Everyone loves a great holiday and having the time to spend with your friends and family. Most people don’t want to spend their holidays with extra pests joining their home for the celebrations and food – this is where holiday pest control comes in. Nothing will spoil the holiday festivities more quickly than an invasion of pests, such as mice, ants, cockroaches, and Indian meal moths. Those are all common pests this time of year. Read on to explore some steps you can take for effective holiday pest control.

Baking

A flood of baking in the kitchen for the holidays is something a lot of people do. The sugary cakes, candies, and cookies are some of the treats usually eaten for the holidays. However, all the sugar is very tempting to pests. Ants are attracted to sweets. Pantry pests, such as the Indian meal moths and merchant grain beetles, lurk in powdery products such as flour, cake mixes, and corn meal. Keeping your kitchen clean is a very big part of protecting your sweet treat and warm home from pests. Pests can smell the littlest piece of food and come running in to find it. Also, make sure that your properly seal all opened food whether it is canned, bagged, or your yummy leftovers.

Gatherings

Holiday Gatherings are filled with lots of good food, lots of good fun, and lots of good times, but these wonderful things can provide a feast for uninvited guests like mice cockroaches and ants looking for warm shelter for this cold time of year. And while a nice fire is certainly cozy and welcoming for guests, a stack of wood is also a great nesting spot for many pests including spiders, cockroaches, termites, and rodents. This is also a perfect way for them to enter your home without you knowing. There are a few things you can do to help keep your home pest free this holiday season:

  • Clean up spills immediately and store holiday goodies in airtight containers
  • Before baking, inspect all dry goods for potential infestations and make sure to look at expiration dates
  • If pantry-infestation is suspected, discard all contaminated foods and any other open dry goods in outdoor trash cans and clean the area with a vacuum and soapy water
  • Inspect and shake out trees, wreaths, and other live greenery thoroughly before bringing them into your home
  • Store all holiday decorations in airtight storage bins and when retrieving them from the attic or basement, inspect them outdoors before bringing them inside
  • Store fire wood off the ground and at least 20 feet away from the front door and inspect every piece thoroughly before bringing inside
  • Seal all holes and cracks along the foundation and any openings around the exterior doors and windows. Place screens over vents and chimneys to prevent rodents and insects from finding their way into your home
  • Vacuum and sweep often
  • Contact a professional if mice are suspected or detected

Decorating

Decorating is one of those activities that can be fun for the whole family. Whether it is cookies or the house, it is important to take precautions. Bringing in trees and wreaths can be a good way for spiders and ants to get into your home. Decorations coming out of storage in your attic or basement may be harboring rodents or other wildlife. If you bake cookies and decorate them, make sure to sweep up the excess sprinkles and crumbs that may end up on the floor. Pests will be able to smell that and it will attract them to your home.

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