TIPS TO ENSURE A PEST-FREE HOLIDAY SEASON

It’s just about time for everyone’s favorite time of the year! Thanksgiving sets the tone for the holiday season including the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations. While family and friends gather to eat, drink, and be merry, uninvited guests may try to crash your party. To be sure that no unwanted pests, insects, or rodents attend your Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year festivities, follow these tips to keep the pests away.

Prevention is key.

Every bit of prevention will go a long way when trying to keep pests away from your home. Inspect the exterior of your home and seal all cracks and openings with caulk. Be sure to concentrate on areas where pipes or wires enter your home. Also, check all screen doors and windows, as well as install a chimney cap and a gable vent. Black Diamond’s Exterior Service Program is also a great preventative measure to take! This service creates a barrier on the exterior of your home to keep the pests out before they can even get in.

Inspect your pantry.

Before you begin cooking, inspect your pantry and cabinets for pests like meal moths, weevils, and beetles. The last thing you want to find when you grab the flour is a bunch of little black specks moving around in it. Always check packages for tears, holes, or chew marks before purchasing and do the same once again before you use the ingredients in your recipe. Discard any contaminated foods immediately.

Keep the kitchen clean.

When cooking and baking sweets this holiday season, make sure you properly clean up. This includes wiping up all crumbs and spills from the counters and even the floor, emptying the trash regularly, and washing all dishwater immediately before it accumulates in the sink.

Put the leftovers away.

Immediately after a meal is complete and all of your guests have enjoyed, remove all leftovers from the table. Store the food in airtight sealed containers and place in the refrigerator as soon as possible.

Make sure your holiday travels or traveling guests do not include bed bugs.

Whether you are celebrating the holidays at home or traveling for the events, be on high alert for bed bugs. When staying in a hotel, inspect the room thoroughly before bringing your luggage and family in. If you have guests staying in your home, make sure they do not bring the hitchhiking pests along with them. The most common places to search for bed bugs include:

• on or around mattresses, box springs, and sheet corners
• on bed frames, headboards, and nightstands
• in the cracks crevices of upholstered furniture
• behind wall hangings, electrical outlets, and light switches

Happy holidays from Black Diamond! The holidays are a time to celebrate friends and family. Don’t give pests an opportunity to ruin your holiday cheer! By simply taking a few minutes to follow these pest tips, you will be more likely to enjoy pest-free holiday celebrations. Black Diamond’s services can help you if you run into a situation of pests taking over your home this holiday season. As always, prevention is key. Ask about our Exterior Service Program – stop the pests before they even get in!