Christmas Tree Disposal and Pest Prevention
If you haven’t already, it’s time to get rid of your Christmas tree. And, as we toss out those dry, brittle Christmas trees, it’s important to keep an eye out for the many pests that might have been living in that tree during the holiday season.
We don’t often think as Christmas trees as a place for pests like spiders, scorpions and termites to hide out, but here at Magic Pest Control we have received calls for these types of pests living in Christmas trees…especially when they start to make their way out of the tree and into your home as you start taking down ornaments and lights.
Artificial Christmas trees don’t have quite as many pest issues as real trees, but an artificial tree left out too long can attract spiders looking to spin a new web. Here at Magic Pest Control, we have seen a few artificial Christmas trees left our far past the holiday season attracting all kinds of Arizona pests, including cockroaches, spiders and more.
With 33 million real Christmas trees being sold in the USA every year, there could be up to 25,000 bugs living in your Christmas tree.
Some common pests hiding in your Christmas tree:
- Mites
- Sawfly
- Aphids
- Spiders
- Adelgids
- Bark Beetles
- Praying Mantises
- Pine Needle Scale
Pest Prevention:
- Vigorously shake the tree before bringing it into your home.
- Look out for bird nests, since they may contain parasites such as mites and lice.
- Spruce spider mites appear as tiny red and brown dots when shaken out of Christmas trees.
- Some Christmas tree hitchhikers are Spiders, Cinara Aphids, Bark Beetles, Mites & Psocids (Bark Lice).
- Insects brought into the warmth of a home behave as though spring has come and become active again.
- Cinara Aphids and their eggs are often hidden down inside the lower branches of Christmas trees where they are hard to find.
- The Praying Mantis and Gypsy Moth will lay eggs in Christmas trees. Look for the walnut-sized tan egg masses. If you find any, remove them.
The types of bugs living in your Christmas tree will differ depending on the type of tree and location. The major insects include: adelgids, aphids, bark beetles, mites, praying mantises, psocids, scale insects, spiders, moths, sawflies, weevils, bark lice and webworms.
When you go to toss out your Christmas tree, clean the area where the tree was standing thoroughly. If you should still find pests, call Magic Pest Control immediately.
