Holiday Decorating and Pests

 

Holiday Decorating and Pests

Where Do Pests Go in the Winter?

While it seems like most pests completely disappear in the frigid winter months unfortunately, this isn’t exactly the case. Depending on the type of pest, they might migrate like birds, enter a state of hibernation called diapause, or hunker down inside our homes. In the case of the latter, you will want to be aware of where you might encounter these pests during the holidays and what could be making them comfortable in your home.

 

 

Garages, Basements, and Attics

These three locations have two things in common: it’s where most of us store holiday decorations, and they’re all common hiding places for pests. These places are dark, primarily deserted, and often humid, all of which are characteristics that pests seek out. Furthermore, storage areas provide a variety of hiding and nesting spots that are ideal for pests.

Beware of Boxes

When your storage consists of cardboard boxes and plastic bags, decorations aren’t always the only thing you unpack each year. These methods of storage don’t offer much protection against pests and, as such, you may find a variety of different pests tucked away with your décor. From dead spiders to mouse droppings, these nasty, unwanted additions to your holidays can easily be avoided. By utilizing durable plastic containers with good sealing tops, you will not only avoid these holiday-time shocks the following year, but you will also prevent the opportunity for pests to make their nests and breed within your home via your storage.

Securing Holiday Snacks

The holidays are a time for baking and cooking a variety of treats. From Christmas cookies to Hanukkah brisket, our kitchens are constantly bustling and full of foods. If some pests are hunkered down in your home, you want to take extra precautions to ensure both your kitchen and your pantry are safe from those hungry raiders. To accomplish this, there are two key things to consider: the freshness of food and proper storage.

Pests tend to love rotting food. Not only is it pungent, leading them to the source, but depending on the packaging and the type of food, the spoiled item can escape its packaging by leaking, mold growing outwards, etc. Also, the more crowded an unkept pantry is, the more places pests have to hide and will be more drawn to the area as a whole. Regularly cleaning out your pantry and disposing of old food is a fantastic practice that will keep the risk of pests low. You will also want to ensure that food is properly stored to preventing it from going bad. In addition to that, improperly stored food can allow pests to easily access it and even draw pests in by scent alone. Using airtight containers can prevent the smell of your yummy holiday snacks from wafting around and potentially leading pests right to it. These containers also form a barrier of defense for your food, unlike simple plastic bags and cardboard boxes that are easy for pests to infiltrate. Fridges and freezers also provide pest-proof storage in addition to helping maintain the shelf life of your foods. This is especially helpful for items that you are unable to, or are difficult to, place in airtight containers (ie. fruit normally stored in fruit bowls, tortillas that don’t have containers their shape and size, etc.).

Stay Pest-Free this Holiday Season

Just because it’s cold outside, doesn’t mean your pest problems have vanished. At Pointe Pest Control, we are dedicated to solving pest problems. This is why we do not provide temporary fixes, we provide long-term solutions. Pest control is a battle that needs to be fought in every season, and a good treatment in the winter will drastically improve our ability to more quickly control the pests that emerge in the spring. Call us today to get your home secure and protected from these pesky pests this holiday season.