The time of year to be merry and bright is just around the corner, with eggnog a-flowing, Christmas trees a-sparkling, and the crowds at the mall just a little bit thicker! It’s time to deck the halls, whether we are ready for it or not. All of us love the festivity and cheer of the holiday season, but do you know what we don’t love? The presence of pests in our holiday decorations.
The busyness of the holiday season is not lost on conniving pest species. Loads of pests love to stow away in cardboard boxes in our attics, stacked against the walls of our garage, or huddled up in baskets stashed away in outdoor sheds. A few of these malicious pests include:
- Spiders such as Wolf spiders, Black widows, and Orb weavers.
- Silverfish and other decay-loving creatures.
- Smelly stink bugs and their families.
- Rodents such as mice and rats hiding out for food.
Each one of the pests listed here causes a different type of problem in Tukwila homes. Some pests like to chew on the wiring of our Christmas lights. Other pests eat up precious ornaments and other keepsakes. Still, others will use your decorations for nest material, all but ruining your yearly festive displays. What should you do to keep pests out of your holiday décor? We thought you’d never ask!
How To Care For Holiday Decorations – Pest Edition
Whether you are unloading or packing in your holiday decorations for the year, it will be important to start with some of the basics of pest control.
- First, start by securing the home you live in. Caulk all cracks, crevices, and fissures about the house with a waterproof sealant.
- Keep household moisture levels to a habitable low with dehumidifiers and desiccant bags.
- Sweep, vacuum, and mop often to eliminate food options for roaming pests.
Once you have secured your home, it will be important to protect your Christmas decorations by following these steps:
- Start by bringing all of your Christmas decoration boxes outside. As you unpack, be on the lookout for the signs of pest activity, such as gnaw marks on Christmas lights and excrement stains on wreaths and fabrics.
- The boxes we choose to store our Christmas decorations in can make the difference between infestation and no infestation in the home. Repack your untainted decorations in durable plastic storage bins instead of cardboard boxes. Cardboard tends to attract more pests than it dispels, making it a less than reliable storage solution.
- Check your live Christmas tree for pest activity before bringing it into the house. For artificial trees, store your remnants in a tree bag rather than the cardboard box it came in.
- Throw away any edible decorations that could attract pests into your storage boxes. Gingerbread houses and candy canes may have sentimental value, but their keeping is not worth the pest headaches you may incur.
Not sure if a pest infestation is already present in the home? Contact the team at Alta Pest Control for a home inspection right away.
Enjoy The Holidays, Not Pest Hooligans – Get Alta Pest Control
Keeping the holly-jolly spirit of the holidays while keeping pests out may be difficult for some Tukwila homeowners. If you have experienced pest infestations or prior activity during earlier holidays, then you are likely already expecting the worst. However, you won’t need to suffer through holiday pest activity on your own.
For more advice or assistance relating to the control of holiday storage pests, contact Alta Pest Control at your earliest convenience. We make pest control fast, easy, and effective. Call us at Alta Pest Control today and let us help you protect your holiday treasures.
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