Christmas decorations are an important part of the holiday spirit. Not only do they bring joy and awe, but unfortunately, they can also be an invitation to
rodents. Rodents are attracted to all the smells, food sources, and hibernation spots during Christmas, especially in and around your tree. If you don’t want unwanted vermin to ruin your holiday fun, then follow these tips for protecting your tree and your home. For complete rodent treatment, call
Lawn Plus Pest Control Services.
1. Check Your Live Tree
Rodents and pests are common stowaways in live trees, especially if you’ve waited until the first snowfall of the season. It’s not uncommon for some people to get their tree home, only to find a nest of unwanted house guests. If you want to avoid rodents ruining your Christmas tree, then give your tree a good shake and examine it thoroughly before you bring it indoors.
2. Check All Your Boxes
If you put up an artificial tree every year, you’ll still want to check the storage box for rodents or evidence they’ve been nesting among your decorations. Mice are notorious for building little burrows with any material they can find, and your tinsel, garland, ribbons, and tree branches make perfect building blocks. If you keep your décor in cardboard boxes in either the basement or the attic, check for holes in the corners of boxes and prepare to find some pests.
3. Hang Candies Later
If you like to decorate your tree with candies and other holiday edibles, you may want to wait until the night before Christmas to hang these. Candy canes, popcorn strings, and other edible decorations can easily attract rodents to your Christmas tree. Not only is this a sure way to ruin your decorations before Christmas morning, but it’s also a sure way to invite pests into your home. Avoid all the headaches and wait on the candies or hold off on them altogether.
4. Avoid Fruit Baskets
Fruit baskets and other goodie baskets are popular this time of year, but if you want to avoid a mouse or rat problem, don’t put them under your tree. Fruit baskets provide both an easy-to-reach food source as well as nesting material. Mice and rats love to use the baskets or the straw inside the packaging as nest material, and are very likely to run off with your grapes, crackers, cheeses, and meats.
5. Store Your Lights in Tubs
The lights on your Christmas tree are just as important as the ornaments and the tree itself. Storing those delicate strands improperly for 11 months out of the year can leave them vulnerable to rodents. Just like any other wiring, mice and rats are known for chewing through Christmas lights, leaving you with a last-minute trip to the store for replacements. You can preserve your lights every year by storing them in plastic tubs and elevated from the floor to eliminate easy access for rodents.
Protect Your Tree, Protect Your Home
The holiday season is the best time to build a home defense against rodents. Whether you found evidence of an invasion in your Christmas storage or you accidentally brought in a new nest, Lawn Plus Pest Control Services has you covered. We use bait stations and exterior traps to help protect your home from unwanted visitors. We can also help Cincinnati, OH, residents with
bed bugs,
cockroaches, and
termites. To receive your
estimate, give us a call at
(513) 296-7378