Your holiday should be filled with joy, warm family gatherings, and plenty of laughter. From adorning the tree to sitting at the dinner table, every aspect of your holiday celebrations should be as merry as can be. But little does anyone want to deal with the thought of an army of pests invading their house during the season of giving. For example, picture preparing a scrumptious dinner and then watching a roach skitter across the kitchen floor. Or worse, seeing a line of ants storm the dessert table. Pest activity during the winter months is common, and the holiday season gives those pests an excellent chance to sneak into your home and make themselves right at home.
Steel City Pest understands how irritating it can be when you’re attempting to host guests and family but have to deal with nuisance critters. That’s why we created this comprehensive guide for Alabama homeowners on how to keep holiday pests away. So read on, and we’ll show you how to keep those pests where they belong.
Why Pests Invade Homes During the Holiday Season
Winter is the time of year that bugs and critters want warmth, food, and shelter. They’re cold outside and your home provides all that in spades, especially during the holidays when the baking, cooking, and entertaining can result in an extra helping of food scraps and spills. Holiday decorations, cardboard boxes, and extra foot traffic also provide hiding spots and easy access to the inside of your home. The more preventive steps you take, the less likely your house will become a pest haven.
Holiday Pests to Keep an Eye Out For
The following are some of the most common holiday pests that can find their way into your home during the festive season.
- Ants – As most people know, ants are a big problem when it comes to holiday pests. They’re attracted to sweets, crumbs, and food spills and love finding their way into open food containers.
- Roaches – Warmth and easy access to food and water make the kitchen a roach’s best friend.
- Rodents – Mice and rats can squeeze into the tiniest cracks and holes to enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet of leftovers. Plus, they’ll cause more damage by chewing through boxes and even wiring.
- Spiders – Spiders typically come in after other pests and feast on the insects they attracted to your home.
- Pantry Pests – Beetles and moths are known to live in flour, sugar, cereals, and other dry goods that are used during the holiday season to make those delicious meals.
Top Tips for Holiday Pest Prevention
Make an effort to avoid pest activity during the holidays and practice the following tips for prevention.
Limit Eating Areas
This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce pest issues. It’s easy to spread food throughout your home during the holidays, whether you or your guests are eating snacks in front of the TV or enjoying hors d’oeuvres as you mingle. But when you spread your food, you also spread crumbs and spills, allowing pests to enter your home through different areas. To avoid this, try to limit eating to your kitchen and dining rooms. This will not only help to keep pest activity down but will also cut down on the time it takes to clean after holiday meals and festivities.
Store Food Properly
Remember that pests are opportunistic creatures who can smell food from a mile away. To avoid a pest infestation, be sure to take the necessary precautions to store your food safely. This includes:
- Seal all leftovers in airtight containers.
- Place baking ingredients like flour, sugar, and cereals into plastic bins.
- Cover dishes with plastic wrap during holiday parties until you’re ready to serve them.
- Keep fruits and sweets off of countertops when not being eaten.
Practice Proper Storage
In addition to keeping your food sealed, be sure to store garbage in trash cans with lids. Leftover turkey bones, dessert wrappers, and food scraps create a free buffet for insects and rodents. Place all of your trash cans with lids both indoors and outdoors. During the holidays, be sure to take out the trash daily in your kitchen, especially after large gatherings. For outdoor cans, ensure lids are easy to close and completely seal shut. If your lids aren’t tight, you may want to reach out to your garbage provider and ask for some replacements.
Clean up Quickly
The worst thing you can do after a holiday meal is leave dirty dishes in the sink or leave crumbs on the floor to be vacuumed later. Pests, on the other hand, aren’t so patient. Clean up as soon as you can:
- Place dirty dishes in the dishwasher or wash them as soon as you’re finished with them.
- Wipe down tables and counters after each meal.
- Vacuum and sweep floors daily during the holiday season.
- Focus on hard to reach places such as under the stove or refrigerator where crumbs tend to build up.
Keep Decorations Protected
Pests love your food, but they also love your holiday decorations. Boxes, when left out in attics, garages, and basements, provide the perfect harbor for rodents and insects. Before bringing holiday decorations inside, inspect all of your boxes for droppings, webs, and chewed up holes. Keep boxes covered in plastic bins rather than cardboard to better protect them year-round.
Seal All Entry Points
Holiday pests tend to come in through small crevices, gaps, and poorly sealed doors and windows. And when the weather is cold, they tend to be even more stubborn. Keep an eye out for these common entry points:
- Door gaps – Install a door sweep on the bottom of your doors to prevent pests from getting inside.
- Window screens – Check and replace any damaged screens.
- Foundation cracks – Use caulk or weatherproofing foam to cover up cracks.
- Pipes and vents – Cover pipes and vents with mesh covers to prevent rodent access.
Professional Pest Control: Why It Matters During the Holidays
Although the tips listed above are great for DIY prevention, professional pest control gives you the peace of mind of knowing you have long-lasting protection. That’s because at Steel City Pest we offer customized options and solutions for keeping holiday pests out of your home so you can enjoy your gatherings with family and friends without any stress. Services include:
Organic Pest Control
Our safe for use around children and pets, organic products include green treatments indoors and out.
Traditional Pest Control
Our traditional pest control is the most effective way to get rid
