The 12 Pests of Christmas

This blog covers 12 of the pests you are most likely to come across during Christmastime, and what you should watch out for.

 

1. Mice

Just like humans, mice aren’t particularly keen on frigid weather, so they find different ways to hide away from the cold… including seeking shelter within our own homes. They could be hunkering down in your attic, basement, crawl space, or even in your walls to stay warm and safe over the holidays.

2. Fleas

Unfortunately, as fleas are parasitic pests that tend to follow our pets indoors, they can still infest homes even in the dead of winter. The easiest way to avoid this is by using preventative over-the-counter treatments or prescriptions from your vet for your furry friends.

3. Spiders

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 although, the most common of which tends to be spiders. These creepy crawlies like to lurk in dark storage areas as they are typically untouched and low in traffic for most of the year. To prevent them from occupying these spaces, we recommend utilizing durable plastic containers with good sealing tops.

4. Rats

Unlike a lot of animals, rats do not hibernate during the winter months. Rather, they find a nice warm place to hunker down and will build out their nests to make room for offspring in the coming warmer months. While occupying homes and making their nests, rats can cause a drastic amount of damage including shredding insulation; chewing apart storage boxes; pulling stuffing out of cushions, pillows, other furniture, stuffed animals, and more; tearing through clothing and other cloth items, etc. In addition to the damage that they can cause throughout the home, rodents can also raid your kitchen and put the health of you and your family at risk.

5. Ants

 

Ants are extremely well known for raiding our kitchens in the spring and summer months… but, just because it’s cold outside doesn’t always mean they’ll stop their little siege. Improperly stored food can allow ants to easily access and even draw them in by scent alone. Using airtight containers can prevent the smell of your yummy holiday snacks from wafting around and potentially leading these pests right to it.

6. Bed Bugs

Just because it’s cold outside, doesn’t mean your pest problems have vanished. Bed bugs are hitchhiking pests that lurk indoors and are spread by people moving about, meaning that they can be just as active during the winter as they are any other time of year.

7. Roaches

 

From Christmas cookies to Christmas dinner, our kitchens are constantly bustling and full of food at this time of year. With an increase in cooking, there tends to also be an increase in food messes and a risk of leftovers spoiling in your pantries and, unfortunately, roaches love both rotting food and food scraps. These nasty pests will use the cover of the night to scavenge for sustenance in our warm, inviting kitchens. Ensuring that your kitchen is cleaned and that leftovers are properly stored will help reduce the risk of roaches making themselves at home in your kitchen.

8. Aphids

 

While it is rather rare, occasionally the pinnacle decoration of the holidays, the Christmas tree, can bring pests into your home. According to entomologist Dr. Michael Skvarla of Penn State University, “if you have a live tree, there’s always a chance that there may be bugs living in it.” Aphids are one of these bugs as they tend to consume parts of pines and evergreens as sustenance.

9. Beetles

 

Similar to aphids, beetles can also be accidentally brought into the home on Christmas trees or wreaths for the holiday. They can be occupying the tree/branches as a place to overwinter, especially if there are any gaps in the wood where they can hide, or to feed on the tree. Regardless of the reason, the easiest way to prevent these pests from making their way inside is by simply shaking the tree. A lot of Christmas tree farms and vendors have tree shakers, or you can simply give the tree a good hearty shake on your own before bringing it inside. While this is not 100% foolproof, it can help dislodge most, if not all, tree dwelling pests.

10. Annoying Extended Family Members

 

Okay… so this one is just a joke. But no one should be dealing with actual pests during the holidays. For amazing pest protection during Christmastime, you can count on your local extermination experts at Green Pest Services. We provide year-round pest abatement treatments that create an invisible barrier to keep pests out of your home… although, our treatments don’t work on pesky, annoying extended family members…

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at Green Pest Services! Stay safe and pest-free this beautiful holiday season!