Dealing with insects, rodents and other household pests can be a major pain. More than being simply embarrassing and uncomfortable, it can cause reputation issues and property damage. Although keeping your home pest free isn’t easy, following these tips will help you keep all of these pesky creatures at bay.

Keep Your Home Clean and Clutter Free

It’s essential to keep your home as clean and free of clutter as possible if you want to eliminate pests and keep them from living in your home. Although not all homes that have pest infestations are messy, unsanitary conditions are very appealing to many common pests.

Establish a regular cleaning routine and keep clutter to a minimum. Also, make sure that you store food in tightly sealed containers or zip-top bags, and don’t leave dirty dishes or garbage lying around. Although it can be difficult to get in the habit of keeping your house tidy … Read Full Post »

When the weather gets cold, arachnids look for a warm place to hide. Unfortunately, this place is sometimes your home. In Texas, spiders and scorpions are the most common arachnids that invade family homes. Some are capable of inflicting painful and even fatal injuries. Here are our best tips for identifying arachnids and protecting your home from unwanted guests.

Spiders

Tarantulas are intimidating, and wolf spiders are scary. However, these creatures have nothing on the infamous black widow and the deadly brown recluse. The brown recluse is known for its flesh-eating venom. Because there are several types of recluse spiders in Texas, their colors range from dark brown to an orangey tan. This makes them difficult to identify. These spiders are about the size of a quarter. They hide in dark crevices during the day and come out at night, which is when most bites occur.

Black widows are dangerous. Their colors usually … Read Full Post »

As a gardener, you’re always on the lookout for invasive or destructive bugs that can munch their way through your plants and ruin the hard work that you put in during the growing season. You might not be as familiar with the garden-friendly bugs that thrive in North Texas. By crowding out unwanted pests, these five critters act as natural bug repellents.

1. Aphid Midge

These creatures give a whole new meaning to the term “small, but deadly.” While the adult flies are innocuous, their larvae are the aphid’s worst nightmare. Each tiny, bright orange slug can eat as many as 60 full-grown aphids per day by delivering a powerful toxin that allows them to devour the leaf-munching insects from the inside out. Aphid midges lay their eggs among the leaves of plants that produce large amounts of pollen, so be sure to space some evenly throughout your garden.

2. Ladybug

The ladybug needs … Read Full Post »

Many of our customers express concerns about whether the pesticides that they treat their lawns with are safe for the environment. While a number of the chemical agents currently on the market are fine when used in a controlled fashion, scientific research has recently revealed that new natural methods of controlling insect populations could be even better for the planet. Natalisin, a recently discovered chemical, may be able to cut down on the number of pests that reproduce, without causing the side effects common with other treatments.

What Is Natalisin?

Natalisin is a neuropeptide that naturally occurs within the brains of insects. What is a neuropeptide you may ask? It is a chemical that controls the majority of biological activity in insects, including actions like muscle movement. One of the most important functions that natalisin controls is pheromone creation.

Pheromones help male and female insects signal each other, via scent, when they’re ready … Read Full Post »