ABC Blog
Choose a City

There’s a Raccoon in My Attic: What Can I Do?

. Posted by in , • San Antonio
A raccoon sitting on a homeowner's roof

Are you hearing something going thump in the night? If so, this might mean a raccoon family is living rent-free in your attic or crawl space. Some of the first signs that you might have raccoons in your home include the sounds of an animal moving around in the attic or chimney.

Other ways homeowners often find out these animals have moved in include visible indications, such as pawprints or damage to their house’s shingles, electrical wiring or insulation. They might also notice an accumulation of nesting materials inside the house, a destroyed garden or debris around their property, such as dead birds, feces or scattered trash.

If you spot possible signs of a problem, some ways to check whether you have raccoons on your property instead of another pest include looking at the pawprints and scat the animal left behind. Raccoons leave hand-like prints with their five-fingered paws, and their droppings … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Cockroach Identification and Management Tips

. Posted by in • Houston
A German cockroach

You turn on the light in the morning to get started with your day when you see a brown bug scurry out of sight. You’re pretty sure you just saw a cockroach, but, if you are being honest with yourself, you admit that you’re in denial. It could’ve been something else, right? After all, you work hard to keep your home nice and clean.

Well, the unfortunate truth is that cockroaches can make their way into even the tidiest of homes. And, while there are many different species of cockroaches, in general, these creatures are flat insects, and many species will have two pairs of wings that lay flat on their back. Their color ranges from light brown to black, and size can vary from as small as a half of an inch in length all the way up to two inches long. While finding a cockroach is never ideal, some … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

I Have Bats in My Attic: What Should I Do?

. Posted by in , • Orlando
A roosting bat in an attic

One night as the sun was setting, you started hearing odd squeaking noises from up above. As it got darker, you saw something fly out of your attic. After the shock of the situation wore off, you started to wonder if you have bats in your attic, and if so, what you should do. And, perhaps most importantly, what can you do to keep them from coming back?

Over 40 types of bats make their home in the United States. Bats can seek shelter in buildings to be protected from predators. These flying mammals can squeeze their way into very small spaces—even as small as a half to a quarter inch—to make their way into chimneys, walls, attics and other structures. Most bats will be on the move from September through April as they seek a place to hibernate. While bats make high-frequency sounds that are inaudible to humans to fly … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Not Sure What Fleas Look Like? Identification Tips

. Posted by in , • Houston
A flea biting a human

If you’ve ever had itchy bites on your skin and asked yourself whether they might be flea bites, you’ve probably also wondered what fleas look like. If you’ve never encountered these creatures before, you’re lucky, but also means you may be in the dark about whether you might have a flea problem. Unfortunately, fleas are so small and move so quickly, that they can be hard to spot, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Fleas are about the same size and color as a speck of black pepper, and their eggs are smaller than grains of sand. Unless you have sharp eyesight, you could have fleas in your midst—even infesting your home—and not realize it.

Why should you worry about fleas? After all, while they do bite, they don’t carry or transmit diseases to humans or our pets as some types of insects do. But they are still … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Big Flies in House: How Can I Get Rid of Them?

. Posted by in • Houston
A big fly in a house sitting on a couch

What started with just one or two big flies in your house started to become a pattern, which led you to wonder if you had some kind of a larger pest problem. Swatting away at these flies soon became a constant battle and a big headache. What brought these flies into your house, and what can you do now to both get rid of them for good and prevent this from happening again?

Unfortunately, during the warmer months, it’s not uncommon to feel as if keeping flies out of your home is a constant battle that you’re losing. There are several different types of flies that people routinely find in their homes, and many of them are there simply because they’re opportunistic—meaning, they come in from outdoors when they get the chance, in search of food and shelter. They can slip through even if you simply open the door briefly to … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

What Attracts Spiders and How to Get Rid of Them

. Posted by in • Orlando
A brown and white striped spider sitting on a web

It started with just one or two spiders that you were able to quickly deal with. Then, you started noticing more and more of these creepy crawlies on your property. At this point, the frequency at which you’re finding spiders in your home and yard is making you uncomfortable. When faced with the reality that your resident spider population exceeds your comfort level, you’re likely wondering what is attracting spiders to your property. And once you get an answer to that question, you’re probably wanting to know what can you do to get rid of them.

Spiders are predators that gravitate towards areas in which they can find food. In other words, if there are bugs in your yard, it’s highly likely that there will be at least some spiders. If you do have some bugs on your property (as most of us do), the spider population can grow, and some … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Tick vs. Flea: How Can I Tell Them Apart?

. Posted by in , • Houston
A tick crawling on a leaf

After a hike with your family and dog, you give Fido a belly rub and find a small, dark brown colored bug in his fur. You know that ticks are commonly found in tall grassy areas like the one you just visited, but you also know that it’s flea season. So, what are the differences between ticks and fleas, and how can you tell which one you have seen?

For starters, you should know that ticks aren’t technically bugs at all but rather small arachnids, and while they can vary in size, once they have fed, they generally swell to a quarter-inch long and are clearly visible. On the other hand, fleas are considered true insects and are much smaller than ticks, rarely exceeding an eighth of an inch in size.

Let’s delve a bit deeper into what these pests look like and their behavior so you know more about each creature … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

What Colors Are Mosquitoes Attracted To?

. Posted by in , • Houston
A mosquito that landed on someone who is wearing jeans

Swimming, yard work, grilling out—these are just a few of the hallmark activities of warm weather. But when these pastimes switch from fun outdoor time to itchy battles with mosquitoes, many people start to wonder what they can do to prevent those obnoxious bites. For example, is there a color of clothing you could wear that would offer you protection against mosquitoes?

It’s a smart possibility to consider, since research has shown that mosquitoes do seem to bother people wearing light-colored clothing less than those wearing darker colors. Is this because dark clothes retain more heat, causing us to sweat more than lighter ones? Or is it because dark clothing provides a greater contrast against daytime skies, helping mosquitoes close in on their targets and hide more effectively once they land and start to feed?

The answer to these questions is still up for debate, but many scientists agree that blue or … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

What Do Cockroach Droppings Look Like?

. Posted by in • Orlando
Droppings next to cockroach that are similar to coffee grounds in size and appearance

Finding strange, dark brown pellets in your kitchen or bathroom cabinets can be an unsettling experience. You’re pretty confident that what you have found is cockroach droppings, but you’re hoping that your hunch is off. So, what do cockroach droppings look like and, if these are roach droppings, how serious is the problem?

In general, roach droppings look like little black or dark brown pellets, very similar in appearance to coffee grounds or crushed pepper. When fresh, these pellets are usually round or oval and, unlike coffee grounds or pepper, these pellets stick to surfaces and might smear. Older droppings may start to become flattened out as cockroaches continue to move around and walk through their own feces.

The bigger the infestation, the more obvious these droppings will become. Cockroaches don’t care about cleanliness—they are more than willing to excrete where they live and eat, so droppings tend to be more prominent … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed

Water Bug Vs. Cockroach: Identification Tips

. Posted by in • Orlando
A cockroach crawling up a wall

When you see a large bug darting across the floor or—far worse—your kitchen counter, your initial response might be simply to shriek, leap around in fright or maybe take a few wild swings at it with a shoe. But later, when you’re able to think more calmly, you might start wondering exactly what kind of bug it was. Was it a cockroach or a water bug, or something else altogether? There’s plenty of confusion in the great water bug vs. cockroach debate, and for good reason: While these two bugs are distinct from one another, it can be hard to tell the difference between them—especially when you’re in the midst of an unwelcome encounter with one of these creatures.

Fortunately, there are several ways to determine whether you have cockroaches or water bugs on your property. Once you know which type of pest has invaded your personal territory, you can figure … Read Full Post »

Comments Closed