The holidays in the North Carolina foothills have a rhythm all their own. Fraser firs come down from the high country, wood stoves and fireplaces get their first real workout of the season, and houses from Wilkesboro to Winston-Salem fill up with family, food, and boxes of decorations that have been sitting in the attic since last January. It is a season built around welcoming people in.
Unfortunately, pests take the invitation personally. Every one of those holiday traditions creates an opening: a tree carried inside with something already living in it, a stack of firewood by the back door, a pantry stocked deeper than it has been all year, and a house kept warm while the temperature outside drops into the twenties. Understanding where those openings are is the difference between a peaceful December and an unwelcome surprise in the middle of dinner.
Bringing home a fresh Fraser fir is one of the best parts of the holiday season across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. That tree spent close to a decade growing on a mountainside, in a field backing right up against the woods and surrounded by a tremendous amount of insect life. Every so often, a few of those insects make the trip into your living room.
The reassuring news is that this happens rarely, and the insects involved are harmless to people, pets, and structures. Knowing what to look for before the tree comes through the door is the difference between a five-minute curiosity and a frustrating December cleanup.
When you played hide-and-seek or tag as a kid, did you have a base? The base is the place where you’re safe from being tagged and getting out. For your family, your home is the base where you are safe from the challenges we face every day. Each person probably has their own spaces designed to help them recuperate, recover, and recharge.
However, you may not realize your place of refuge could also be home to many tiny freeloaders. There could be six, eight, and multi-hundred-legged creepy-crawling and flying pests hanging out in your house, believing they belong.
Does your house have bugs inside? The short answer is, most likely, yes. In this article, we’re helping you figure out if you have pests in your house and what to do about them.
Life in the Carolinas is intricately tied to the beauty of the great outdoors. From spring through fall, our weather is perfect for getting out and exploring nature. Even during winter, it is usually warm enough to spend at least some time outside. When it’s cold enough to snow, you can find the entire neighborhood gathered around the sledding hill from morning till night.
Unfortunately, sometimes the outdoors gets inside our homes. Bugs and pests crawl, fly, and worm their way into our houses and can bother our families. Some of these pests can cause harm to people and damage to your property. No one wants to find their homes infested with our least favorite part of the outdoors.
We live in one of the most beautiful places in the country. The Piedmont and foothills of the Carolinas and Virginia are home to peaceful rolling hills, stunning fast-flowing rivers, expansive views, and abundant wildlife. Each season has its distinctive beauty.
In spring, our area bursts in color as flowers and trees bloom. The greens of summer invite us to explore nature and provide the opportunity to see animals and swim in cold water swimming holes. The changing leaves put on a magnificent display during fall, while winter gives us a chance to see our area blanketed in snow.
Regardless of your favorite season, we all want to make sure we preserve and protect what makes our area special. Nevertheless, even the prettiest places are plagued by pesky pests. Some pests are not just a nuisance; they can damage our homes and threaten our health. How can we eradicate them without causing harm to the things we love?