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How to Puppy Proof Your House and Yard

. Posted by in , • Houston
how to puppy proof your house

Tomorrow’s the day–your little bundle of joy is coming home! You’ve got the bed, the toys, and the food. But have you prepared your home? Knowing how to puppy-proof your house can protect your belongings from risks associated with a precocious pup. Your new addition needs to be protected as much as your home.

How to Puppy Proof Your House

There are not a lot of differences between preparing for a baby and preparing for a puppy, but forgetting to take those steps could cost you both in terms of broken keepsakes and injuries to your furry bundle of joy.

Why Puppy Proof?

You don’t have to watch hours of Animal Planet to know puppies are little balls of energy. They spend their days playing and playing, then drop into a deep sleep without warning. Before long, they’re up again, playing-playing-playing…and then drop again.

Puppies, like babies, have no self-control. Everything goes into their mouths, … Read Full Post »

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How You Get Bed Bugs

. Posted by in , • Bryan-College Station
how you get bed bugs

The last line from a children’s rhyme,“Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” can become all too real when bed bugs infest your home. Bed bugs are becoming more common as populations grow, travel increases and the bed bugs spread to new areas. Learn how you get bed bugs and what you can do to prevent them. 

How You Get Bed Bugs

You may have only heard of bed bugs from the children’s rhyme, or from recent new reports about bed bug infestations in cities across the country. It may not seem like a big problem, but several U.S. governmental agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), have declared bed bugs as a public health concern, even though bed bugs do not spread disease the way ticks and mosquitoes do.

So, what should you know about these pests? Where do they live? … Read Full Post »

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5 Air Conditioning Problems and Solutions

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Air conditioning problems and solutions

In the southern parts of the U.S., there’s really no escaping the heat. You either find a place to cool off or you learn to deal with it. Thankfully, many of us can relax in our homes, which provide a safe haven with a cool, comfortable temperature. When something goes wrong, however, our living environment (and mood) can quickly change. 

5 Air Conditioning Problems and Solutions

Air conditioners use about 6% of all the electricity produced in the U.S., which represents over $11 billion in energy costs nationwide. This means that problems with a failing air conditioner could cause you not only the annoyance of uncomfortable living conditions, but also more money in the long run if you have to deal with unexpected repairs. Do you know what the most common AC problems and solutions are? The good news is that every problem has a solution, so let’s take a deeper look … Read Full Post »

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Everything You Need to Know About Texas Ticks

. Posted by in • Austin
texas ticks

There are many reasons we love living in Texas. The unfortunate reality, however, is that we share this great state with a small, but potentially dangerous pest: ticks. What types of ticks live in Texas? Where do they live? How can you prevent tick bites? Perhaps most importantly, how do you get rid of ticks? Read on to learn everything you need to know about Texas ticks.

Everything You Need to Know About Texas Ticks

The four most common types of ticks found in Texas, in order of frequency, are the:

  • Brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineous)
  • American dog tick (Dermacentor veriabilis)
  • Lone star tick, also known as the northeastern water tick or turkey tick (Amblyomma americanum)
  • Deer tick (Ixodes scapularis)

All four types of ticks are hard-shelled, meaning they have a hard covering over their body. Interestingly, the shell covers more of the body in the male tick than the female.

Ticks go through four stages during their … Read Full Post »

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The Kissing Bug in Texas: Friend or Foe?

. Posted by in • Corpus Christi
Kissing bug Texas

You’re out one night sitting on your new back porch and enjoying the stars when you notice a strange-looking bug with a cone-shaped head. Curious, you trap it in a jar and show it to neighbors the next day. Their eyes immediately widen, and they tell you that you need to watch out–it’s a kissing bug.

Kissing Bug in Texas: Friend or Foe?

Slightly amused, you ask what that is, even making a joke that it sounds kind of cute. After hearing their answer, you no longer feel that way.

What is a Kissing Bug, Anyways?

If you don’t know what a kissing bug is, you should. Despite the friendly-sounding name, this small insect is a potential disease carrier, and it can pose a threat to you, your family and your pets.

Not convinced? Perhaps you’d be more inclined to agree with us if we used the bug’s other nickname–the assassin bug. Sounds a bit … Read Full Post »

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Power Washing vs Pressure Washing: What’s Best for My Home?

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Power washing vs pressure washing

When the sun is out, it’s easier to notice some of the imperfections around your home’s exterior. The driveway, walkway, deck or patio, and even the brick on your house can start to look a little on the dingy side as dirt and other materials build up over time. What should you do? There’s always power washing, and you’ve heard your neighbors mention the wonders it did for their home. Or was it pressure washing? It’s confusing! Let’s talk about power washing vs pressure washing to help you determine which type of cleaning would be best for your home.

Power Washing vs Pressure Washing: What’s Best for My Home?

Although power washing and pressure washing achieve similar results, there are a few distinctions between the two types of surface cleaning. Better understanding what is involved in powerwashing a house and the benefits of pressure washing can help you be better equipped to make … Read Full Post »

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Handling A Carpet Beetle Infestation And Having Carpet Mites

. Posted by in • Austin
Carpet mites

As a homeowner, you will discover over time that you share your living quarters with a variety of creepy crawlies, both small and tiny. One of the places in your home which provides shelter for these types of pests is your carpet and rugs. In addition to the “ick” factor of knowing you have little creatures underfoot, some of these common indoor pests can cause damage to your home and belongings. Contrary to popular belief, carpet beetles do not just live in your carpet–which means that you can have a problem with these pests even if you only have hardwood or tile floors. In this post, we’ll talk about carpet mites, what causes carpet beetles, where carpet beetles come from and how to avoid a carpet beetle infestation.

Carpet Mites

Although you may see the terms carpet mites and carpet beetles used interchangeably, these two pests are actually quite different. Carpet mites is … Read Full Post »

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Types of Mosquitoes in Florida

. Posted by in , • Orlando
Types of Mosquitoes in Florida

Your new house has a problem. You knew this before you bought it. The place is gorgeous inside and out. Lots of open space. A lush yard. A patio that has a top-of-the-line grill. A bar. It’s what the deck doesn’t have that is the problem: screens.

Unlike many Florida patios, the previous owner decided not to enclose the space, which means bugs, which also implies bug bites. More specifically, mosquito bites.

What You Need To Know About The Different Types of Mosquitoes in Florida

You thought this would be a minor problem, that you could avoid the busiest mosquito times and enclose the space when you had enough money. Except there doesn’t seem to be a time when mosquitoes aren’t around. And you can no longer tell where the bug bites end, and your skin begins.

Is there anything you can do to protect yourself from mosquitoes? Absolutely. It starts with learning about what … Read Full Post »

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Daddy Long Legs Lifespan And Other Facts

. Posted by in • Houston
Daddy long legs lifespan

You had an inspection done before purchasing your house. But, like any new homeowner, you want to really explore your property after moving in. Look around. Get the lay of the land. While poring over every inch of your backyard, you run across a blackish-gray mass. You walk over to pick it up to examine it, and it explodes into a swarm-like cluster of hundreds of daddy-long-legs, which can understandably come as quite a surprise.

Should you be worried? What’s the daddy’s long legs’ lifespan? Do daddy’s long legs bite? You have heard the rumors about how poisonous they are. Do you need to call an exterminator?

Everything You Need to Know About Daddy Long Legs

Before you decide this house isn’t for you, you should know a few things.

First, there are actually two creatures known as daddy long legs. One is a spider (Pholcidae), and one is not (Opiliones). One is a venomous … Read Full Post »

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Orange Wasp, Mahogany Wasp: Red Wasp Nest Facts

. Posted by in , • Bryan-College Station
red paper wasp

It’s a hot summer day and you walk outside your front door, greeted by a familiar buzzing sound; only, it’s not a bee. It’s another scary looking creature—a red paper wasp. You know it stings, and you know where there is one wasp, a nest isn’t too far away. But what brought it to your doorstep? How can you get rid of it? What if you notice an orange wasp, or a mahogany wasp—are they related? What about a red hornet? What does a red wasp nest look like? And most importantly, how can you keep these pests from coming back and making your home their own?

The first step in understanding how to deal with any type of unwanted pest is to learn more about it. Once you know how to identify red wasps and what attracts them, you’ll be better equipped to get rid of them—for good.

Do I Need … Read Full Post »

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