The Best New Year's Resolution: Pest Control

As the new year approaches, you’re probably thinking about how you can improve your life for 2023, meaning you’re figuring out your new year’s resolution! This may be anything from eating healthier to organizing your home, to getting a dog.  

Well, one underrated resolution that can benefit both your home and your overall well-being is prioritizing pest control. Pests can not only be a nuisance, but they can also cause damage to your home and cause stress. 

So, I’m going to give you some reasons why making pest control a priority is the best idea for your new year’s resolution: 

Protect your home: Pests like termites, ants, and rodents can cause a lot of damage to your home and possessions. By preventing infestations, you can save yourself the costly repairs and replacements that may be necessary if pests are left unchecked.

Improve your health: While rare, some pests, such as mosquitoes and ticks, can transmit illnesses to humans. Others, such as cockroaches and mice, can carry allergens and bacteria that can trigger asthma and other respiratory issues. By keeping pests at bay, you can reduce your risk of exposure to these health risks.

Improve your mental health: Pests aren’t just a risk to your physical health, they can also cause stress and anxiety. It can be difficult to sleep when you can hear a rat scurrying in the walls, or when you know ants are raiding your bathroom.  

Save money: Pest control can be expensive, especially if you have to call a professional to handle a severe infestation. By taking proactive measures to prevent pests from becoming a problem in the first place, you can save yourself money in the long run.

Develop better habits: Certain aspects of pest control can improve your life in ways beyond preventing pests. One essential habit to prevent pests for example is keeping the kitchen clean: not only will cleaning the kitchen keep the pests away, but it’s beneficial to live in a clean house overall. Cleaning and eliminating clutter can help reduce stress and make you feel more focused. 

What can you do to prioritize pest control for 2023? The key is prevention. If you make your home unattractive to pests to begin with, the pests may skip your home and move on to the next stop. 

Ant Control

The first step to preventing ants is to seal any cracks or openings in your foundation, windows, and doors. Use caulk or another sealant to these openings and also make sure screens are in working order. 

Keeping a clean kitchen is also important for ant control since ants are drawn to sugary foods. Developing a habit of cleaning after cooking and eating can save your home from sugar ants in your kitchen. 

Mosquito Control 

Mosquitoes and other pests are attracted to standing water, so eliminating it can help keep them away. This includes emptying outdoor containers such as buckets, wheelbarrows, and bird baths on a regular basis. Fix any leaks or plumbing issues that may be causing standing water inside your home as well.

Be sure to check your gutters. Gutters can collect debris, causing standing water to pool. Regularly clean them to avoid mosquitoes breeding inside.

Lawn Pest Control

Keep your yard and garden well-maintained. This includes mowing and watering your lawn. It’s important to mow your lawn the correct length and water it with the right timing to prevent lawn pests like chinch bugs and grubs from invading. 
Overgrown plants and weeds in your garden can provide shelter and a place for pests to breed. Regularly trimming and pruning your plants can reduce the risk of infestation. Remove any debris or clutter from your yard, such as dead branches, leaves and tree stumps as these can also provide a place for lawn pests and outdoor ants like pavement ants to hide.

Rodent Control

Like ants, spiders, and other pests, it’s important to seal entry points to prevent rodents. Mice can fit through holes about ¼ inch wide (about the width of a pencil!) so you’ll want to pay close attention to any gaps. 

This includes gaps in your chimney, AC ducts, plumbing vents on the roof, soffit vents, roof returns, gable vent screens, electrical wiring, gas lines, and around doors and windows. Inside your home, there may be gaps in your attics and crawl spaces, floor drains, appliances, and behind cabinets. 

Materials for sealing rodent entry points include steel and copper mesh, steel hardware cloth, concrete, mortar and caulk which can be purchased at a local home and garden store.

It’s also important to keep food sealed to prevent rodents. Use airtight containers to store food, and don’t leave food out overnight. Like most pests, rodents are in your home because of the shelter, food and water sources offered to them.  

Silverfish Control

Reduce clutter to get rid of silverfish. Certain pests like cockroaches and silverfish love clutter. Silverfish specifically love sugars found in household products such as newspapers, books, and furniture, and can cause damage. 

Cockroach Control 

To prevent cockroaches in 2023, eliminate moisture. Pests including cockroaches, ants, and silverfish are drawn to moisture. By keeping your home well-ventilated, you can eliminate these pests. 

Use a dehumidifier and target areas of your home that draw in the most moisture such as the bathroom, kitchen, and attic. You can also get your plumbing inspected for hidden leaks. Cockroaches are attracted to leaky pipes and other plumbing issues. 

Spider Control 

While spiders are beneficial to our ecosystem, you may not want them in your house. One way to prevent spiders in West Palm Beach is to get rid of their habitat - their webs. You can de-web your home easily by using a vacuum cleaner.

If you’re currently experiencing a problem with spiders in your home, consider buying a spider catcher–these tools are designed to capture spiders and return them to the wild alive. 

Professional Pest Control 

The best way to prevent pests in the New Year is by setting up a professional pest control plan. You don’t need to have a pest issue for this to be worth it. Prevention is the key to pest control, and by calling a professional pest control company like Native Pest Management, you won’t have to worry about pests coming into your home

Native Pest Management can provide professional rodent control, ant control, cockroach control, termite control, mosquito control, and more to help you kickstart 2023 on a good note. Pest control doesn’t have to be stressful; in fact, the process can be stress-reducing from the satisfaction of getting what doesn’t belong in your home, out of your home. 

Our pest control services include: 

• Home pest control for ants, cockroaches, millipedes, pantry pests, spiders, and earwigs 
• Commercial pest control 
• Preventative pest control 
• Ant control 
• Cockroach control 
• Mosquito control 
• Bed bug control 
• Whitefly control 
• Lawn pest control 
• Lawn care
• Palm tree care
• Palm tree beautification

This New Year, put professional pest control on your to-do list to be set with a pest free home. Practice DIY pest control or set up a pest control plan with Native Pest Management. Call us today to learn how we can make your home free of cockroaches, ants, termites, and more for the new year!