When the holidays roll around, you often willingly open your home to guests and visitors. Your family may come over for a party and your friends may stop by to spread some holiday cheer. However, there may be some uninvited guests lurking around as well, waiting for the perfect moment to move on in, so be on the lookout.

Bugs and other pests — they’re everywhere, and they want to find a nice, comfortable place to call home for the holidays and since bed bugs can survive winter spells, they can be a problem during this time of the year. That doesn’t mean you have to live with them in your home. As you prepare for the holidays, watch out for infestations and consider a residential pest control service in Kitchener.

Pulling Out the Christmas Decorations

Many people store their Christmas decorations in boxes, then tuck them into attics, basements or garages. Unfortunately, those are the exact same locations most pests live and nest. With Christmas being during winter, there are more pests that make their way indoors to get out of the cold.

The folds in your Christmas storage boxes are the perfect location to nestle down and stay warm. If you’re using cardboard boxes, bugs and other pests could also get inside and ruin your decorations. When you pull the boxes out to decorate, those pests will begin to spread throughout your home into your living spaces.

To avoid this problem, there are a couple of things you can do. First, invest in plastic totes so the bugs don’t actually get into your decorations. There are generally dips and indentations on plastic totes, so the bugs might still make nests and homes in those areas, but they won’t be able to chew through the tough plastic. Before you haul them into the living room, wipe down the outside and kill the bugs. As you’re pulling the boxes out, check for mouse and other pest droppings in the area.

Second, invest in residential pest control services. Those problem areas can be targeted, leaving the pests nowhere to go for the holidays, which is just as it should be.

Putting Up the Christmas Tree

Whether you cut down a real tree, buy one at a tree lot or have an artificial tree you use each year, pests like to hide in trees. If you have a real tree, chances are most insects have died in the cold outside, but when you bring them into the warmth of your home, some bugs can actually wake back up. Before you bring a real tree into your home, look for nests, empty casings, webs or droppings that might indicate the tree is home to a pest.

If you have an artificial tree, take the same precautions you took with the Christmas decorations. Wipe down the box you store the tree in before you bring it into your living space. As you fluff the branches back up from being in storage, check them for the nests, webs and droppings as well. Look for plastic totes or sealable bags you can use to store your artificial tree for next year.

To prevent the issue of stowaway pests moving in on your real or artificial tree, you can hire a pest control professional. You should never try to spray a pesticide on your own, and especially not directly onto your Christmas tree. This could kill the tree, and worse it could also be a risk of fire you should never take.

Keeping the Pests Away

When you’re preparing for the holidays, look for nests and droppings amid the decorations to be sure you’re not unintentionally inviting bugs and critters into your home. If you do notice signs of a pest infestation, it’s important you call in the professionals right away. Contact Truly Nolen in Kitchener today at 226-241-2625.