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Your Guide to Holiday Lights in Houston

. Posted by in • Houston
the houston skyline during the holidays

Looking forward to enjoying some festive holiday lights in Houston with your loved ones this holiday season? In a city this big, there are enough variations on holiday lights displays to suit anyone’s preferences. Do you love huge, glittering winter wonderlands? Maybe you prefer smaller, more intimate neighborhood displays, or cheery holiday parades. Whatever your favorite holiday activity might be, there’s something out there that’s perfect for you this season.

It’s smart to start planning as early as possible for the holidays. Parking and traffic are always an issue in the Houston area. Ticket sales are already in progress for ticketed events, and they usually sell out fast. Free events are extremely popular too. Fortunately, a little advance planning can help you have a great time with as little hassle as possible.

To see holiday lights in Houston this year, first check out these beloved Bayou City traditions:

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What Can I Do About Flying Carpenter Ants?

. Posted by in , • Houston
a winged carpenter ant

Carpenter ants do not always fly, but when you spot a winged version of one of these creatures, it could mean trouble. These pests can damage your home by chewing through a variety of wooden structures.

As adults, carpenter ants are about a quarter of an inch to three-fourths of an inch in length. Their segmented bodies are typically black, reddish or multicolored, and they have hair on the tip of their abdomen. Adult worker ants are usually wingless, but reproductive carpenter ants have wings and can look a lot like flying termites. These winged reproductive adults are also called “swarmers.” If you see these pests around your property it typically means there is a carpenter ant nest nearby. Unfortunately, this might also mean that these pests are damaging the structural integrity of your home.

Carpenter ants swarm when they are mating, which typically happens in the spring or early summer. The … Read Full Post »

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How To Identify Spider Bites Versus Bed Bug Bites

. Posted by in , • Houston
a bed bug crawling on someone

Most of the time, we do not see the bugs that bite us. In fact, we might not even know we have bites until long afterward. At this point, it is too late to catch the pest in action. What makes things more complicated is that many different kinds of bug bites look alike. If you do not know when you were bitten or where you were when it happened, it’s difficult to know what bug bit you.

Two of the most common offenders are spiders and bed bugs. These bug bites can make you itch in the same kind of way as flea or mosquito bites can. They can also make you itch like hives or chickenpox. Their bites might look similar, but there are some things you can look out for to help figure out what kind of pest bit you.

One sign to watch for is the pattern of … Read Full Post »

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What Causes Cockroaches in Your House?

. Posted by in • Houston
a cockroach climbing up a wall

What causes cockroaches? This is a good question to ask whether you have a cockroach problem in your home or not. Cockroaches are frightening and disgusting to most. Worse yet, they can actually transmit serious illnesses to people. Knowing what causes cockroaches will help you avoid attracting these pests into your living space.

The bad news is, there are lots of things that can attract cockroaches into your home. Many of us leave pet food out in bowls, or dirty dishes in the sink. We also don’t always wipe down the stovetop and kitchen counters as soon as we should. Unfortunately, these common and seemingly innocent behaviors can actually draw cockroaches. Keeping up with housecleaning, especially in the kitchen, goes a long way toward combating roaches. Still, even the cleanest houses can have major roach problems. Let’s learn more about these pests to find out how to keep them away from … Read Full Post »

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What Are the Big Black Ants in My Home?

. Posted by in , • Houston
a big black carpenter ant on a piece of wood

Finding big black ants in your home can be shocking and scary. What exactly are they, how did they get in and what are they looking for? Most of all, how can you get rid of them, fast? Unfortunately, most big black ants found in people’s homes are carpenter ants. They’re called carpenter ants because they build their homes in wood by chewing and tunneling through it. Much like termites, if they aren’t discovered and eliminated, carpenter ants can cause a lot of hidden structural damage in a home.

Unlike termites, which also look to some people like big black ants, carpenter ants don’t actually eat wood. Rather, they use their large mandibles—their strong mouthparts that are used for chewing—to build tunnels, called galleries, by crunching up the wood. Instead of swallowing the wood, they spit it out, creating wood shavings that look a lot like loose, shredded sawdust. Along with … Read Full Post »

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Black Wasp in Texas: Identification & Control Tips

. Posted by in , • Houston
a black wasp on Texas wildflowers

Texas is home to many different types of creepy-crawlies that sting, bite or otherwise cause trouble for people. This includes thousands—yes, thousands—of different species of wasps. One type of wasp commonly found in Texas is black wasps. True to its name, a black wasp in Texas is a flying insect with a narrow, black body, long black wings and a stinger.

Most black wasps in Texas are cricket hunters, so named because they sting crickets (or sometimes grasshoppers or katydids), drag their paralyzed bodies to their wasp nests and lay eggs on the crickets’ backs. When the wasp eggs hatch into larvae, the wasp larvae have ready meals waiting for them—the crickets.

While their reproductive habits are definitely gross, there is good news about black wasps. If you find one in or near your home, you can breathe at least a little bit easy, because black wasps are not known to be … Read Full Post »

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What Do Mosquito Larvae Eat?

. Posted by in , • Houston
mosquito larvae eating bacteria in standing water

If you have a mosquito problem in your home or yard, one of the best ways to control these pests is to target their larvae. While adult mosquitoes are the ones that bug most people with their itchy and painful bites, it is sometimes easier to get rid of these pests if you catch them earlier in their lives.

Female mosquitoes can lay eggs as often as every three days. They typically lay these eggs on top of any area of stagnant water that is protected from the wind. This might include areas like tree holes, abandoned tires, kiddie pools and water sitting in an ornamental pond. Mosquitoes can even lay eggs in as little water as the rain that can gather in an overturned bottlecap.

In the right conditions, the larvae typically hatch from the eggs about 24 to 48 hours after a mosquito lays them. However, if environmental conditions are … Read Full Post »

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How to Power Wash Siding

. Posted by in • Houston
a dirty home that has led the homeowner to wonder how to power wash siding

Many types of siding can withstand the pressure of power washing and benefit from this kind of cleaning. For example, fiber cement, vinyl and modern wood clapboard siding are typically strong enough for pressure washing. However, it’s best to avoid using a pressure washer on any surface with lead paint or on homes with aluminum or shingle siding, as these materials could dent or break loose.

Even for siding that can withstand this kind of pressure, it’s wise to use caution with any power washing job. If you use a machine that’s too powerful, use a pressure setting that’s too high or stand too close to your house, then you might end up damaging your siding or even the structure of your home. Plus, you could injure yourself.

That’s why it’s easiest to hire a professional instead of trying to handle pressure washing on your own. These pros have the skills and … Read Full Post »

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What Is My Pool’s Evaporation Rate?

. Posted by in • Houston
a pool with low water levels which leads a homeowner to wonder what their pool evaporation rate is

Pools generally lose about a quarter of an inch of water every day due to evaporation. That said, the evaporation rate depends on several circumstances in your local environment. This means that even under typical conditions, your pool could lose thousands of gallons of water each year from evaporation.

The easiest thing to do is check an evaporation rate map for your area, such as the one made by the National Weather Service. However, if you want to estimate the specific evaporation rate in your pool, you can also measure it.

Using a tape measure or ruler, measure the distance between the surface of your pool water and the top of the pool deck. Wait a week to let the water evaporate and then measure this same distance between the water and pool deck again.

Subtract the first measurement from this second measurement to get a value for how much the water level … Read Full Post »

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What Do Ants Eat? Your Questions Answered

. Posted by in , • Houston
a kitchen with an ant infestation which leads a homeowner to wonder what ants eat

If you’re dealing with an ant problem in or around your home, you are probably frustrated. What are these tiny pests doing here? Is there something I did that attracted them to my home or yard? And, most important, how can I get rid of them?

Ants might have chosen to live on your property for many reasons. One reason that ants may have chosen your home or yard is that they have found some source of food. Ants eat a wide range of different things, but their food of choice usually depends on what kind of ants they are.

Let’s start by identifying the type of ant you’re dealing with, so you can take steps towards eliminating their food source.

Odorous House Ants

Odorous house ants love sweet things like honey. These are the tiny, blackish or dark brown ants that you might see rush to the scene if your ice cream melts … Read Full Post »

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