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Can Fleas Live on Clothes? Keeping Fleas from Spreading

. Posted by in • San Antonio
can fleas live on clothes

Can fleas live on clothes? The easy way to answer the question is no, but that’s a question that pops into many homeowners’ heads, especially when they have a pet with fur that’s become infested with these tiny parasites. Fleas are irritating pests, to be sure: Their itchy bites can cause serious health issues in animals, including dermatitis and anemia. These tiny bugs can even carry infectious diseases that affect humans, such as the plague.

No wonder finding a flea on your skin can make you shudder! So, then – where do fleas live? You might wonder whether your clothes or your bedding might be infested, or perhaps simply whether you can spread fleas through clothes. Another common question is, can fleas live on humans in general? Can fleas live on clothes? And, perhaps more importantly, how can you keep fleas from moving from one part of your property to another? … Read Full Post »

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Types Of Furnaces: Learn The Differences

. Posted by in • San Antonio
types of furnaces

It’s important for homeowners to understand their options when it comes to heating or cooling systems. In this blog post, we’ll discuss heating options, specifically furnaces. A furnace is a mechanical device designed, constructed and used to generate heat. Of course, we most commonly know this appliance as a heater. Depending on what kind is being used, a furnace serves to either heat the interior of a structure to prevent unwanted cold from escaping or to burn materials for the purpose of molding or cremating. Different kinds of furnaces include household furnaces, metallurgical furnaces, industrial furnaces and incinerators.

Household Furnaces

Household furnaces, used to disperse cold from within a structure and provide hot water, have several different means of production and require any one of a variation of fuel sources: natural gas, fuel oil, coal or wood.

The two most common types of household furnaces are combustion and condensation. The first kind requires an exhaust and relies on burning fuel to generate heat. The … Read Full Post »

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Central Heat Not Working: What Should A Homeowner Do?

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Central Heat Not Working

When the cooler temperatures finally stuck around, you were thrilled.

Finally, those of us who live in warmer parts of the United States wouldn’t have to sweat just stepping out of our cars. We are happy to give our air conditioners a break. On a related note, we can also get a vacation from higher than normal utility bills—at least for a few months.

Then it happened: you woke up in the middle of the night shivering. Well, this was certainly new, and not a welcome development.

Your immediate assumption was that somehow your AC system never switched from “cool” to “heat.” Unfortunately, when you checked you discovered this wasn’t the case.

Your thermostat was set to 70 degrees inside, but the actual temperature was all the way down to 65. For some reason, the heat just wasn’t working.

By why? You barely run the heat most of the year, so why would it die … Read Full Post »

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Do Fleas Die in the Dryer? Flea Control Secrets Revealed

. Posted by in • Houston
Can fleas drown in the washing machine

Fleas. The word makes many homeowners shudder, especially if they also have pets. After all, these pesky insects may be tiny, but a flea infestation can mean big trouble for your pet, your home, and you.

Many homeowners wonder, do fleas die in the dryer? Can they drown in the washing machine, or is washing flea-infested items a waste of time? When you find even one flea in your living space, it’s tempting to toss everything you own—sheets, clothing, cushion covers, your dog’s bed—into the wash. While it seems that that should care for the problem, the reality isn’t relatively so straightforward. Exposure to heat and soap can kill fleas in all stages of their life cycle, so a dryer cycle alone will likely be inadequate to eliminate your flea population. Besides, these creatures are likely widespread across your home, so meticulous vacuuming will be the best initial method to … Read Full Post »

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Soldier Termite: Winning the Battle Against These Pests

. Posted by in • Austin
Soldier termite

Termites. They’re one of the worst fears of every homeowner, for good reason.

Catch an infestation too late and your house can literally be eaten away from beneath you, costing you time, stress and a lot of money. All told, termite damage costs Americans billions of dollars every year, with additional billions being spent to get rid of them.

How can you protect yourself against these high costs and win the fight against termites?

Know your enemy.

In this post, you can learn all about soldier termites and the role that they have in subterranean colonies.

When you have a better understanding of what you’re up against, you’ll be far more successful at combating these incredibly destructive pests.

The Role of the Soldier Termite

Bee colonies have workers and drones and a queen. Ant colonies follow a similar structure, with a single queen, workers and males who only mate with future queens.

A termite colony is a bit … Read Full Post »

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Rodent Control: How to Build a Barn Owl Box

. Posted by in , • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler

Rodent control is extremely important this time of year. Temperatures are getting cooler and rodents are looking for a warm place to spend the winter months. Fortunately for us, North Texas is home to the best possible natural rodent control: barn owls. Barn owls are expert hunters with a healthy appetite. One owl alone can eat up to 10 mice a night and have 6-to-10 chicks to feed at a time.

Another upside is that they love the grassy plain areas covering much of North Texas. However, barn owls do not construct their own nests, which can make them seem scarce in many areas. By building a simple barn owl box for them to nest in, they will quickly make it their home and, in turn, help make sure your home and garden stay rodent free.

How to Build a Barn Owl Box

Step 1: Design

The box needs to be roomy enough to … Read Full Post »

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Winter Pool Chemicals: What Do The Experts Recommend?

. Posted by in • Houston
Winter pool chemicals

Winterizing your pool in warmer climates looks different than getting your pool ready for icy conditions in other parts of the country. Maintaining your winter pool chemicals is essential, whether you use your pool during the colder times of the year, because leaves and other debris that fall into your pool affect your pH levels.

You have a few options when it comes to maintaining your pool during the winter in the South. With our typically mild winters, some pool owners prefer to maintain their current regular service throughout the year or switch to fewer visits per month. Others lower the water level of their pool to just below the tile line and pull the drain plugs on their equipment. Most people don’t even put on a pool cover during this time, although some do.

In this post, we’ll explore what you can do … Read Full Post »

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Pest-Free Holiday Tips

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth, Tyler

Whether you are traveling for the holidays or inviting friends and family into your home, pests are always looking for the perfect opportunity to gain entry and enjoy the holidays with you. Unfortunately, your home provides the perfect warm environment for them to wait out the winter weather. During the holidays homes are filled with delicious smelling food, full trash cans and the constant coming and going of guests. The food smells themselves act as a beacon, inviting pests inside, while the opening and closing of doors provides the perfect opportunity.

The last thing anyone wants is to share their holiday meal with a pest that invited itself over. This holiday season, follow these helpful guidelines from the trusted professionals at ABC Home and Commercial to keep your home pest-free all winter long.

  1. Don’t leave food out or uncovered.
  2. Store firewood on a raised structure that is located at least 15 feet away … Read Full Post »
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Cigarette Beetle In Bedroom: Punchline Or Pest Problem?

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Cigarette Beetle in Bedroom

Although you may not realize it, the cigarette beetle is one of the most common pests to infiltrate our homes. Also referred to as pantry pests, these small reddish-brown shelled beetles are usually found in stored household commodities like spices and flour—items most homeowners have in their kitchen. Cigarette beetles get their name because they also feed on chewing tobacco, cigars, cigarettes and dried tobacco leaves. While it makes sense to find these creatures in your kitchen, can you find a cigarette beetle in the bedroom?

Yes, unfortunately, this beetle can be anywhere and will feed on items we don’t even consider food, including leather, dried flowers, books and even silk. Although this pest has such a funny name, homeowners find dealing with cigarette beetles is no laughing matter. While no one wants pests in their home feeding on our spices, pasta and cereal, both the cigarette beetle and the drugstore … Read Full Post »

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Rats vs. Mice: Which Pest Is Invading Your Home?

. Posted by in • Austin
rats vs mice

In a battle between rats vs. mice, rats will win. Known as muricide, rats will kill and eat mice out of hunger. That said, do you really care which species of rodent is scurrying across your floor or making scratching sounds in your walls or attic? Probably not.

The reason you should care about the differences between mice and rats is that your pest control efforts will vary, depending on which type of rodent you have and which species. For example, catching and killing rats and mice are different. A trap for a mouse won’t work on a rat and vice versa. Where you set the traps can also make a big difference in how effective your efforts are, whether you have a roof rat or Norway rat problem.

How are these pesky pests different? We’ll explore the many ways these animals are distinct so that you can better devise … Read Full Post »

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