Tis’ the season to be jolly, right?
With the holidays right around the corner, you may be starting to put up those festive decorations in your home. Tinsel, christmas lights and the archetypal depiction of the holiday seasons – the Christmas tree! Although, while this may seem exciting at first, you might need to be extra cautious about whether you’re letting in something other than the “Christmas cheer”…
That’s right, Christmas trees are home to many bugs, before they get cut and presented on the market for unsuspecting consumers of festivities. To shed light on this, we have compiled a list of christmas creepy crawlies to be on the lookout for…
Pests that infect Christmas Trees
Adelgids. These are from a small family of the Hemiptera closely related to the aphids and typically feed on plant sap. They are harmless but cannot easily be removed from a christmas tree unless forced.
Mites. Another example that might go unnoticed. Mites generally become active when exposed to warm temperatures, but even then they will remain on the tree, preying on insect eggs.They are not a threat to humans or animals.
Californian Praying Mantis. The praying mantis resides in tree branches. Typically, the will hatch their eggs within the branches and eat other insects infesting the christmas tree.
Psocids. These are small winged insects that have a diet consisting of fungus, mold, pollen as well as dead insects.
Spiders. Spiders also reside in christmas trees, but thankfully, have the advantage of killing the remaining insects found within the tree. They are harmless creatures (although scary to some consumers).
Tips for dealing with Holiday Pests
Thankfully, these types of pests are not likely to cause infestation in your home. Once removed from their habitat, they tend to die due to a lack of food or nutrition.
There are still helpful tips that you can follow to remove them from your home.
- Examine your tree: inspect the tree branches thoroughly to see whether there are any insect nests or eggs. If this is the case, prune the branches.
- Let it sit: Once you have purchased your christmas tree, let it sit for a few days in the garage or outdoor space. Without proper nutrition, any bugs in the tree will die off.
- Shake: Ok for those brave people out there, shake the tree and place a sheet on the floor to catch any of the bugs nesting in there.
- Clean up: If any bugs (dead or alive) are found on the floor of your garage, its best practice to clear them away in time for the holidays
If you would prefer some professional advice on how to appropriately dispose of any bugs in your home, then you could call our team today. The Planet Orange Pest Control team cares about the state of your home and is always here to give handy tips that would keep your life away from pest infestations. Happy Pest-Free Holidays!