DON'T LET ANNOYING PESTS RUIN YOUR HOLIDAYS: HOW TO AVOID UNWANTED HOUSE GUESTS

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season can bring about some unexpected visitors if you aren’t careful. Online shopping and the smell of fresh evergreen can put you in the Christmas spirit, but what should you look out for when opening that package or selecting that tree?

Cardboard packages tied up with string:

Packages sent from warm, moist climates could possibly contain some unwanted visitors. The cardboard acts like insulation for insects, such as bedbugs, cockroaches or spiders that might be looking to hitch a ride to your home. Some like bedbugs, can survive up to a month without food, others like cockroaches will resort to eating anything, even the glue inside the boxes.

It is best to open boxes outside or in your garage. If you can’t, keep the package contained until you open it and remove all garbage as soon as possible. It’s hard to check for signs, and as trained professionals we know what to look for. Infested cardboard that contain insect eggs or larvae will resemble seeds.

If insects do come with your package, there isn’t any reason to worry. They wouldn’t be able to survive in our climate because they would need to feed on insects that are not available here in the winter.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree:

A fresh cut Christmas tree can be home to insects, spiders or mites already. The cold temperatures outside kills most pest but when you bring your tree inside overwintering insects can be woken up by the heat in your home.

Before picking out the perfect tree, check it for signs of pest infestations. Look for nests, webs, empty casings and other signs that might point to a bug infestation.

Before bringing the tree inside, shake the tree, most places where you can cut your own tree offer courtesy shaking and wrapping. If not, shake the tree vigorously outside before bringing it inside, this will help dislodge any insects or spiders. 

Do not use pesticides on your tree. Not only are they extremely flammable, but it is much healthier to vacuum up dead insect off the floor than to put your loved ones in harms way.

These pests do not pose a serious problem on your tree indoors and won’t ruin your holidays. Insects, mites or spiders will stay within the tree as they are very unlikely to migrate from it and most of them will die because your house lacks sufficient humidity levels.