Happy Holiday Season! Holidays can be such a wonderful time of year, but let’s be honest. They are also super stressful. Hosting houseguests, racking up credit cards, cooking, traveling…the last thing you want to worry about is a bug or mouse invasion. We compiled the top 4 most common pest invasions we see during the holiday season below. Check out our tips to prevent pest stress.
Bed Bugs
Did you see the video clips of the recent bed bug breakout in Paris and London? Bed bugs are very real. And no matter how clean you are, or how prestigious the hotel is, you’re not exempt from being their next meal. Whether traveling, staying local or hosting holiday celebrations, this is the number one pest to pay attention to preventing. Coats piled up on the bed are a no-no. Bed bugs hitchhike on purses, coats, personal belongings. If you’re going to use a bed to stack these items up, at least get a mattress encasement on your bed and put some plastic down. Brush up on signs of bed bugs so you know what to look for as you tidy up after your guests leave. And if you have ANY worry about whether the bug you found was a bed bug, you can always reach out to us via chat or the contact form and send us a photo. We will identify it for you and give you peace of mind.
Be conscious of where your guests set their belongings.
Praying Mantis
We love a fresh cut tree to decorate with all of our favorite ornaments. Just make sure you take the time to really look it over well and shake it out before strapping it to your car and bringing it into your house. Spiders, bird nests, and praying mantis eggs are the most common surprise critters that can emerge if you chose their home to adore this season.
Praying mantis egg sac in tree
Adult praying mantis in coniferous tree
Pantry Pests
if you’re doing any cooking or baking, make sure you’re storing your ingredients properly. Indian meal moths, confused flour beetles, and german cockroaches are the most common kitchen pests we see. And sanitation is the ultimate key to keeping all of them away. Store flour, grains, sugar, rice, tea, dry cereals and spices in airtight containers or zip locking bags. Make sure there is no food spillage or spillage on the shelves these items are being stored. Even pet food and bird seed are susceptible to these types of pests. Using airtight containers will prevent the odor of the food item from attracting pests.
Store dry ingredients in airtight containers to prevent pantry pest contamination
Mice
They’re not just a nuisance. They’re a health threat. Rodents and their parasites contaminate every surface they crawl on, spread bacteria and viruses and can cause major respiratory problems. We just wrote a whole blog post specifically about these guys. Learn about signs of mice, how mice get in, and some simple things you can do to prevent them here.
Rodents easily detect smells with their super keen olfactory organs
Fun Holiday Recipe
The holiday season isn’t all creatures stirring for us! Let’s lighten the mood, shall we? Here’s an adorable recipe! We saved it on our Recipe pinboard. Do you follow us on Pinterest? You should! We have a lot of really great resources pinned! And we promise it’s not gross stuff at all. 🙂
Happiest of holiday wishes from our family to yours!
Stay healthy, happy, safe, and pest-free while spending time with loved ones! ❤️✨
