Pests in Christmas decor have hilariously become a part of our holiday traditions. Watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is something many of us include in our December playlist. 

The infamous scene of Chevy Chase being attacked by the squirrel living in his tree will live forever! But who needs indoor pests terrorizing them over the holidays?

How DID the squirrel get into the Griswold’s tree? 

He hitchhiked, of course! We say this again and again, the biggest key to keeping your home pest-free is never letting pests into your home. 

One of the easiest ways for pests to get into your home at this time of year is via your Christmas decorations. 

What attracts pests to Christmas decor?

As you unpack the precious ornaments your children made long ago, have you noticed any changes? The ice cream cone reindeer may be missing his cinnamon candy nose. 

Pests enjoy edible ornaments created by children like candy cane reindeer and cookie dough snowmen. Some ornaments that WE might not consider to be edible, pests do! 

It’s not too late!

If you have already decorated for the season, pack them up appropriately when you take them down. 

Here are a few tips to keep pests out of your Christmas decorations over the next year:

• Store everything in air tight plastic containers. Cardboard boxes are not an option.
• If you have an artificial tree, wrap it up tightly in plastic.
• If you have hung artificial wreaths or garlands outside, shake them out and wrap them just as tightly. At the very least, store them in an air tight plastic tub.
• As you lug boxes to and from your attic, basement or storage room, consider how pests can get in the box. (It’s not hard to get into a cardboard box if you are a pest.)
• Next Christmas, when you bring decor back into your house, just remember you are bringing ALL of the contents into your house. Keeping pests away is important when decorations are going up or coming down! 

Starting with a basement, attic, storage room and home that are already pest free helps keep pests away year round. What you bring into your home at the holidays is something YOU can control. 

Lawn and Pest Solutions in New Albany, MS can help you prevent pests year round. We have licensed technicians who are trained to thoroughly inspect your home and treat them for your specific needs.

We service Memphis, TN and all over North Mississippi with pest services for inside and outside of your home or business. Contact us here to begin your pest free holidays. 

Let’s talk about the dangers of DIY pest control. Before taking on a bedbug infestation as a project, read here. 

Not only can do-it-yourself pest control be dangerous, it can also be very time consuming. Online research, time spent in the home supply store,  and the dreaded READING OF DIRECTIONS!

Dangers of DIY Pest Control

There are so many ways to mess up DIY pest control, it’s just not worth it. You can harm your pets, children, the interior of your home, even the wildlife outside of your home. 

Chemicals must be mixed exactly, safely stored and disposed of properly. Not doing so can contaminate the water source of your family or others! “Others” include the birds, bees, cats and dogs who might be drinking your poisoned water. 

Easy and safe DIY pest control

At Lawn and Pest Solutions, we don’t recommend DIY for most pest situations, but there are plenty of things you CAN do at home to help prevent pests.

• Remove sources of food, especially dirty dishes in sinks and pet food from the floor.
• Put away food on counters
• Store garbage in tightly closed containers, remove from home often (if not daily)
• Check for ways pests can enter your home. Cracks under doors, around windows, torn screens, etc.
• Remove clutter
• Check for leaks around all water sources
• Check bags and boxes that have been in storage before bringing them inside. (See Christmas decor)

Let us control the pests

This guide from the EPA is very easy to read and understand. At Lawn and Pest Solutions in New Albany, MS we provide safe and effective pest treatment for your home or business. 

DIY pest control is a dangerous gamble for an untrained “at home expert”. Leave it up to us to get your home pest-free and you can help keep it that way. 

Our licensed pest technicians are ready to serve the Memphis, TN, and North Mississippi areas. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. Let us show you #thelpsdifference. Call us today!

What does it mean to be an occasional invader? In the pest control world it is a pest that isn’t an issue until they infest your home.

 A few ladybugs, stink bugs or silverfish don’t typically bother most. The same might not be said of one spider or even one cricket depriving you of a night’s sleep! 

Change the numbers from one or two to hundreds or thousands and call it an infestation. 

This is when things change quickly. Ladybugs aren’t so cute when they have covered your walls with their “mark”. 

When occasional invaders infest:

• Some secrete foul odors 
• Some may cause damage and/or staining to your indoor fabrics
• They can damage your indoor plants
• They may bite or pinch you or your pets
• When they die, their bodies can attract other pests
• Their dead bodies, shed skins and droppings can cause some people to have allergic and/or asthma issues

 Common occasional invaders

Like more pests, occasional invaders are typically looking for food, water, or warmth. The best places to find them are under sinks, cupboards, crawl spaces, basements, showers and tubs.

Who are they?

• Centipedes (usually found in shower drains)
• Earwigs (usually found in moist areas)
• Pill Bugs (aka Roly Polies or Doodle Bugs)
• Crickets
• Beetles
• Silverfish (attracted to paper like wallpaper, books, and envelopes)
• Ladybugs 
• Spiders 
• Cluster flies
• Stinkbugs

This a year round problem

Occasional invaders aren’t mysterious pests that suddenly appear in the winter, they are active year round. Most of the time they are outdoors and we don’t notice them until they start getting inside our homes for the winter. 

Pest control is a partnership.

Keeping pests OUT of your home is more than half the battle. Here are a few tips:

Pay attention to cracks around windows and doors, tears in screens, piles of leaves, or branches around your home. 

Repair any possible entryway for pests so they can’t get in your home. 

Eliminate areas where water can collect. Check under your sinks for leaking pipes and repair. 

When you partner with Lawn and Pest Solutions, we will help you wage war against the “occasional invaders”. Our services will also protect your home from termites, roaches, ants, and more. 

Our licensed pest technicians will thoroughly spray inside and outside of your home on a regular schedule to keep your home free of pests year-round. Contact us here to learn more about our Pest360 program.

Did you know rodents are the largest group of mammals in the world? In Mississippi, we have 22 kinds of rodents including mice, rats, voles, and squirrels. 

What are the positive attributes of rodents? They are a food source to other animals. They provide aeration to your lawn while burrowing underground. That’s about it.

Rodent facts:

• Gnaw on electrical wires inside and outside of your home. 
• Chew on the wood and insulation in your walls and attics. 
• Carry diseases and parasites that are harmful to humans and pets.
• Actively reproduce, with several litters a year! 

We will do the math for you.

Mice are especially “active” and can start having babies at just a few months old. In their short lifespan of only 8 months to a year, one female can have 8 litters, or 50-60 baby mice. 

Mice are just looking for food and a warm place to sleep and then they can set up house! Then let the reproduction begin!

Rodents, keep away!

Most of the problem with an infestation of any pest can be solved by just keeping them out in the first place. 

How to prevent mice and rodents from entering:

• Caulk gaps around doors and windows of your home.
• Remove branches, limbs or vines that are leaning on your home.
• Close gaps around pipes, vents and cables. A mouse can squeeze through a dime sized opening.
• Move outside garbage cans further away from your house.
• Remove sticks, leaves, debris from lawn.
• Don’t allow grass to grow too high. High grass and debris create hiding places for rodents.
• Move piles of firewood at least one foot off the ground and away from the exterior of your home.
• Check vents, window/door screens and weather stripping around all openings.
• If you have a fireplace, install a chimney cap to keep rodents from climbing in.

A warm home and a nice meal, that’s all.

Rodents are especially attracted to the smell of food. You can help deter rodents and mice from moving in by doing the following:

Don’t leave pet food sitting out at night. (Roaches love pet food, too!)

Keep pet food in an air tight container when stored.

Store leftover food immediately.

Clear dirty dishes from the sink before you go to bed. 

Remove garbage from inside your home BEFORE it gets full or worse, overflowing.

Declutter storage areas and place storage bins off of the floor.

Stop an infestation before it starts.

If you are providing access to the inside of your home AND leaving food out for pests, how can you blame them for moving in with you? 

Our licensed pest technicians know exactly what to do when dealing with mice and rodents. Our Pest360 Program can help you before an infestation.

Once mice and rodents are in, the infestation can become a messy one. It’s best to stop this problem before it happens. 

Contact us and we will be in touch with you ASAP. We service the Memphis, TN and North Mississippi areas with trained and trustworthy employees. 

Are there benefits of local versus national pest control company when facing pest control issues? As with every purchase we make, we are one “Google pest control” away from many options. 

Google “local pest control” first

When deciding between a local or a national pest company, try reading the Google reviews. You might notice that our customers frequently refer to our employees by name in the reviews. You won’t find that when you google the “big guys.”

Thanks to big budgets, national marketing and branding, some nationally recognized companies have successfully made their names a fixture. 

Why choose a local pest control company?

• A local pest control company may be able to charge you less for the same services.
• We live here, too. A local company will be well aware of all the seasonal pest infestations that are happening where YOU are, not where “THEY” are.
• A local pest control company can work with your schedules and needs, not what “corporate” tells them to do.

We are a locally owned pest control business.

Working with a locally owned business like Lawn and Pest Solutions means that you are getting very personal service. We work hard to retain our employees for years so that customer relationships are solid and built on trust. 

Who is that man at my door?

Our pest technicians are trustworthy, honest, hardworking and loyal. We don’t send in “fly by night” employees to spray inside your home. You won’t be worried to see our guys spraying in your lawn or on your patio. 

Just #askpaul

In addition to providing reliable technicians, our owner Paul Welborn feels personally responsible for each customer. It is not uncommon for him to show up at a home to help solve an unusual pest issue. He is committed to making sure the customer gets the best possible service.

Whether loading up trucks at 6:45 a.m. or frying up fish at employee appreciation day, Paul is there. Creating personal relationships with his employees and investing in their futures is important to Paul. He believes that qualified trained technicians who want to stay with the company is key to keeping customers happy. 

When the company sees itself as a team, everyone benefits, including the customers. This is why it is important to choose a local pest control company over a national one. 

We provide outstanding customer service and stand behind our programs. We serve the North Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee areas with outstanding pest control. Contact our office 24/7 to get a very fast response and outstanding service. 

When faced with pest issues, one must choose between a local or national pest control company.  

The Big Guys

Thanks to big budgets, marketing and branding, national companies have successfully made their names a fixture. National pest control companies aren’t bad. 

The “big guys” are large and successful pest control companies. We easily recognize their names and logos and feel like we “know” them. 

Why “shop” local pest control?

When deciding between a local or a national pest company, try reading our Google reviews. You can’t help but notice that our customers frequently refer to our employees by name in the reviews. 

Other reasons to choose a locally owned pest control service:

• A local pest control company may be able to charge you less for the same services.
• We live here, too. A local company will be well aware of all the seasonal pest infestations that are happening where YOU are, not where THEY are.
• A local pest control company can work with your schedules and needs, not what “corporate” tells them to do.

We are a locally owned pest control business

Working with a locally owned business like Lawn and Pest Solutions means that you are getting very personal service. We work hard to retain our employees for years so that customer relationships are solid and built on trust. 

Our pest technicians are trustworthy, honest, hardworking and loyal. We don’t send in “fly by night” employees to spray inside your home. You won’t be worried to see our friendly and uniformed guys spraying in your lawn or on your patio. 

Just #askpaul

In addition to providing reliable technicians, our owner Paul Welborn feels personally responsible for each customer. It is not uncommon for him to show up at a home to help solve an unusual pest issue. He is committed to making sure the customer gets the best possible service.

Whether loading up trucks at 6:45 a.m. or frying up fish at employee appreciation day, Paul is there. Creating personal relationships with his employees and investing in their futures is important to Paul. He believes that qualified trained technicians who want to stay with the company is key to keeping customers happy. 

When the company sees itself as a team, everyone benefits, including the customers. This is why it is important to choose a local pest control company over a national one.

We provide outstanding customer service and stand behind our programs. We serve the North Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee areas with outstanding pest control. Contact our office 24/7 to get a very fast response and outstanding service. 

“One Thing Leads to Another”

Cleaning gutters prevents many other issues. In 1983 an English new wave band hit the charts with “One Thing Leads to Another”. As in many other aspects of life, this is true!

But I don’t WANT to…

What if I don’t clean my gutters? This goes back to that “one thing leads to another” motto…

• If you don’t clean your gutters, they become clogged with leaves and debris.
• Clogged gutters don’t drain and they collect water.
• Collected water causes wood to decay and rot

Guess who loves rotting and decaying wood? Termites! Termites feast on rotting wood.

That’s not all.

Another catchy phrase that applies to more than the “sham wow”…

As a result of clogged gutters, washed areas form. These areas can hold water close to your foundation. This causes the soil to become saturated and water can seep under your foundation. Joining the group of water loving pests are…mosquitoes!   

It’s not a fun job, but someone’s got to do it.

Overflowing gutters can wash out mulch and flower beds near your home. These washed areas can thin out your lawn. Thin lawns give weed seeds an open area to grow and germinate. 

Termites, mosquitoes and now thin and weedy lawns, all because no one likes to clean out their gutters!

Make it a priority to clean out your gutters this summer. While we don’t offer gutter cleaning services, Lawn and Pest Services can assist you with termites, mosquitoes and weed control. 

Contact us here and we will send a licensed pest technician to give you a quote. We serve the North Mississippi and Memphis area neighborhoods of Tennessee.

How do you hire a pest professional? Do you even NEED a pest professional? When was the last time you walked down the pesticide aisle of a home improvement store? 

“I don’t know what I am doing here”

Big bags of chemicals and small containers of mysterious liquids can be intimidating. Fine print on the bags and bottles and the smells of their contents don’t help. 

You may ask yourself…

• Is this the right formula? 
• Is this safe for my pet? 
• What will happen if my children touch/eat this? 
• Where do I spray? 
• Do I spray it once a week? Month? Year?
• What is in this stuff?
• Where did we put the sprayer? 
• Or the really big question…
• How do I get this concoction inside the sprayer?

With all of that in mind, a DIY insecticide program should bring up a lot of uncertainties. So what are the benefits of hiring a pest professional?

Hiring a pest professional is a good idea

We typically pay someone more knowledgeable than ourselves to change oil, rotate the tires and resolve plumbing problems. Why do we feel we are capable of fending off roach infestations? 

Hiring a pest professional can give you peace of mind. A pest professional undergoes continual training to maintain certification. In addition to that, at Lawn and Pest Solutions, our pest professionals have additional standards to maintain. 

Our licensed pest professionals at Lawn and Pest Solutions apply pesticides that are specific to the area you live. These treatments apply to the specific problems you have.

What does a pest professional offer?

• Our pros look for points of entry and help you exclude them.
• Our pros broom down cobwebs and wasps nests outside so they don’t set up camp outside your home. 
• Our pros know “what’s coming” ….(for instance, we know ants are more active in wet weather).
• Our pros are proactive. We like to prevent pest problems, not just solve them. 
• Our pros have seen it all. We know where to look, what to look under, what signs to look for when solving pest problems. 

This is a no-brainer.

At Lawn and Pest Solutions, our pest professionals are here to solve your problems. Leave the YouTube tutorials to the stay at home chemists. 

We are here for you. Call our office today to have peace of mind. We serve the North Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee areas. Our Pest360 program is all you need!