Christmas Pest Tips to Protect Your Home This Holiday

Whether it’s the food or the gifts or just being close to family, everyone has something that they love about the holidays. Unfortunately, the arrival of pests can quickly put a damper on your holiday spirit and become the only thing on your mind once you start to see rodents, spiders, cockroaches or other pests scattering around your home in search of food and shelter. At Emtec Pest Control we know that knowledge is the gift that keeps on giving. For this reason, we want to give you great Christmas pest tips to protect your home this holiday.

Inspect Your Trees

One of the easiest ways that pests can find their way indoors is by stowing away on the Christmas tree that will be the centerpiece of your holiday. While large pests like rodents can hide inside of live trees, you are more likely to find cockroaches, aphids or spiders inside of your live tree if it hasn’t been properly shaken. For more information about Christmas tree pests, we encourage you to read our article about how to protect yourself from them.

Store Firewood Properly

Firewood can provide adequate shelter for a wide variety of pests including cockroaches and termites. Not only does it supply them with plenty of moisture outdoors, but it also shelters them from pests and the elements. To protect your home from becoming their next target, it is important to store firewood 20 to 30 feet away from your home. And, although getting it may be a little harder in the cold, once it hits the fire it will be worth it.

Store Decorations Properly

Storing your holiday decorations in sealable bins is critical for keeping pests out. In some cases, rodents may be able to chew through these bins; however, most pests will be deterred enough to leave them alone. This ensures that once they make it into your attic, they don’t become a nest for a variety of pests that you don’t want in your home. Avoid using cardboard boxes because they deteriorate over time and can be used as a food source for cockroaches, termites, crickets or silverfish.