Are Bugs Using Holiday Decorations to Get Into Your Home?

Last post we talked about how your outdoor holiday décor can invite pests to celebrate the season at your house. But that’s not the only way they like to worm their way into the celebration. Bugs can also hitch a ride right inside when you transform your interior into a winter wonderland.

Tips for Keeping Indoor Holiday Décor Bug-Free

Many people like to bring trees or wreaths or various natural plants from their yard into their home to create natural décor for the holiday season. But when they do, they often bring the bugs into the house too. Here are some bug prevention tips.

Give everything a once over. Before bringing decorations indoors look them over very carefully for signs of sneaky insects.

Bake pinecones to get rid of bugs. Turn the oven to 200 degrees and put the pinecones on an inexpensive cookie sheet you don’t use to cook with. Bake for 30 minutes to kill the bugs and melt the pitch away.

Spray away the bugs. You can place all of your items in a plastic trash bag and spray them with bug spray before you bring them inside.

Ask sales associates if décor has been treated. Even live wreaths and plants from the store can have bugs. To keep their own indoors bug-free, the store may treat holiday decorations before they put them up for sale.

Don’t decorate with treats. If you string popcorn or leave out candies as part of the holiday décor it can be a bug magnet.

Unbox decorations outdoors. If holiday decorations were boxed up and tucked away in the garage or basement they may have become an insect hotel since last year. It’s best to unpack things outdoors even if they are in airtight containers.

Safety Tips for Alabama Home Interior Holiday Decorating

Beyond being buggy when you bring some plants inside as holiday décor, they can also pose safety problems for family members and your pets. But these tips can keep things safe all the way through the New Year.

• Hanging mistletoe may be a holiday tradition but it can also be a hazard. Mistletoe berries are poisonous so don’t bring them inside at all.
• Watch out for poinsettia plants because their leaves are poisonous.
• Pine needles can cause a number of problems if ingested by animals, including vomiting, posterior weakness and lethargy.
• Holly is another popular holiday plant that is not good for pets. It can cause pets to have diarrhea and vomiting.

During the cooler months bugs are looking for every opportunity to get in your house and use it as a shelter from the cold. The holiday season is a prime time for insect migration so use the tips above to keep the bugs where they belong – outside.

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Original Source: https://www.vulcantermite.com/home-pest-control/are-bugs-using-holiday-decorations-to-get-into-your-home