If you’ve lived in Pest Control in Brownsville LLC for a while, you know that fighting bugs is as Texan as BBQ and Friday night football. Ants don’t just come by; they act like they pay HOA dues. You might enter the pantry and expect to see them throwing a block party in your cereal box.

The bugs come next. They come out of nowhere and move like they own the place. You could swear you saw a small brown blur run behind the toilet when you turned on the bathroom light after dark. You probably have had at least one fight with a shoe in your hand, and your heart was racing a little faster than you wanted it to.

It’s a different story with mosquitoes. Don’t drink lemonade on the porch unless you want to be a buffet. Even the “natural” cures you find online don’t do much to help. The heat and humidity in Brownsville make these pests happy. After a good rain, they come in droves, along with termites, daring rats, and the odd spider. When the weather gets muggy, it’s like a sound check for their biggest hits tour.

Let me tell you about ways to accomplish things yourself. You can set some traps or buy a spray, that’s for sure. That might stop the stragglers, but the big artillery is concealed somewhere, like in the walls or under the fridge. We all want to be MacGyver, but sometimes you just get angry and ashamed about how many insect spray bottles you’ve bought this month.

And really, peppermint oil? A friend once swore by it. Before you knew it, his house still looked like a bug convention. Some bugs don’t mind the smell of a clean kitchen.

Getting help from a professional doesn’t mean you’re less capable. It’s just being clever. The people who do this for a job know where to look—behind baseboards, beneath porches, and in attics. If you ask around, someone on your neighborhood will have a favorite pest control company or a crazy story about a pest. That’s how people live together here.

My neighbor Ed said something smart: “Trapping raccoons is like trying to outsmart teenagers; just when you think you’ve blocked their way, they find another way in.” He believed he had gotten rid of them for good one summer, but then he saw three fat raccoons lying by the pool cover.

Keep your area clean. Bugs and mice like to hang out in dark, filthy places. There are pools of water by the garage? Mosquitoes think it’s a great place to live. Fix the screens, fill in the holes, and get rid of the trash. No one wants to give bugs another reason to stay.

I think that a good night’s sleep in Brownsville is knowing that the bugs are outnumbered and outsmarted. Be alert, keep an eye on your surroundings, and don’t be hesitant to ask for help. In this area, it’s better to fight intelligently, with some aid from the pros and a lot of local knowledge. Sleep well, for those little guys do get up to things at night sometimes.