This article will equip you with strategies to fend off creepy crawlers as they seek refuge from the winter weather in your home. By breaking up seasonal bugs into two groups, we can explore the ways to avoid both types this winter.
The first tips provided will help you to avoid Christmas tree bugs before moving on to discuss other holiday pests that take advantage of annual traditions to breach your home. Grab your favorite fly swatter, and let’s get started.
Keeping the Pests Out This Holiday
Tree Bugs: What Are They, and How to Avoid Them
One of the most common ways bugs infiltrate your home during the holiday season may have to do with a long-standing tradition. That’s right, your Christmas tree is a piece of nature, and bringing it into your home runs the risk of bringing in bugs along with it.
Some of the tree bugs you will encounter most frequently include aphids, small sap-sucking creatures, adelgids, tiny wax-producing critters, and of course, various types of spiders. While many of these pests are relatively harmless, they still cause annoyance.
The best way to remove them is by avoiding them in the first place. A close inspection of your tree before it is brought inside, paired with a hearty shake, can help to dislodge attached bugs. Make sure you conduct your search with a bright flashlight and pay special attention to areas such as the needle bases.
If you have an ozone machine and ozonate your home, you can also do this with the tree in the room. Just make sure no animals are present, including humans!
If pests do manage to make their way indoors, whipping out your trusty vacuum may be your best solution. By vacuuming under your tree regularly, you can prevent Christmas bugs from moving from the tree into your home.
As you try to manage these critters, we do not recommend using insecticide on or near your tree to treat these bugs, as it could be harmful to you, the tree, or your home. We highly encourage you to try some of the other tips we provided and make sure you think about your own safety and the safety of your tree as you remove pests this year.
Other Holiday Bugs
Another reason pests are prevalent at this time also has to do with holiday traditions. Moving decorations, seasonal goods, or other items out of storage could carry bugs into your living space. One of the best ways to avoid this is by cleaning boxes and goods before removing them from storage.
Specific decorations are known to carry or attract bugs. For example, popular decor items like potpourri, a mixture of dried fragrant plant materials, may be helping to make your home smell nice, but they could also be appealing to potential critters. Make sure to think carefully about decorations, especially if you are sensitive to bugs.
Pests have also been known to travel within packed goods, which are popular this time of year, so make sure you inspect packages closely for signs of bugs or other pest-related issues. The signals of pest activity range from droppings, or discarded wings, to scratches, bites, and more.
The ample amount and variety of food items during the holidays may serve as a large flashing neon sign for hungry pests looking for a quick meal. They especially love sweet foods common to this time of year. This means that it is critical to store food correctly and keep things covered whenever possible. Do not leave cups and plates sitting around this winter.
These non-tree holiday bugs come in all shapes and sizes. So, unfortunately, there is not a one size fits all solution to dealing with them. We have gone over some of the popular methods used to minimize their presence but do not be afraid to get creative and always be looking over your shoulder to find where the pests may strike next.
Say Goodbye to Pests This Holiday Season
With these helpful tips, you won’t find yourself wasting away the holiday killing pests and sweeping up bugs. No one wants to deal with the stresses of pests on top of everything else the holidays throw at you. So as you prepare for winter, remember to shake and inspect your Christmas tree before it comes in, and sweep around it regularly.
To avoid other bugs, make sure you are thoughtfully considering decoration choice and storage and be ready to say goodbye to decor items like potpourri. We hope these tips help you to enjoy a warm, happy, and pest-free holiday season this year. But if bugs do become a problem this year, reach out to your friends at Rid-A-Bug Exterminating to get rid of them in no time.