The holiday season brings us all together in the most extraordinary manner. Our homes become the focal point of amusement and social gatherings. While enjoying such a pleasant atmosphere of holidays, a pest infestation is the last thing you want to deal with. In winter, some bugs come inside the homes to warm themselves, while others are drawn to food, wood, and Christmas trees.
The five tips below can help you keep your house pest-free throughout the holidays.
Monitor the Items You Bring Inside
The holiday season is an amalgam of festivity and elation. Millions of homeowners and business owners adorn their homes and commercial spaces over the Christmas season. Christmas trees, garland, firewood, colorful lights, and other items are carried in from outdoors, bringing with them a slew of annoying insects.
Ants, spiders, and termites are all adept at hiding deep among the twigs and garlands of trees. To avoid letting pests into your home, consider unpacking all of your Christmas decorations outdoors and carefully inspect them before bringing them inside.
Keep Your Cooking Space is Clean & Tidy
If you enjoy cooking and have a large family, you are likely to spend a lot of time in the kitchen during holidays. The pleasant aroma of sugar cookies baking in the oven may lure family members from miles away, but it can also attract pests.
It’s essential to clean the kitchen properly to avoid an ant or cockroach infestation over the holidays. Scrub all counters to remove any crumbs or scents that might attract insects. To keep pantry bugs at bay, empty the trash regularly and don’t let baking dishes pile up in the sink.
Store Any Leftover Food Properly
With all of the Christmas activity, it’s easy to forget to clear up the food leftovers. Food is occasionally left out overnight, or dirty dishes accumulate in the sink. Worms, moths, roaches, and, of course, rats love these leftovers. Make sure leftover food is tightly packed in glass or plastic containers and stored in the fridge. Using paper or cardboard for storing leftovers isn’t effective as pests can easily access and invade them.
Keep Decorative Items in Tightly Sealed Boxes
There’s a good chance that your attic or basement is full of cardboard boxes containing Christmas ornaments, lights, candles, and other festive items. These boxes lay unused for months each year, providing a perfect hiding spot for pests such as beetles, roaches, and rats.
It’s normal and convenient to keep Christmas decorations in the cardboard boxes they came in, but make sure they are sealed as tightly as possible, not allowing pests to get inside.
Be Constantly Vigilant
The unpleasant truth of pest control is that the presence of one cockroach or bug typically suggests that many others are hiding in your walls, crevices, and corners around your home. Therefore, if you see any pests in your home this holiday season, buy some effective traps straight away to prevent the situation from getting worse.
Another efficient approach to eliminate winter pests is hiring a pest control company. Their qualified professionals can diagnose, monitor, and treat infestations. By opting for these services, you can ensure the health and safety of your family while providing them with a serene living environment to enjoy their holidays.
Pest infestation in Christmas Trees
For many households, Christmas trees are a must-have adornment throughout the holiday season as they are a symbol of ecstasy. Unfortunately, apart from happiness, these trees can also bring annoying bugs into your house. The following are the most frequent Christmas tree pests:
- Mites: Can cause needle shedding in Douglas fir, Fraser firs, white pines, and spruce trees.
- Beetles: Tiny wood-boring insects that are about the size of grains of rice. Bark beetles are most easily identified by holes they made in the limbs or trunks of the trees.
- Aphids: Small sap-sucking insects mostly found on the lower branches of evergreen trees such as balsam fir, spruce, Fraser firs, and white firs.
Tips to Prevent Christmas Tree Pests
There are a number of ways to keep Christmas tree pests at bay.
- Inspect the Christmas tree before buying it.
- Give your Christmas tree a good shake before taking it home.
- Leave your Christmas tree for a few days in the garage before bringing it inside the home.
- If you find any fallen needles or errant bugs beneath the tree, vacuum them up.
- Keep an eye out for the damage caused by pests.
