Debug your Home for Holiday Comfort
The joy and excitement of the holiday season often mask pest problems! House guests are not the only visitors during Christmas or New Years festivities. During the holidays, cardboard boxes with Christmas ornaments and trees are put in living rooms—welcoming the wrong type of houseguest in many homes around the Valley of the Sun. Nothing ruins the holiday mood like spiders, bed bugs, scorpions and cockroaches scurrying about. Pest’R Us specializes in tips to keep your home bug free during the holidays.
Cardboard Boxes are a Haven for Pests
It is tempting to reuse the same cardboard boxes each year after the festivities finished. The impulse may be to sweep all the decorations up in a hurry and begin the cleaning routines. Over time, the cardboard becomes worn down and easily accessed by intruders. Several species of insects—like termites and roaches—will eat cardboard if the material is old enough, welcoming other pests in as well. Even if insects scurry out of the boxes before holiday décor is unpacked, they might leave behind a host of harmful bacteria and waste. Instead of taking the risk of exposing your home to unwanted pests and getting sick from them, Pest’R Us advises to make sure and dispose of old cardboard boxes!
Christmas Trees are Pest Sanctuaries
Not only do cats like to prowl around Christmas trees, but many types of insects will call them home around the Christmas season. Some Christmas trees are the tree lots for several weeks or even a month before taken home, allowing pests to gather and reproduce without detection. Pest’R Us commonly spots beetles, aphids, mites, and spiders as visitors on Christmas trees. Luckily, many of these pests are not harmful to young children or pets. They may however drop from the tree when it is shaken or drop onto presents during Christmas morning. The best way to solve this problem is to debug the tree with safe pesticides or keep a careful eye when selecting one at a lot.
Firewood Commonly Transports Pests like Spiders
With the temperature sharply dropping at night, many valley homeowners like to gather around a robust fire. Keeping stacks of firewood on back patios is likely to invite many insects and provide a breeding ground for them. With winters in the Valleys of the Sun entering a cold streak, it is tempting to have big stacks of firewood. Throughout the winter months, termites and spider infestations may occur if firewood is kept in just one area in huge stacks. Pest’R Us advises not buying firewood in bulk unless there is a place to store it that is elevated off the ground and keeps the wood free from moisture.
Valley homeowners may think the winter chill will send most pests scurrying in the ground or exterminate big populations of wasps, spiders, and mites. These pests are a little more resilient in taking advantage of holiday clutter to escape the cold. Pest’R Us is available any time to debug your home for the holiday or provide more tips to keep your holiday season free of pests.