Pests & Holiday Décor: What Mooresville Homeowners Ought To Know

How Your Decorating Could Lead To Pest Problems

There is absolutely nothing wrong with decorating your home. The problem lies with overwintering pests that hide inside storage containers. What might look like a box of lights to you might just be a nook for spiders, silverfish, stink bugs, or rodents. How did pests get into these boxes? Well, they crawled inside.

Something you should know about pests is that most of them don’t like the cold of winter and love the safety of warm and tight spaces, such as the interior of a cluttered box of decorations. They use spaces like this to hide out until the colder months pass. The only problem with this comes when you open these boxes, and the pests inside then enter your main living areas.

Handling Decorations Around Christmas

There is no good way to know if a box of decorations has pests in it or not; that is unless those pests chewed their way inside. Rodents are a prime example of a pest that chew their way into stored boxes and create nests inside. Regardless of whether or not your stored boxes have holes chewed through them or not, we recommend that you bring them outside before bringing them into your home.

Once outside, open them up carefully and check their interior for pests. Also, don’t neglect to look for signs that might indicate the presence of pests such as webs, fecal matter, severed Christmas light wires, nests, and so on. If pests or signs of pests are found, leave that box outside for a few days or clean out its contents.

Preventing Holiday Pests

Holiday pests are not something you have to deal with every year. Even if it’s too late this year, there are still many things you can do to keep pests out for your next holiday season. Here are a few great tips and tricks our team recommends you try:

• Keep your grass cut short and your landscaping well maintained.

• Trim back bushes and tree branches at least five feet from your home’s exterior.

• Eliminate sources of water build up around your property.

• Address moisture issues inside your home.

• Seal gaps and cracks in your home’s exterior foundation and around window or door frames.

• Repair damaged weather stripping, door sweeps, and window/door screens.

• Store holiday decorations inside larger pest-proof plastic containers.

• Keep your home clean.

• Reduce clutter around your home and organize your storage areas. 

When To Give The Professionals A Call

It can feel overwhelming to deal with overwintering pests. If you don’t have the time, energy, or patience to handle invasive winter pests around your home, let the experts at Lake Norman Pest Control help.

Our team works hard to provide comprehensive year-round pest elimination and exclusion services for residents around Mooresville and would be happy to lend you a helping hand this holiday season.

Reach out today to learn more about our seasonal pest control plans and schedule your home for a thorough pest inspection.