Nothing beats the memories you make when finding the perfect Christmas tree with your family. The chopping, the dragging, and the struggle to put it on your car, is all worth it when you see the joy on your little one’s face as they decorate it… until they find a giant bug or two (or ten) crawling around inside. Keep your home pest-free and full of holiday cheer by making sure you don’t bring home any Christmas tree bugs.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how buggie are thy branches.

Picking it out

The hunt for the perfect Christmas tree is the best part of the holiday season (in our opinion). It’s also the most important step in making sure you have a pest-free holiday. We recommend doing the following once you’ve set your eyes on a tree you like:

• Vigorously shake it to see if any bugs fall out. If they do, you might want to look for a different tree. But if you’re dead set on that one, just spray it with some diatomaceous earth or neem oil spray before bringing it into your car.

• Check the trunk from the bottom up for spiders, roaches, and aphids.

• Look at the top of the tree to make sure there’s nothing hiding up there. Most tree farms have ladders, so ask if you can borrow one when shopping around!

Bringing it home

Once your perfect tree has survived the trek home, you’re going to want to do one final check to make sure that no stray creepy crawlers hitchhiked their way home with you.

• Do one final shake to make sure no other bugs fall out. If they do, give it another quick spray.

• Turn up the heat in your home once you bring your tree inside. The bugs that live on your tree are used to cold climates, and a warm home will usually kill them off pretty quickly.

• Use a tree skirt and rub it with dryer sheets to prevent any stray pests living in your home from crawling up to hide inside of your tree. 

The holiday season is meant to be a time filled with joy and cheer, but having a pest problem could make it go from holly jolly to bah humbug in a matter of seconds. Just be sure to follow these tips before bringing your Christmas tree home, and you’ll be on your way to a pest-free Christmas!