ABC Blog
Choose a City

Do Raccoons Eat Cats? Protecting Pets From Wildlife

. Posted by in , • Orlando
Do raccoons eat cats

Do raccoons eat cats? It’s a question many cat-loving homeowners have pondered. If you have a furry companion that spends time outdoors, especially at night, you may worry about your cat’s safety, and with good reason. While raccoons tend not to be aggressive, cats sometimes can be, and backyard standoffs may result when there is a dispute over territory or, especially, food.

Fights between felines and raccoons are not unheard of, and raccoons can carry rabies, roundworm and other infectious diseases, so any clash between a cat and a raccoon poses a potential threat to the cat’s health, not to mention your own. So yes, under some circumstances, raccoons can and will kill a cat, and if they do, they may go as far as to eat your beloved pet. For all of these reasons, it’s important to learn about raccoons and their behavior around household pets, so you’ll know how … Read Full Post »

Roach Eggs: How To Prevent An Infestation

. Posted by in • Houston
Roach eggs

Cockroaches have been crawling across the Earth for quite a long time—350 million years, to be exact. That’s far longer than human beings have been around; in fact, roaches even predate dinosaurs. This hardy, adaptable species with incredible longevity is certainly disliked, arguably for good reason. Roaches spread bacteria including salmonella, streptococcus and staphylococcus, and they have been linked to health problems including asthma, dysentery and even polio. Their ability to feed on almost anything can also lead to extensive property destruction, as they will happily eat their way through cardboard boxes, books and magazines and even electrical wiring.

For all these reasons and more, it can be alarming to find roach eggs in your home, since the presence of roach eggs means that roaches are living and breeding nearby. If you think you may have found roach eggs, read on to learn about how to identify different types of cockroach … Read Full Post »

Does Cold Weather Kill Fleas? Your Questions Answered

. Posted by in , • San Antonio

You couldn’t help yourself. You saw the cutest dog and decided she needed to become part of your household.

Six months later it happened. You woke up scratching.

Oh no.

Immediately you checked out your pup. And it was just as you feared: fleas.

The next day you got flea shampoo, thinking that would be that.

But a few days later, you woke up scratching again.

The shampoo wasn’t enough. Maybe you hadn’t killed them all the first time. Or maybe your furry family member was re-infesting the house with fleas from outside.

When the weather began getting colder, you thought perhaps you’d just wait them out. After all, wasn’t the cold supposed to kill fleas?

Not exactly.

Homeowners tend to underestimate fleas because we’ve been taught that they’re no big deal. Most of us assume that we can just head to the store and buy something and it will solve our problems like snapping our fingers.

Sometimes, though, it doesn’t, … Read Full Post »

Do Termites Bite? Risks Posed By These Dangerous Pests

. Posted by in , • Orlando
Do termites bite

Do termites bite? This is a common question among individuals who encounter these destructive insects around their home or yard. For one thing, when you spot termites in or around your home, you’re probably seeing adult termites, which can look quite a bit like ants—and we all know that ants bite. Plus, it’s well-known that termites feed on wood. A typical termite colony can number in the many thousands, and these critters are capable of destroying entire structures by weakening the frame as they feed on and tunnel through it. If a termite can chew through wood, then it stands to reason that it could bite a human or a dog, right?

Well, not necessarily. The answer to whether termites bite people is a bit complicated, but the simple answer is that it’s unlikely you’ll ever be bitten by a termite. Here’s why.

To understand why you’ll probably never be the victim of … Read Full Post »

Squash Vine Borer: Protecting Your Plants From This Pest

. Posted by in • Corpus Christi
Squash vine borer

Squash is a very versatile vegetable. You can use it in salads and soups to up the nutrient profile. Some prefer it fried in copious amounts of butter for a delicious, yet simple side. Still others choose to turn it into a number of delicious and hearty casseroles.

Given all the ways you can use this plant, it’s no surprise that many homeowners add some summer squash to their garden. Say you decided to as well and followed all the best practices: planting after the last frost; choosing a well-drained, sunny area; using compost; adding a slow-release fertilizer; planting only a few seedlings per “hill”; keeping the hills three to four feet apart and watering early, so the leaves had plenty of time to dry.

Just as the plants started to grow, the wilting began. No matter what you did, you couldn’t seem to do anything to help the situation. Sadly, the … Read Full Post »

What You Need to Know About Drywood Termites

. Posted by in , ,
drywood termites

Termites are easily one of the most expensive types of pest infestations that can plague your home. They can chew away at important structures undetected for weeks and cause major damage to your property.

The best way to help prevent termite damage is to become more educated about the pests causing it. Here is our comprehensive guide covering what you need to know about drywood termites from ABC Home & Commercial Services.

What Do Drywood Termites Look Like?

Unless you are an extermination expert, correctly identifying insects can be tricky and confusing. Sometimes it can help to compare the insects on your property to pictures on the internet, but many species have a range of different colors and sizes that are considered normal. Here are some of the key characteristics of drywood termites to help you identify them.

  • Size – Drywood termites differ in size according to their role in the colony. Soldier termites … Read Full Post »

How to Get Rid of Rodents

. Posted by in , ,

Mice and rats can pose some of the most difficult pest control problems for homeowners. They can squeeze themselves through extremely tiny spaces and wreak havoc everywhere they go.

At ABC Home & Commercial Services, we have years of experience eliminating and preventing rodent problems in homes or businesses. Here are some tips from our extermination experts on how to get rid of rodents.

Seal up entry points.

By closing off entry points to your home, you can prevent rodents who live outdoors from sneaking inside. Mice and rats can flatten and contort their bodies to fit through spaces that seem like they would be too small. To test whether or not a mouse can squeeze through an opening, see if you can fit a pencil inside. It the pencil fits, the mouse can too. Seal up cracks and holes in the foundation, walls, and molding.

Seal up food.

Mice and rats can chew through … Read Full Post »

The Difference Between Bed Bug Bites And Mosquito Bites

. Posted by in • Orlando
Difference between bed bug bites and mosquito bites

Unless you live inside an air-conditioned bubble, you’re likely to find yourself scratching your skin at some point throughout the year as you come into contact with different varieties of biting insects. Both indoors and outdoors, and especially during the summer, you might have run-ins with fleas, mosquitoes, horse flies, black flies or even—shudder—bed bugs. Bed bugs can be very difficult to get rid of, so finding suspicious, itchy welts on your skin can cause momentary panic as you try to figure out the culprit. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to tell the difference between bed bug bites and mosquito bites or the bites of other insects, as long as you know what to look for. Read on to learn about various insect bites and the signs and symptoms that will indicate which pesky pest has taken a chomp out of you.

Mosquito Bites Vs. Flea Bites

Here’s the good news: Most common … Read Full Post »

Jumping Spider: Texas Homeowners’ Questions Answered

. Posted by in • San Antonio
Jumping spider Texas

Ever seen a jumping spider? Chances are, if you live in Texas you have—and seeing it move so quickly in its trademark jerky, hopping manner probably either made you lean closer in curiosity or gave you the shock of your life, if not both. There are a few things about a jumping spider Texas homeowners need to know: For starters, these little critters are no scarier than any other eight-legged arachnid. They’re just startling because they move so far, so quickly! Their appearance may seem a bit threatening, however. When crossing paths with one of these, any reasonable person might wonder, do jumping spiders bite? Let’s find out more about the jumping spider to learn where they live, whether they bite people and what to do when you find them living in your home.

Do Jumping Spiders Bite?

Before we discuss whether jumping spiders bite, let’s first learn how to identify these … Read Full Post »

Can Fleas Fly? How To Handle An Infestation

. Posted by in • Houston
Can fleas fly

Do you live with a furry pet? If so, whether you have a dog, cat, ferret, guinea pig or something else, there’s a possibility that you are also living with fleas. This is true even if you are meticulous about cleaning your home and bathing your pet. Furthermore, the risk of a flea infestation increases if your pet spends time both indoors and outdoors.

Unfortunately, it’s also possible to have a flea infestation in your home even if you don’t have pets. If squirrels, rats or other rodents make a nest or get trapped inside your attic or walls, they can carry fleas that travel into your living spaces in search of a human blood meal.

A flea infestation is a highly undesirable situation. Not only are flea bites itchy and annoying at best, these tiny parasites can also cause health problems in dogs and other animals such as anemia, hair … Read Full Post »