As the year ends, there are a lot of people who are starting to think about their holiday décor. You are thinking of mistletoe and holly boughs. There is probably one thing that you might not be thinking about right now: Bugs. The holiday season usually brings with it bugs. You may love having many guests in your house. However, we are willing to bet that you do not want pests to come in as well.
Here are some holiday decorating tips to make sure you have a pest-free holiday.
First, Check Your Trimmings
When you bring trimmings into your house, you are taking a risk. Whether you are bringing in mistletoe and holly or carrying in a tree, you need to do a check. You want to make sure that none of the lovelies you are bringing in from nature has bugs on it. These shrubberies could carry insects, such as ticks, spiders, mites, ants, and mice. Once they are in your house, it is not that easy to remove them. Some tree farms spray their Christmas trees for insects before they sell them, so make sure to ask.
About Those Indoor Decorations
We all have boxes of holiday decorations just sitting around. They are in the attic, garage, or another storage area. You put them in storage every year, and you think that they are safe. However, while you have your decorations stored away, they could become a home for rodents and roaches. You will want to open all those boxes outside and check for evidence of pest damage. Signs of damage would include frayed wires and shredded paper, as well as droppings. If you open the boxes outside, the pests are much less likely to get into your house.
Santa’s Cookies? Hanukkah Chocolate? Don’t Leave Them Out
People consume a lot of food and candy during the holiday season. We leave out desserts and sweets for our guests to snack on while they are with us. We put candy in stockings and play for chocolate with dreidels. We even have chocolate and fruit sitting out for Kwanzaa. Your sweet stuff is very tempting to bugs and rodents. They like the sweet smell these items give off. You need to make sure you seal these goodies in bags so that pests can’t get to them.
Store Properly
Before the next holiday season rolls around, you can be proactive. First, you need to store all your decorations in plastic bags so that they will not attract bugs. You could store those plastic bags in hard, plastic bins with lids. These make it difficult for pests to get into. You may want to spray your wreaths with bug spray to keep pests out of them as well.
The Holiday Trash
After the holidays are over and you’re cleaning up, be careful where you put trash, and how you store it. You must store all the wood, leaves, and berries away from the house so that they do not attract bugs. You will also want to break down and recycle cardboard and paper products, so they don’t remain outside your home.
Are you worried that holiday pests could ruin your holidays if they find their way into your home? If yes, why not give us a call? Contact NJ Pest Control, in Randolph, N.J., and let us help you with your holiday pest concerns.
We would be happy to make sure you have a pest-free holiday season. That way, you can feel at peace before you host those holiday parties or invite your family over for dinner.
We serve the counties of Morris, Bergen, Passaic, Union, Essex, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset. Give us a call to see if we serve your town within the counties listed.
Contact us today for your pest-free holiday!
