Pest Library

Cockroaches

German cockroaches, American cockroaches, and smoky brown cockroaches are types of roaches that home and business owners in Texas deal with on a year-round basis. They move into our homes on their own, or more commonly, we unknowingly introduce them. Cockroaches move from place to place by hitchhiking in things like boxes, furniture, appliances, and deliveries. These pests can be introduced into any structure, meaning any of our Humble homes are susceptible to cockroaches.

When it comes to cockroaches, it is important to understand why we should never tolerate them, even for a day, in our homes or businesses. These pests are much more than a nuisance; they are a significant danger to people, our food sources, and our property. Before coming into your home and once they're there, cockroaches hang out in less than sanitary areas like trash, sewers, drains, decaying vegetation, and damp areas around toilets and tubs. On their bodies, cockroaches carry bacteria, parasites, and pathogens that make people ill. They also emit a musty, unpleasant odor, chew holes in fabrics, and contaminate food. At the first sign of these pests in your house, take action to eliminate them as quickly as possible by partnering with a local and experienced professional!

To make your home as unattractive to cockroaches as possible, we want to provide you with the following prevention tips:

• Regularly vacuum and dust your house to pick up the crumbs that cockroaches like to feast on.
• Place all trash bags in containers with tight-fitting lids.
• Clean up uneaten pet food daily.
• Eliminate excess water that attracts cockroaches by repairing leaky pipes, ensuring good ventilation, and using dehumidifiers.
• Inspect secondhand furniture, appliances, and other items for cockroaches before bringing them into your home.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are pests that we regularly deal with in our yards in large numbers. They are such a regular sight that we forget just how dangerous these pests are. Not only do female mosquitoes deliver itchy, painful bites, but during the feeding process, they can transmit diseases and parasites that can make people and animals ill. While not every mosquito you encounter is disease-ridden, many are, so avoiding contact with them and limiting their numbers on your property is important.

In Texas, mosquitoes are almost a year-round threat, and our warm, humid weather provides them with a perfect place to live and breed in large numbers. Not only do mosquitoes spread diseases, but they make enjoying our outdoor spaces impossible. It is hard to sit outside, eat outside, garden, or mow your lawn when constantly swarmed by biting mosquitoes! The biggest reason mosquitoes are attracted to any area is because there is standing water. Female mosquitoes lay their eggs on top of standing water, the eggs hatch into larvae, and those larvae then develop into new biting adults. The more breeding sites present, the more mosquitoes there will be!

To make your yard as unattractive to mosquitoes as possible, we want to provide you with the following prevention tips.

• Fill in low-lying areas that collect rainwater.
• Remove piles of brush, wood, and other debris where rainwater can pool.
• Store containers like buckets upside down when they are not in use.
• Keep gutters and downspouts clear of debris to keep water flowing freely and away from the outside of your house.
• Cut your grass regularly and cut back overgrown shrubs.

Spiders

There are many different species of spiders that we regularly see resting, hanging, and scurrying around our yards and homes. Though they vary in size and shape, there are certain physical features all spiders have in common:

• Eight legs
• Two body parts
• Many eyes
• Venom that they use to paralyze their prey
• Chelicerae or fangs used to inject venom into their prey
• The ability to produce silk

Spiders are adept predators that feed on a wide variety of insects and are an important part of the ecosystem. These predatory arachnids help to control populations of nuisance and dangerous insects.

Spiders are not aggressive, and most pose no real threat to people. In fact, in the United States, only a couple of species have venom strong enough to cause harm to us. Spider bites are typically accidental and usually occur after you come into contact with a hiding spider. Spiders are a common pest problem, as our yards naturally provide them shelter, water sources, and plenty of places to hide. Preferring to live outside, spiders usually only move into our homes after following their prey indoors or while looking for a safe place to lay their eggs. Unfortunately, once they move inside, they will stay as long as there is food and water. The presence of spiders typically means you have an overall pest problem that you have to address. If you don't get rid of the insects, spiders will keep returning.

To make your yard as unattractive to spiders as possible, we want to provide you with the following prevention tips:

• Spiders are naturally shy and reclusive. Remove clutter from your yard and home where they like to hide.
• Keep your lawn cut short and cut back overgrown shrubs and vegetation.
• Routinely inspect areas on your property like spaces under decks, stairwells, windows sills, and crawl spaces for hiding spiders.
• Regularly dust and vacuum your home to remove stray spiders and their webs.
• Keep spiders and the insects they hunt out of your home by sealing up cracks and crevices in exterior walls, the foundation, and around windows and doors.