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The holiday season is upon us once more, and it’s time to break out the traditions! For some, this means holiday lights, festive garlands and cozy fires in the fireplace. These seemingly harmless activities have the potential to allow unwanted pests into your living space. Read on to learn about some of the most common ways that we unintentionally bring pests into our homes.
Trees & Live Greenery
One of the most common ways that pests get introduced into homes is by literally bringing the outdoors in. Live Christmas trees and fresh greenery used in wreaths and garland are a big culprit for housing unwanted house guests.
Ants, spiders and sometimes even ticks can be hiding in the bark and branches of these items, making their way inside unknowingly. One way to avoid this is to thoroughly check all items before bringing indoors, and
make sure to shake off greenery outdoors to help remove any insects or eggs that are hiding in its depths.
Firewood
Bringing firewood into your home to start a toasty warm fire in the cold winter is a favorite tradition for many people. However, if these logs have been sitting outdoors for a long period of time, they most likely have been collecting insects and eggs. Dry log piles with many cracks and crevices provide the perfect
habitat for pests seeking shelter from winter weather. Make sure to check log piles for rodents, spiders, ants and even snakes before reaching into a stack to grab a log. Toss logs away from the pile and shake off to remove any unwanted pests before bringing inside.
Storage Boxes
Another common place that pests can hide in our homes is within and around storage boxes and other holiday decorations. They sit in attics, basements, or garages going untouched for much of the year, so they provide a safe and warm place for rodents and other pests to hide away without being disturbed. They may also chew through or destroy decorations that are kept within the boxes, including strings of lights. Make sure to carefully check strands of holiday lights prior to hanging up to make sure there are no frayed wires. The best way to avoid this type of damage in the future is to store any decorations in hard plastic containers with tight fitting lids.
While it’s easy to overlook these simple preventative measures during the busy holiday season, following our guidelines above can help reduce the possibility of introducing pests into your home. If you do end up with an infestation, there’s no need to panic! Just give the experts at Richland Pest & Bee Control a call at 1-800-308-9126 for a free estimate. We can quickly and efficiently take care of your pest problems so that you can enjoy the holidays in a pest-free home!
