ABC Blog

Pro Tips: 10 Reasons Texas Business Owners Swear by Composting and Aeration

Houston business owners who care about the environment have a lot of options when it comes to going green. Those looking to take the next step while creating beautiful outdoor areas at their places of business should consider aeration and composting. If you’re not convinced your company can benefit, check out these ten reasons why many business owners love to choose aeration and composting.

1. Aeration helps to improve fertilization and nutrient intake. When your lawn is aerated, its root system allows more room to breathe and collect nutrients. This means you can use less fertilizer and still get excellent results.

2. Aeration improves water absorption. Because lawns can get water and nutrients more quickly when they are aerated, this simple action can help reduce watering costs while allowing you to create a beautiful lawn.

3. Aeration reduces water runoff. Less water runoff means lower bills and a better environmental track record for … Read Full Post »

Hello, Sunshine! Five Perks of Going Solar

If you’re a homeowner who harnesses our warm Houston sunshine, you can revel in solar power’s five perks (six if you include the bragging rights).

1. Less Dependence on Utility Companies

When you harness solar power, you use less energy from utility companies. Solar panels may not provide all the energy you require. Still, they offer a significant amount and lessen the likelihood that you’ll suffer a complete loss of power during blackouts or brownouts.

Common sense tells you that reduced fossil fuel use reduces your utility bills; however, it could also put spare cash into your pocket. If solar power produces more energy than you use, Houston utility companies could buy the extra power from you. You win twice over.

2. Cash Incentive

Who doesn’t like tax credits? The government at federal and state levels wants you to reduce your use of fossil fuels, so they offer incentives in the form of tax credits … Read Full Post »

Bed Bugs Want Your Home for the Winter

Here comes the cold weather. It ends outdoor activities and begins an indoor migration of pests looking for somewhere to hide from the inclement weather. Bed bugs think your house would make a great winter home, and they have ways to get inside it. Once they breach your castle walls, they’re extremely hard to remove without the help of a professional pest control company.

ABC Home and Commercial Services of Houston employs the latest technology and some old-school tricks. We use a dog to check your home for bed bugs. Dogs can take one sniff and know if your home has an infestation of bloodsuckers. You might have suspicions, but our dog knows if and where bed bugs are hiding in your home.

Once we find the bed bugs, we don’t use pesticides to kill them because bed bugs hide in tiny crevices and cracks in the walls and furniture. Pesticides can’t … Read Full Post »

Winter Prep Tips for Your HVAC System

At ABC Houston, we understand that our friends and neighbors depend on their furnaces, boilers, and heat pumps to get through the winter months. The more prepared your system is, the more comfortable you’ll be. Here are eight steps to prepare your HVAC system for the heating season.

1. Get Reversible Ceiling Fans

During the cooling season, fans help your air conditioners run efficiently by circulating the air that collects near the ceiling. During the heating season, a fan with a reverse setting can do the same for your furnace. For best results, invest in an Energy Star-rated fan.

2. Use a Humidifier

If your home has a forced-air heating system, you’ll find that your indoor air may become uncomfortably dry. A humidifier will help you breathe easier by replacing that lost moisture.

3. New Filters

A dirty filter reduces the efficiency of your furnace by blocking air flow and may lead to other maintenance problems. … Read Full Post »

Best on the Block: Top 10 Design Ideas to Light Up Your Home for the Holidays

Aren’t you sure what to do with your home for the holidays? Check out our top 10 ideas for transforming your Houston home into a stunning seasonal success.

1. Emphasize existing landscape features and the graceful branches of deciduous trees by illuminating them with ground-level flood lights. Use existing landscape lighting or modular spotlights to highlight wreaths and green decorations. Fill fountains, urns, and birdbaths with gazing balls or evergreen boughs to maximize their seasonal appeal.

2. Think about your landscaping before you decorate. Watch for decorative plants that will complement your holiday display. Treat landscape shrubs in late fall to protect them and keep them looking healthy all season. Evergreens, hollies, and berry-producing shrubs are ideal for incorporating into your holiday display.

3. Place greenery, topiaries, garlands, and evergreen wreaths on entryways, windows, mailboxes, columns, and porches. These items will look beautiful during the day before the timer activates your lights.

4. Add … Read Full Post »

5 Reasons Why You Should Map Your Irrigation System

While the amount of work that goes into setting up a lawn or garden irrigation system may tempt you to get it installed and be done with it, you should document the process. Even if your system works admirably for years and you never change a thing, knowing exactly where all the conduits and sprinkler control valves are will be helpful later. Read on to learn why mapping out your irrigation system with the help of a Houston lawn care specialist is such a good idea.

1. Ensuring Coverage Efficiency

Mapping things out before you start minimizes the water your system requires to keep your lawn healthy. This may not be a big concern, but if your area suffers a drought or implements summer water usage restrictions, your irrigation map will help you avoid watering the same place twice so that your plot stays green and pretty while your neighbors’ are fading.

2. … Read Full Post »

10 Worst Pests Around the World

Texas is known for having some pretty destructive pests, from crazy ants to cockroaches, but these local bugs can’t compete with the problems worldwide. Below are 10 of the strangest and worst invasive species of insects, rodents, amphibians, and even plants found worldwide:

1. The Asian Tiger Mosquito. Originating in Asia, this black-and-white striped mosquito is now one of the most widespread animal species on the planet. In just two decades, it’s spread to 28 separate countries. Like other mosquitoes, it can carry West Nile virus and other blood-borne diseases.

2. The Cotton Whitefly. These tiny bugs measure just a millimeter in length and don’t seem threatening. However, they are devastating to plant life, carrying up to 100 different plant viruses and feasting on 900 species of plants. These bugs exist in every continent except Antarctica.

3. The Snakehead Fish. This fearsome fish has been destroying local ecosystems in several countries, including the … Read Full Post »

The Newest Invasive Species in Texas

Texas is under invasion. Outside intruders are visiting our backyards, waterways, and agricultural fields. As people and goods travel across state and national borders faster than ever, invasive species from faraway places like Africa and Asia threaten our native plants and animals.

According to TexasInvasives.org, a multi-agency partnership that aims to educate Texans about the threat of invasive species, individual invasive species can cause crop and lawn damages of $100 million or more per year. Although only 15% of non-native organisms can be classified as “invasive,” these unwanted pests threaten the native species that make Texas unique and prosperous. Here are a few of the state’s newest enemies.

African Cluster Bug

This invasive insect is just as gross as its name implies. It’s often found in damaging swarms that can descend on cropland and gardens. With a fearsome reproduction rate and an appetite for local cash crops like flax and thyme, the African … Read Full Post »

5 Ways to Prepare Your Yard for the Changing Season

Summer is over, but it’s not quite a time to hang up your lawn tools for the year. Here are the final five lawn care tasks you need to complete before winter:

Remove Dead Leaves Immediately

Raking your leaves might sound common sense, but many homeowners put it off until all their trees are completely bare. Trees can drop leaves for more than a month, and they’ll pile up. After a good rain, those leaves will become damp and heavy, and you’ll have difficulty blowing or raking them into a pile.

Try to remove dead leaves at least once a week as soon as they begin dropping, and you’ll split up an enormous task into manageable chunks. Dead leaves will also prevent grass from receiving sunlight, which will decimate your lawn after a few weeks. Fungus and mold will also take their toll.

Eliminate Weeds on Your Lawn

Most plants begin to conserve nutrients in … Read Full Post »

In the News: Tiny Wasps Cultivated Here in Texas for Use as a Citrus-Saving Weapon

While you no doubt love having your citrus trees, you’ve probably noticed that you aren’t the only one in the neighborhood who enjoys easy access to fresh fruit. Insects like the Asian citrus psyllid have been wreaking havoc in Texan citrus fields and home gardens, but pesticides may not be the best answer. Mass spraying tends to have pretty nasty side effects, and some species may even develop tolerance to such chemicals. Fortunately, a local lab is taking clues from nature by cultivating a non-stinging wasp that is a highly effective deterrent.

What’s Wrong with Psyllids?

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, wouldn’t be such a problem if all it did was suck sap out of new shoots on various citrus tree species. Unfortunately, these tiny bugs also create a toxic byproduct that mangles some buds and kills off others, preventing trees from growing out properly. As if this isn’t bad enough, … Read Full Post »