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Weird Pest Profile: The Whip Scorpion

. Posted by in • Austin

In nature, things aren’t always what they seem. Imagine you’re working in your garden and you happen to turn over a rotten log. Underneath, you find what appears to be a scorpion. Its menacing pincers and crusty body send shivers up your spine, and you immediately fear its painful and potentially dangerous sting. Before you turn to flee in horror, stop and take a look at its back end. If it has a long, thin, whip-like tail, you may have just encountered one of Mother Nature’s clever pranks. No matter how badly it wants to, the whip scorpion can’t sting you because it doesn’t have any venom. It could pinch you if you’re brave enough to get too close, or it could spray you with an acidic, vinegar-like solution that makes you smell bad, but that’s about it.

An Arachnid Costume Party

The odd and creepy-looking whip scorpion, also known by the … Read Full Post »

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How to Protect Your Paper Goods from Cockroaches

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Living in the gorgeous San Antonio area can be exciting and fulfilling with so many wonderful opportunities for entertainment, recreation and adventure. While fun backyard parties, long days by the pool and bird watching might be on the agenda, living in the River City can also come with a few simple challenges. With incessantly hot summers and mild winters, the humid subtropical climate of Texas can be conducive to the proliferation of a variety of common household pests. When it comes to stubborn pests, cockroaches make it to the top of the list. With a remarkable ability to thrive even in the harshest of environments, it’s not surprising that these insects can do very well within the comfortable confines of our homes.

Cockroaches Can Eat Just About Anything

Cockroaches are highly evasive and love to inhabit the damp, dark and neglected areas of buildings, such as basements and attics. Although these insects … Read Full Post »

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Avoiding Costly Damages with Termite Pretreatment

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth

Termites are among nature’s most destructive pests. If you own a wooden structure, chances are good that you’re aware of the damage they can cause. By pre-treating vulnerable spaces, however, you might be able to avoid the most costly impacts of a termite infestation.

Signs of Potential Termite Damage

Termites may be active in a structure for months or years before the damage they inflict is visible. During this initial period, they dig tunnels, lay eggs and fortify their living spaces. If you’re observant, you might spot telltale signs of such activity. These include:

• Holes or cracks in furniture
• Small piles of droppings
• Bubbling or peeling paint
• Holes or “mud tubes” near the exterior walls of a structure

Most Common Types of Damage

In Texas, most termite infestations are caused by drywood termites that favor large pieces of furniture and above-ground interior walls. When termites take to furniture, they eventually cause visible damage that … Read Full Post »

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How to Scout for Harmful Pests in Your Yard

. Posted by in • Austin

Although it may look calm, your yard is home to a thriving ecosystem of life. From the microbes in the soil to the grass and flowers of your lawn, a well-tended yard hosts many types of life. Not every resident in your yard is a welcome visitor, however, and unwanted pests may be lurking just out of sight. Learning to spot the signs of unwanted pests will help you keep them under control without threatening the safety of the plants and friendly insects that dwell in your lawn.

Good Bugs vs. Bad Bugs in Your Yard

Of the 30,000 insects native to Texas, only about 100 are real pests, and only a fraction of these will ever be found around your home. The vast majority of the bugs you find in your yard will be harmless or even beneficial. Beneficial insects help to keep the numbers of more threatening pests at bay. … Read Full Post »

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Extreme Pest Invasions

. Posted by in • San Antonio

They may come from nature, but certain pests are anything but natural as far as the area they’re found is concerned. When left unchecked, invasive pests can run rampant in new ecosystems, destroying plants, upsetting the food chain and wreaking general havoc. Here are some of history’s most extreme pest invasions.

Asian Citrus Psyllids: This small insect transmits a disease called Huanglongbing, or greening disease, which is one of the most virulent threats out there to citrus plants. Originating in Asia, these pests were first introduced to Florida in 1998 and have spread from there to Louisiana, Georgia and South Carolina. They crossed the border from Mexico a decade later and now represent a serious threat to California orchards.

Erythrina Gall Wasps: These flying pests have threatened ecosystems all over the world, but they’re at their most dangerous in Hawaii. First discovered in 2005, these wasps complete their life cycles in just … Read Full Post »

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Insecticidal Cinema: Top 5 Bug Horror Movies

. Posted by in • Austin

There’s no denying that movies about big, scary, disgusting, deadly insects are simply irresistible. The movie industry would have a much duller history without them. No one’s really sure why we love our bug monsters so much. Perhaps when our fear of the very real insects we encounter is amplified, we just can’t look away. Here’s our list of the top five insect movies. If they’re not on an old VHS tape in your attic, you can probably find most of them available for streaming. Grab your popcorn, but make sure it’s not moving before you turn out the lights.

1. The Fly

In the original 1958 film starring David Hedison and Patricia Owens, a scientist tries to transport his body’s molecules through a device he invented, but a house fly gets trapped in the transport chamber. The poor guy ends up with the head and arm of the fly. The fly, … Read Full Post »

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New Study Gives Insight on How Bed Bugs Spread

. Posted by in , • San Antonio

Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that tend to congregate near their preferred hosts. And yes, you guessed it, we are their preferred hosts. This makes beds and other warm areas appealing to these pests as daytime hideouts. They usually come out to feed at night, resulting in a rather itchy situation. Understanding how bed bugs find a home in your home and how to get rid of them will help you combat infestations before they get out of hand.

How Do Bed Bugs Spread?

Bed bugs can find their way into your home by hitching a ride on clothing, luggage, secondhand furniture and even guests. Anyone who visits an infested area can bring the bugs back with them, risking new invasions elsewhere. This is a growing problem in the San Antonio area, but a recently completed study offers insight into how these bugs multiply once they’ve found themselves a home, and … Read Full Post »

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Can Termites Spread Through Clothes?

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Can termites spread through clothes

Termites are a big threat to your home. How do these dangerous pests find their way onto your property? Can termites spread through clothes? Learn more about termites, their preferred habitats and their behavior so you’ll be better equipped to protect your home against the menace of these wood-munching insects.

Can Termites Travel in Clothes?

The biggest questions homeowners usually have about termites is how they spread. Since termites look similar to ants to the untrained eye, many of us assume termites travel in the same way ants do. That might mean they could crawl into your suitcase while you are packing or hitch a ride in your gym bag when you set it in your garage before you leave.

The truth of the matter is that most of the serious damage done to a home by termites is linked to the subterranean species. These termites prefer to stay close to the soil, as … Read Full Post »

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Cockroaches and Humans: Why Can’t We Get Along?

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth

Waging a war on bugs with advanced pest control services

Saying that people and cockroaches have an antagonistic relationship is a gross understatement. We hate them and they love us—at least, they love our cozy, food-filled homes. Fortunately, people have become a little better at defending their territory against these creepy crawlies. Here in Dallas, homeowners square off against American, Oriental and German cockroaches. As you may have guessed, each variety has its own charms. American cockroaches are large and proficient fliers. Oriental roaches are particularly scary looking. German roaches are smaller, but they make up for that in numbers.

Wonderful Roaches

Cockroaches are one of the most successful life forms ever. They’re found in modern cities, forests and every continent except Antarctica. There’s a lot to learn from these primitive yet highly adaptable bugs. For example, how do cockroaches survive in such dirty places? Researchers in Great Britain found the answer: Locust … Read Full Post »

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Beyond Bee Stings: Can Household Pests Trigger Asthma and Allergies?

. Posted by in • San Antonio

Bugs can cause all sorts of problems for allergy and asthma patients. The symptoms they trigger range from sneezing and itchy eyes to severe, life-threatening asthma attacks or anaphylaxis. If you’re allergic to bees, wasps, ants or other pests, it’s fairly easy to avoid triggers. At an early age, you probably learned to run when you saw them. Unfortunately, some insects affect allergy or asthma patients in a less obvious way. You may not even know they pose a threat. Of all the pesky allergens you avoid to keep your airway open, roaches probably aren’t even on the list.

Roach Parts and Other Gross Triggers

According to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, 78% to 98% of homes in America have cockroaches. If you see one, there are probably many others secretly hiding in your walls. While stings are the major source of trouble in most insect allergies, roaches don’t have … Read Full Post »

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