might wonder, do jumping spiders bite? Let’s find out more about the jumping spider to learn where they live, whether they bite people and what to do when you find them living in your home.

Do Jumping Spiders Bite?

Before we discuss whether jumping spiders bite, let’s first learn how to identify these … Read Full Post »

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Can Fleas Fly? How To Handle An Infestation

. Posted by in • Houston
Can fleas fly

Do you live with a furry pet? If so, whether you have a dog, cat, ferret, guinea pig or something else, there’s a possibility that you are also living with fleas. This is true even if you are meticulous about cleaning your home and bathing your pet. Furthermore, the risk of a flea infestation increases if your pet spends time both indoors and outdoors.

Unfortunately, it’s also possible to have a flea infestation in your home even if you don’t have pets. If squirrels, rats or other rodents make a nest or get trapped inside your attic or walls, they can carry fleas that travel into your living spaces in search of a human blood meal.

A flea infestation is a highly undesirable situation. Not only are flea bites itchy and annoying at best, these tiny parasites can also cause health problems in dogs and other animals such as anemia, hair … Read Full Post »

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How Long Can Ticks Live In A House?

. Posted by in • Corpus Christi
a screenshot from the youtube video featured in this blog

Finding a tick crawling through your pet’s fur or fastened to its skin is no fun—for you, the pet or the tick. Finding a tick crawling on your own skin, or even embedded mid-bite? Now, that’s particularly cringe-worthy, especially if you’ve found the tick indoors, inside your home. What if you have a tick infestation somewhere in your house or yard? How long can ticks live in a house?

According to Alan Brown, Board Certified Entomologist and Technical Manager at ABC Home & Commercial Services, how long a tick can live in a home depends on what species of tick you’re dealing with. Most tick species can’t survive for very long in a home because they require a certain amount of humidity. These tick species will die inside a home after a couple of days. However, the brown dog tick can survive inside a home for long periods of time and … Read Full Post »

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Silverfish Infestations: What A Homeowner Should Know

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler

Have you noticed a small wingless, silver-colored bug in your home with a flat, oval-shaped body, long antennae and six legs? If so, you may have the beginning of a silverfish infestation.

Silverfish are medically harmless to humans and mostly a nuisance for homeowners. These creatures can stain clothing, contaminate food and damage paper goods. Silverfish are more common in humid environments, so you are more likely to find them in bathrooms, attics and crawl spaces. Silverfish are very quick, so if discovered, these creatures often dart away, making them difficult to catch or identify.

Silverfish problems can be difficult for homeowners to control on their own. Usually, the quickest and easiest way to get rid of a silverfish problem is by calling in a pest control professional. We’ll now go into more detail about these pests so you have the information you need to make an informed decision about how to … Read Full Post »

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Spotting Lyme Disease from Ticks

. Posted by • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler

In recent years, the population of ticks has increased on a worldwide scale. This means that you are more likely than ever to find an unwanted passenger attached to your skin after spending time outdoors. Aside from being gross, ticks feeding on your blood can also be dangerous. These parasites are carriers of numerous types of disease, and the most common culprit is Lyme disease.

If you spent time outside or noticed tick bites on your skin recently, it is important to be on the look out for any signs or symptoms of disease. The earlier Lyme disease is caught, the better. Here are some tips for spotting Lyme disease from ticks from our team at ABC Home & Commercial Services.

What do ticks look like?

The first step to determining whether or not you might have contracted a disease from a tick is affirming that a tick definitely did bite you. There … Read Full Post »

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No Air Coming Out Of Vents: How Can I Get My AC Working?

. Posted by in • San Antonio
No air coming out of vents

When the sun is out and temperatures are brutally high, homeowners know that it’s critical to have a working air conditioner. Without a properly functioning AC, when summer temperatures rise into the 90s and 100s, you are not just uncomfortable indoors—it can actually be dangerous for humans and household pets, not to mention potentially harmful to your appliances and electronics. So what should you do if your AC suddenly stops working?

When your AC isn’t functioning well—or at all—it may be due to a problem that requires an experienced professional to fix. Certain common AC issues, such as a broken capacitor, are risky for inexperienced DIYers to try handling themselves; even cleaning your own AC condenser coils carries the risk of shorting out your unit. There are certain things, however, that the average homeowner can do to troubleshoot a problem with an air conditioner and resolve an issue on their own. … Read Full Post »

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Ironclad Beetle: A Friend Or Foe To Your Plants?

. Posted by in • Austin
Ironclad beetle

You were doing yard work on a Saturday morning when you noticed a bug unlike any you had ever seen before. What was remarkable was the color. Unlike the typical black or brown coloration that allows insects to blend into their surroundings, this creature was a striking white with black splotches. Your immediate reaction was probably a mix of curiosity and fear. What is this strange bug? Do I need to be worried that it could bite? Does it pose any danger to my plants, pets or family?

Most likely, you’ve had an encounter with an ironclad beetle.

The good news is that you don’t have to worry about the impact this insect has on your yard or household. The strange part? Very little is known about this visually distinct insect.

In this post, we’ll explore everything scientists do know about this bug and other similar insects you may run across in your … Read Full Post »

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Muscovy Ducks: Invasive Nuisance Or The Perfect Pet?

. Posted by in • Orlando
Muscovy ducks

In areas of the country where Muscovy duck populations have moved in and taken over, homeowners are polarized over these odd-looking fowl. Some people love them for what they consider their friendly personalities, their usefulness in controlling insect populations, and their unique markings and appearance. Other people, however, can’t stand them. They consider Muscovies a severe nuisance and want them gone from their properties and neighborhoods.

It’s undeniable that feral Muscovy ducks have become a real problem for homeowners living in some urban regions, including some neighborhoods of Houston and other areas of Texas, as well as in many regions in Florida. Muscovies leave their waste droppings everywhere, including all over homeowners’ porches, front walks, and cars, and even in their pools. These ducks have been known to destroy flower beds and other landscaping features as they forage for food. They can also be a hazard to drivers, many of whom … Read Full Post »

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Wood Boring Beetles: The Risks They Pose To Your Property

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Wood boring beetles

As a homeowner in the southern United States, you’re no stranger to finding bugs in your house. Spiders can be found building their webs in dark corners. Ants find their way in and need to be dealt with. In the warmer months, it seems like half a dozen flies find their way in every time you open the door.

When you noticed a sprinkling of something that looked like sawdust on the floor by the door to the garage and discovered a few tiny round holes in the wood frame, your mind went to the obvious place: termites. Or maybe it could be carpenter ants?

When you couldn’t find any of the other telltale signs of those unwanted guests, you assumed you must have been wrong. Maybe it wasn’t bugs after all.

While termites and carpenter ants are the wood pests that homeowners typically hear the most about, they’re not the only ones … Read Full Post »

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Solving A Common Austin Plumbing Problem: Clogged Drains

. Posted by in • Austin
Austin plumbing

You’ve had a long, stressful day. All you could think about for the past few hours is slipping into your bathtub to let all that tension flow away.

That’s your only thought as you come in the door. You’re barely paying attention as you turn on the hot water, grab a towel and step into the bath. That’s when you realize you have a problem.

There are three inches of freezing cold water in the bath. What happened?

The faucet water is steaming hot, so that must mean there is an issue with the drain.

You’d thought it was draining more slowly lately, but you never imagined it would completely stop. Well, you’re not about to sit in day-old dirty water, so your bath is going to have to wait.

Hopefully, unclogging the drain wouldn’t take too long, you think to yourself.

Whether it belongs to a sink, shower, tub or toilet, clogged drains are among … Read Full Post »

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