It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As you prepare your Bethesda home for the holiday season, keep in mind these tips to keep hitchhiking pests and their eggs from putting a damper on your cheer:

1. Unpack decoration boxes outdoors

• • • • • – Check for signs of rodents in holiday boxes such as tiny droppings and gnawed-on light strings before bringing your decorations inside. If a mouse has chewed through any part of a string of lights, throw it away. This is a leading cause of fires this time of year.

2. Shake off your tree – If your family can’t do without the fresh piney look (and smell) of a real tree, be sure to shake it off outdoors before bringing it inside. Because live trees come from nature, they can be home to a variety of pests and their eggs.

3. Check your firewood – Before bringing firewood indoors, check it thoroughly for pests. Make sure all firewood is stored away from your home’s perimeter on a raised structure.

4. Dispose of waste properly – Discard trees and other post-holiday waste a good distance from your home to avoid attracting termites, rodents, and other pests.

5. Seal up decorations – Before putting decorations back in storage, place them in plastic sealed containers that will keep pests out for another year.

At Green Pest Services, we pride ourselves in keeping pests out of your home at any time of the year. Give us a call for an estimate today.

Happy holidays!