Childhood is a carefree time when kids are encouraged to play and have fun. Unfortunately, a bee or wasp can bring the fun to an end. In the United States, roughly 3% of children are allergic to insect bites or stings. While many reactions cause mild swelling and discomfort, a bee sting can also cause a life-threatening reaction that requires epinephrine. That’s why it’s essential to teach allergic kids to identify signs of wasps and bees and to act accordingly.

In College Station and many parts of Texas, stinging insects are active all year. As pest control experts, ABC highly recommends treating your outdoor areas during fall and winter through a collective approach that includes landscaping, pest control and lawn care in College Station.

Photos, field guides and online videos are all excellent resources for teaching children how to identify and avoid stinging insects. Children should be aware that wasps don’t only … Read Full Post »

Over the summer months, cases of West Nile virus were verified in Brazos County. If the virus continues spreading, local residents could find themselves feeling ill and missing work. This could be detrimental to household incomes, local businesses and even medical facilities. In rare cases, West Nile can be fatal, so taking proper precautions is important. Companies specializing in pest control and landscaping in College Station and Bryan can assist in controlling mosquito populations in the area. While this is an important step, it is also helpful to take some preventative measures of your own.

Drain all sources of standing water. Mosquitoes love pools, puddles and spas. Be sure to change the water for pets frequently. Stagnant water is the ultimate breeding ground for mosquitoes. If possible, keep water dishes for pets indoors.

Minimize risks in the yard. Have the shrubs and hedges trimmed down. Keep the lawn very short, and avoid … Read Full Post »

When most people think of ants, they imagine ant beds and picnic basket invasions. Unfortunately, several different types and sizes of ants are invading homes in Texas. It is important to know how to identify and implement effective pest control in Bryan-College Station.

Identifying Ants

Ants are classified in size as tiny, medium and large. The most common types of ants in the local area include the following:

–Fire ants are medium in size, and their colors include dark red and brown. These ants are known for making hill dwellings.

-Carpenter ants are a mixture of black, brown or orange colors. These large ants are known for being nocturnal and making dwellings in uninhabited spaces.

-Medium-sized acrobat ants look similar in color to carpenter ants. Trees are their usual choices for colonization.

–Pharaoh ants are tan, tiny and almost translucent. These ants prefer sugary foods.

–Crazy ants are fast and run erratically. They are found in buildings … Read Full Post »

One of the more unusual insects you are likely to see is the wood wasp.  The terms wood wasp and horntail describe wood-boring insects in the families Siricidae, Xiphydriidae, Anaxyelidae, and Orussidea.  They are not wasps at all.  You are most likely to see these large insects that normally are attracted to and complete their life cycles in recently dead or dying conifer trees.  Timber, salvaged from fire damaged forests may be processed into infested lumber that can eventually lead to emergence of adult wasps in completed buildings.  These insects are nuisance invaders and are not harmful to humans.

Wood wasps are 1-inch in length, have an elongated, cylindrical body without a noticeable constricted “waist.”  They are often black or metallic in color.  They buzz while flying.  The female is large and has a long ovipositor, which is used only for egg laying and cannot be used to sting in defense.  … Read Full Post »