Happy New Year!
Ringing in the New Year, for most people, also means the start of your New Year’s resolutions. Usually, those resolutions include working out, getting more organized, or focusing more on your favorite hobby, but if you are a homeowner one of the best resolutions you can make is pest control.
January is the month where we set out with the best of intentions in following and keeping with our resolutions, but it is easy to fall off course. However, when it comes to maintaining your home, pest control shouldn’t be one of those resolutions that falls to the wayside.
While pest problems often vary by season – mice and spiders crawl your house during the cold winter months, and ants, mosquitoes, and ticks are more common as the temperatures get warmer – there are steps that you as a homeowner can take long after the ball drops to ensure a happy and pest-free New Year!
Putting your Best Foot Forward with Pest Control
Pests are a year round problem, they don’t take time off for the holidays or to go on vacation, which is why it is important to always be on the lookout for signs of insect and rodent activity. Pest control isn’t a service you can do once a year or once every few years and forget about it because there is no single insecticide or tactic that will work forever. Because of this, it is important to be able to recognize when there is a problem.
Our team at Sigma Pest recommends starting each season and year with a pest control check up. You most likely already carry out some pest control practices at the start of the season by replacing your screen doors or doing a deep clean as you head into the New Year. And by simply adding a preventive pest control package to your routine can help to ensure a safe home.
What you Can do for Pest Control
While we always recommend leaving pest control services to the professionals, there are a few things you can do to help prevent pests from entering your home. The best pest control practice is a preventative treatment method, and this happens on the side of the homeowner and the pros.
Start The New Year Clutter Free
Now that the holidays are over, and you are taking down the holly and mistletoe to put back into storage, this is the perfect time for you to go through your storage spaces. While you are organizing it is important to replace any cardboard boxes with sealable plastic bins. This will help to prevent pests from entering these boxes and living among your things. This organization also helps you inspect the low traffic areas throughout your home to see if there are any signs of infestation.
Check for Entry Points
During the winter there is a high probability that you have pests living inside your home even if you don’t see them. And as the weather begins to get warmer these pests start to come out from hiding and move through your home.
The Spring season also brings tons of rain, causing pests to retreat back inside to avoid the rainfall. It is during this season when insects such as ants, will create colonies within your walls. This is why it is important to check your home before each season to seal off any gaps and cracks that you may find. In doing this you are helping to reduce the number of insects that will enter your home during this peak season. These practices combined with professional pest control will help to keep your home free of pests.
Pay Attention to your Kitchen
Keeping an eye on your kitchen is extremely important throughout each season. During the winter and cold seasons, mice are the primary pest concern for homeowners, and keeping your kitchen clean is an important step in eliminating pest activity. Even the tiniest amount of food left out on the counter can attract mice and insects like ants that are seeking out food for their colonies. The best way to combat common kitchen pests is by wiping down your counters and surfaces daily and to make sure the floor is free of crumbs. It is also important for you to store food in air-tight containers and off of the ground to aid in your pest control.
Remove Dead Foliage
Storms during the winter can cause significant amounts of debris to pile up in your yard and more often than not, homeowners will leave this debris untouched until spring starts. So if there are a few days without any snow and the weather is warm enough you should head outside and try to clear away as much of this debris as possible. These leaves and sticks become homes for unwanted pests like ants and spiders and by removing them from around your home you will help to reduce the chance of these insects entering your home.
When you have regular pest control services the inspector also takes the time to examine the area around your home for any dead foliage, cracks in the foundation, and other signs of an infestation. By clearing the debris from your yard you are helping to reduce the chance of insects entering your home.
Clean your Vents and Air Ducts
The start of the new year is also a time when many people take on home projects that often get ignored and one of those projects is the cleaning of your vents and air ducts. Cleaning your vents and cuts will not only help reduce pest activity but also help to reduce the risk of fire and help you become aware of any other access points that pests have been using to enter your home. If you do find signs of pests throughout your air ventilation system it is important to get professional pest control services immediately.
Call Sigma Pest to Protect your Home This New Year
When it comes to pest control and dealing with pests it is important to trust the professionals. While taking precautions on a day to day basis to avoid an infestation is important, having regular pest surfaces is even more important to ensure the safety of your home. From quarterly pest control services and single service options, to even monthly services, our team at Sigma Pest is able to help you come up with a plan that best fits your home and its needs. Give us a call today to kick off the New Year right with one of our specialized pest control packages.