How to Get a Pest-Free Christmas Tree

Shake out your Christmas tree before bringing it into your Des Moines IA home - Springer Professional Home Services

Did you know that 30 million households bring a real Christmas tree into their home every year? Nothing evokes the spirit of the holidays like a freshly cut Christmas tree that serves as a beautiful decoration in your home each year. However, these trees are also said to harbor as many as 25,000 insects inside of them! To avoid getting a pest infestation, keep reading for Springer’s top tips on how to pest-proof your Christmas tree.

3 Tips to Prevent Christmas Tree Insects

With so many Christmas trees to choose from, it can be overwhelming to pick the right one! Before bringing a Christmas tree into your home, there are a number of things you should do to prevent Christmas tree pests:

  1. Thoroughly inspect your tree. Before picking a winner, inspect the Christmas tree for irregularities, spots, damaged branches or trunk, or signs of pests.
  2. Shake out the tree. Either by yourself or with the expertise of a Christmas tree lot attendant, vigorously shake out the tree to expel insects or pests.
  3. Leave the tree in your garage initially. To encourage lingering bugs out, store your Christmas tree in your garage or a covered area for a day or two before carrying it indoors.

Are Christmas Tree Bugs Dangerous?

Christmas tree bugs are typically minuscule and harmless. In reality, most of these Christmas tree insects will not be able to survive an indoor environment and will die within days of being brought in. The most common Christmas tree bugs you may come across include:

  • Aphids
  • Bark beetles
  • Spiders
  • Weevils
  • Webworms
  • Praying Mantises
  • Mites
  • Sawflies

How to Get Rid of Christmas Tree Pests

If you brought home a Christmas tree only to discover it’s riddled with insects, there’s no reason to panic. As mentioned before, Christmas tree insects are mostly harmless. Nonetheless, it’s recommended to call an expert pest control company such as Springer Professional Home Services for more information on getting rid of Christmas tree bugs. Contact us today for more tips on having a pest-free* Christmas!