Fun Fact Friday – Tips for those Uninvited Holiday Guests that Overstay their Welcome

Tis the season of the fresh pine smell of evergreen needles, holiday spirit and gifts that keep on crawling.

There is nothing festive about uninvited holiday guests that overstay their welcome, nesting beneath your floors, under carpets or in the walls. Once inside, they will seek out and contaminate food supplies. And since prevention is always better than reaction, when choosing a tree, be sure to inspect it carefully for those unwanted invaders; aphids, ants, bark beetles, mites, moths, insects, and spiders. Examine the undersides of the branches for egg cases and check out the trunk, too. Any small holes with sawdust trails? If so, sign of bark beetles. Always remove any bird nests, as these can contain mites. Reject any tree that appears infested with insect pests.

Don’t forget to vigorously shake the tree before bringing it indoors. In addition, decorations made of cloth can be bug magnets, especially for moths. When storing decorations include cedar blocks and/or mothballs.