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What Do Baby Bed Bugs Look Like?

. Posted by in , • Orlando
What Do Baby Bed Bugs Look Like

The emotional toll of a bed bug infestation can be significant, in part because these tiny pests are so difficult to eradicate. For one thing, they hide in discreet locations, making them almost impossible to find. If you are currently dealing with bed bugs in your home, you’re probably wondering, what do baby bed bugs look like? Do they bite? And, perhaps most importantly, how can I get rid of these pests?

Baby bed bugs, which are also called nymphs, are actually similar in appearance to their adult counterparts, except for some key differences—mainly their size and their color. After hatching from tiny white eggs that are so small that they are difficult to see with the naked eye, bed bugs go through five stages before reaching adulthood.

First-stage nymphs are tiny (less than 1/16″)  and a pale, yellowish-white color. After feeding, baby bed bugs’ abdomens turn red due to the blood … Read Full Post »

What Is Digging Up My Lawn At Night And How Do I Stop It?

. Posted by in , • Houston
what is digging up my lawn at night

Plenty of homeowners have experienced the unpleasant shock of discovering unsightly holes, torn-up turf and piles of dirt scattered around the yard that seemed to appear while they were sleeping. If this has happened to you, you probably immediately wondered what is digging up your lawn at night.

Raccoons and skunks are two common grub-eating nocturnal culprits for digging in yards. Skunks tend to make shallow holes with loosened soil, while raccoons can actually use their front paws to pull up chunks of sod and flip them over to find whatever delicious food might lie beneath. Rabbits are burrowing animals that have also been known to dig holes in yards, and they have a better chance of doing so undetected at night. In addition, there are other animals that are active during the day, including squirrels, that might damage your lawn, and you may not discover the problem until the following … Read Full Post »

Florida Centipedes: How To Control And Prevent An Infestation

. Posted by in • Orlando
Florida centipedes

If you had to make a list of the creepiest of creepy-crawlies you’d rather not have in your home, Florida centipedes would probably be near the top. Who wants a pest with all those legs showing up inside?

Centipedes do more than freak Floridians out in the middle of the night. These creatures bite, which can be pretty painful, due to the toxins they release. You won’t get sick from a centipede bite, and they are certainly not fatal, but victims will tell you a close encounter is still quite unpleasant.

To make matters worse, these arthropods lay dozens of eggs at a time, which can easily turn into a horrifying centipede infestation in your home. To add insult to injury, a pest control expert will tell you that when centipedes show up inside your house, it’s likely that other pests are also present.

Why is that?

Centipedes are situated right in the middle … Read Full Post »

Do Mice Eat Roaches? Your Questions Answered

. Posted by in , • Houston
Do mice eat roaches

After checking your sticky traps for roaches, you may have noticed an odd phenomenon—roach legs are stuck on the trap, but the body is nowhere to be found. You don’t have any pets who could’ve eaten the pest, so maybe you have another creature in your home. This begs the question: Do mice eat roaches?

If you have ever wondered this, you aren’t alone, as homeowners who either experience this same phenomenon or those who spot these uninvited critters around their homes, garages or other areas of their property have asked themselves the same thing. After all, if mice feed on roaches, having mice around might not be all that bad.

The simple answer to the question of whether mice eat roaches is yes. A typical mouse diet can include cockroaches, both German and American varieties. Rats also happily dine on various species of cockroach, both large and small. Mice have even … Read Full Post »

Most Common Florida Spiders In Homes And Yards

. Posted by in • Orlando
Florida Spiders

Arachnophobia is widespread among people all over the world, including in Florida. As a matter of fact, some of the most common Florida spiders seem to be extra terrifying. Despite their sometimes frightening appearance, many of these arachnids are not dangerous—at least not to homeowners. However, the ability to identify those which can hurt you and those which can’t will give you peace of mind and help avoid any medical emergencies.

Here’s a list of the most common species found throughout the Sunshine State. Thankfully, these varieties aren’t dangerous to humans:

Crab Spiders

Don’t confuse this arachnid with the spiny-backed orb weaver, which is shaped like a crab. This type of spider gets its name from the way it holds its front two pairs of legs to the side, like crab pincers.

Crab spiders also tend to scuttle sideways and backward, similar to the beach-dwelling crustaceans. This arachnid does not spin webs. Instead, a … Read Full Post »

Do Skunks Hibernate? What Homeowners Need To Know

. Posted by in , • San Antonio
Do skunks hibernate

When cooler weather arrives, homeowners have to be extra cautious about wildlife and rodents coming to nest on their property. While skunks usually won’t nest in your home, you could find them nesting around your property, especially in the wintertime. But, why is that? Don’t skunks hibernate?

Skunks don’t necessarily hibernate, but they are considered dormant during the winter months, meaning that you likely won’t see these creatures in your yard during the coldest months of the year. This time period is scientifically known as torpor, and skunks will fall into this state as the temperature drops and food starts becoming scarce. A skunk’s body temperature will lower and their metabolism slows. Unlike an animal that is in hibernation, these creatures will remain inactive for short periods of time—typically during the day.

You may be wondering: If skunks are essentially asleep for the majority of the winter, why do I need to … Read Full Post »

How To Keep Raccoons Off Your Roof And Property

. Posted by in , • Houston
How to keep raccoons off your roof

Wondering about how to keep raccoons off your roof? If so, you certainly aren’t alone. Even if these nuisance animals didn’t carry disease or cause significant property damage, raccoons would still cause homeowners considerable trouble and annoyance, thanks to their ability to break into garbage bins and scatter trash everywhere in search of a meal. Thanks to the mess they make, the extensive damage they are capable of and their potential for spreading disease, raccoons are an unwelcome presence for almost any homeowner.

While hiring a pest control professional is the most effective and time-efficient method of keeping these critters off your roof, there are a few do-it-yourself tricks you can try before calling in the big guns:

  • Trim the trees around your home so the raccoons don’t have an easy pathway from your surrounding trees to your roof.
  • Keep vines and other plants that are growing up your home’s exterior short so … Read Full Post »

If You See One Mouse, How Many Do You Have?

. Posted by in , • Austin
If You See One Mouse, How Many Do You Have

You’ve had some strange happenings around your home lately, including noticing weird grease marks on your walls and your pets acting strangely. Your normally-calm dog starts barking and growling at your walls out of the blue, and you’re not sure what the issue could be. Then, you spot it: a mouse. But you just saw one, so it can’t be that bad of a situation, you tell yourself. But in reality you’re thinking: If you see one mouse, how many do you have?

Unfortunately, locating a single mouse on your property is not that different than finding a needle in a haystack. These small rodents keep to themselves, and they’re relatively quiet. With their main predators being adept hunters—including cats, snakes, owls, hawks and foxes—they have learned how to be excellent hiders and know how to get around without being detected.

So, if you’ve seen a mouse, especially during daylight hours, it … Read Full Post »

Carpenter Ant Bite: The Dangers These Ants Pose

. Posted by in , • Houston
Carpenter Ant Bite

Carpenter ant bites can be a big pain—quite literally. A bite on human skin looks like a pea-sized blemish, and the aftermath may feel like a strong pinch or even a quick burn on the skin. This is because when carpenter ants bite, these insects spray formic acid onto their victim. Formic acid isn’t necessarily dangerous to humans, but it does increase the intensity of the pain you feel. You can reduce the pain associated with a carpenter ant bite by washing the impacted area with soap and water right away. Doing so will flush away the formic acid that causes pain to the area, which should cause the discomfort to recede. If not, a cold compress or ice should help to soothe the bite site.

Don’t be surprised if a carpenter ant bite draws blood. These insects are equipped with really strong jaws to chew through wood to make nests. … Read Full Post »

Are Mosquitoes Attracted To Perfume?

. Posted by in , • Orlando
Are mosquitoes attracted to perfume

Spending time outside during certain times of the year can put you in closer contact with a number of insects. You’ve noticed those days you’re outdoors and wearing perfume, you’re getting bitten by mosquitoes more often. Is it all in your head, or are the rumors true? Are mosquitoes attracted to perfume?

Unfortunately, these insects are more likely to sense your presence if they can smell you. Mosquitoes feed on nectar when they aren’t producing eggs, so when we put on that fragrance, it sends off even more signals for them to come to find us. However, it’s not just a flowery perfume that could be attracting them—mosquitoes can smell deodorant, cologne, scented lotions and even fragranced body wash with the olfactory receptors in their antennae. By switching to unscented products, you could provide yourself with some degree of protection from itchy mosquito bumps.

There are many other rumors that get spread … Read Full Post »