I love holiday DIY – obviously! But I was surprised to learn, and you might be, too, that a lot of holiday decorations can attract unwanted bugs and critters! Besides the “ick” factor, they can trigger allergies, contaminate food and spread disease.

While I love bringing the look of nature indoors for the holidays, bringing nature indoors can cause problems with bugs. I’ve used artificial trees for years because they last better for me and I don’t have to worry about surprises (many spiders over the years). (I bet you have some stories, too!)

But it’s not just trees:

Poinsettias and Chrismas cacti can harbor white flies or fungus gnats. So they’re pretty – but might bring pests!

Trees, wreaths and garlands smell and look great. (Mine always dry out too early!) But they can all attract  cockroaches, carpenter ants, aphids and mealybugs. Bark beetles are one of the insects you might find in your tree as well as larger “hitchhikers,” like moths and some spiders. Barklice live in groups under tree bark. Egg cases for insects like praying mantises and spiders can hatch if the tree is left indoors for several weeks. Yuck!

Instead of those, you can choose artificial, natural-looking decor, use safer natural elements, and use scented candles and oils to bring the same look and smell.

One of my favorite projects is my Pottery Barn-inspired gold pinecone topiaries.  Here’s how I did it …

(and keep reading to learn how you can enter to win a $100 gift card to Michael’s from Orkin!)

Here’s what I used:

• 2 bags of small pinecones per topiary. I got mine from the craft store, and they’re all cleaned and free of bugs.
• Styrofoam tree forms (choose the sizes you like best – I used two different ones)
• Hot glue gun
• Bronze spray paint
• Gold craft paint
• Metal ribbon (optional)
• Craft ribbon (optional)
• Candlesticks (mine are from Ikea)

Directions:

• Hot glue the metal ribbon to the bottom of each tree form. I found the metal ribbon at Hobby Lobby. If you can’t use metal ribbon, you can glue pinecones all the way down the tree form. If you like the look of the ribbon at the bottom and can’t find metal ribbon, you can leave a space at the bottom where you can tie a ribbon on.
• Hot glue the pinecones onto the tree forms. (I wrapped the first form in ribbon first, but I discovered that you don’t need to do that since you are going to spray paint the whole thing later) I did a 2-inch section at a time. I put the hot glue on and then quickly stuck the pinecones on and then pressed them together before the glue cooled so there weren’t as many spaces in between the pinecones.
• Once the whole tree form is covered with pinecones, take the tree forms out and spray paint them with the bronze spray paint. The spray paint will cover the pinecones and fill in the holes and cover up the hot glue, making the trees an even sparkly bronze color. So pretty!
• When the tree forms are dry, bring them in and then tie a ribbon at the bottom of the forms and set them on the candlesticks. You can hot glue them on the candlesticks if you want. I just set mine on top, the forms are heavy enough with the pinecones and hot glue that they are pretty stable if you have a candlestick with a big enough top.
• If you don’t want to use a candlestick, you can take a small dowel and push it up inside of the tree form and then put it inside of a small pot filled with florist foam like the ones in the Pottery Barn catalog.
• Enjoy your topiaries. I think these would be beautiful on a Thanksgiving OR Christmas table!

I’ve loved learning more about how to avoid unwanted holiday pests from Orkin! (If you notice signs of a pest problem in your home, contact the licensed pest professionals at ORKIN for a detailed inspection and customized treatment program.)

One more tip because it’s so smart: even if you’re storing your decor in plastic containers (the ones with the tight-fitting lids), if they’re stored in the basement, garage, or attic, they might be housing rodents, spiders or cockroaches. So unpack your storage containers in the garage to keep any of them from escaping into your home!

Check out these great Orkin tips, too:

• Five Surprising Holiday Traditions that Invite Critters and Bugs inside

• Christmas Tree Hitchhikers

• Don’t Let Pests Settle in for the Winter

• As Fall Weather Rolls in Keep Rodents out

And check out Orkin on the Web, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter!

And now the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

xoxo

This post sponsored by Orkin, and I’m part of the Mom It Forward Blogger Network; the project and opinions are mine. See my disclosures.

The post [$100 Michael’s Gift Card Giveaway] Christmas Decorations You Can Make That Don’t Attract Pests appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.

I’ve had fewer problems in recent years, however, now that we’ve learned how to prep the house better — and when we should call a professional. And with my latest renovation project — a 1905 house — I got extra smart and did some more in-depth preparation. I’ll tell you what I did, what I called the pros for — and I’ll share five tips for winterizing your home against pests — and show you a great resource (pestworld.org) for learning more about preventing pests in your home — after the break!

During my 1905 house renovation, I found a lot of issues I couldn’t see until I had the walls off (yes, we stripped the walls to the plaster and brick). And here’s my story for this renovation: luckily it’s not too disgusting! We found mud and paper wasps‘ nests in nearly every nook and cranny — in the laundry room, in the back room walls, and throughout the attic. I mean, along the back wall there were old wasps; nests about every 8 inches. And the attic rafters probably held about 50 old nests as well. When my husband was doing the wiring, he kept bumping into them — and finally knocked them down into the loose insulation. We went through a LOT of cans of expanding foam (even along the eaves from the attic). The house was built in at least three phases — so there were a lot of cracks to be filled!

So here’s just an example of what we did:

Tip #1: Fill in all the tiny cracks in your home — no matter how small

It’s not just wasps in the warm months looking for cracks in the house. We could tell by the mouse traps (although luckily no damage) in this house renovation that they’d had to fight some field mice infestations as well. We live in a neighborhood where there is some open space … and when the weather turns cold, the little furry folks like to go where it’s warm. You wouldn’t believe the small cracks and spaces that mice can get in through!

We had to replace the sewer and water lines into this house, and while we were digging a new hole through the granite foundation, we sealed all open spots in the foundation — and then poured quickset concrete around where we had run the new sewer pipe into the foundation to make sure they couldn’t burrow in.

In our house, we found the mice tried to get in through bathroom and dryer vents, so we bought a screen like these or these to put over our vents — I can’t recommend them enough. I’ve had friends who have had problems with birds trying to get in the vents no matter how far above ground they are — so these may be wise for you regardless. Therefore,

Tip #2: Make sure all vents are covered with screens to keep the smaller critters out

The other important thing we learned — and we took advantage of with this renovation — is to call the professionals and have them come regularly. Spiderwebs coated the corners throughout the cellar of this 1905 house, and we knew we couldn’t get them all. So the first thing we did once we got all of the demolition done is to call our pest control company — they spray the exterior of our house regularly — and have them spray the house heavily while there was easy access to the inside and outside.

I mean, look at these crevices in the cellar — just calling out for spiders to live there!

Tip #3: Don’t be afraid to call the pros – and get references and referrals!

We found that we have only the occasional spider in our house — and nowhere near the massive swarms of summer ants we used to get — once we have our pest control company spray regularly. (And yes, we believe it’s important to get a qualified company with a good environmental reputation, and we keep kids and pets away.)

It’s also important to remember that the things you do for keeping the winter weather out are important for keeping unwanted visitors out as well. We annually inspect the weatherstripping around our doors to see if any needs replacing. Strangely, most don’t, but the one back door to the garage seems to need annual replacement. It’s inexpensive and easy to replace — just visit your local hardware store.

Tip #4: Don’t forget to check door and window weatherstripping

If you are cleaning up around your yard, too, don’t forget to check for damp areas, clogged drains and so forth. We’ve cleaned both our yard and the yard in the renovation house to avoid clogged drains — mulchy areas, food, and storage containers can harbor insects — most of which you won’t want in your house!

I mean, look at all of the spider nests we found on the porch of this renovation house when we removed the siding. That’s why it’s important to seal things!

Tip #5: Check the outside of your home including storage areas and drainage areas

I found some great resources for this from not only my own experience but from this article at pestworld.org.

What’s YOUR best — or worst — household pest story?
Let me know in the comments – I would love to hear YOUR story!

xoxo

PS — It’s Friday! My favorite day of the week.

I love seeing your ideas and featuring YOU!!

I hope you can stop by for the fun.

The party starts at 6 pm MST

Pestworld.org sponsored this post, it’s a great place for information on  understanding, avoiding and preventing household pests (the non-human kind).

The post 5 Tips For Winterizing Your Home Against Pests — and What’s Your Favorite Pest Story? appeared first on Tatertots and Jello.