Mid-November is when the boxes come down. The tree, the lights, the wreath, the tub of ornaments, and for a lot of families around McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano, Prosper, and Melissa, the first armload of firewood for the season.
Most of those boxes have sat in the attic or the garage for close to a year, in a dark, quiet corner nobody touched. That's exactly the kind of spot pests like. This isn't a reason to skip the decorating. It just means a few minutes of looking before everything comes inside.
Why Stored Decorations Attract Pests
Pests look for shelter, and a stack of boxes that hasn't moved since January is about as good as it gets. Cardboard is the main problem. It has folds, gaps, and corners to hide in, and it doesn't seal. Roaches can even come into a home inside cardboard boxes, and the garage is a favorite spot for spiders and mice too.
Firewood is the same story outdoors. A woodpile is a ready-made hideout for scorpions, spiders, and the roaches they feed on.
Four Places to Check Before the Decorating Starts
The attic. Look at the boxes and the area around them for droppings, chewed corners, and shredded paper or fabric.
Garage shelves and the garage floor. Boxes sitting right on the floor, against the wall, get the most visitors.
The firewood pile. Check how and where it's stacked before you start bringing wood in.
The front porch and entry. Wreaths, garland, and porch decor get shaken out before they go up.
What Might Be Hiding in the Boxes
Mice. Look for small, dark droppings about the size of a grain of rice, chewed box corners, and shredded paper, tissue, or fabric bunched into a nest. If you find signs in the attic, our winter mouse guide covers where they get in and what to do next.
Spiders. Black widows and brown recluses both like garages, storage areas, and woodpiles. Widows build messy, uneven webs low and out of the way. Watch for webs in box corners and small, round egg sacs tucked into folds or ornament dividers. Our fall spider post has a quick guide to telling them apart. If a spider looks like either one, don't handle it.
Roaches. Check the seams and flaps of cardboard boxes for live roaches and their small, dark, bean-shaped egg cases. Our cockroach page covers the kinds we see around here.
Scorpions. Striped bark scorpions tuck into boxes, shoes, and gloves in the garage, and into firewood outside. More on that in our scorpion post.
Habits That Keep Hitchhikers Outside
Open boxes in the garage or on the driveway, not in the living room. If something runs out, it's already outside.
Wear gloves when you reach into boxes, untangle lights, or move stored bins.
Shake out wreaths, garland, artificial trees, and tree skirts outside before you bring them in.
Take a flashlight look while you're in the attic. Check the floor around the boxes and the insulation for droppings or tunnels. Stay on the joists.
Pack up in plastic bins with tight lids when the season's over, and keep them on shelves, up off the garage floor. Retire the soft, tattered cardboard.
Firewood: Bring In Only What You'll Burn
Firewood is one of the easiest ways to carry a pest straight to the hearth. Scorpions, black widows, brown recluses, and Oriental roaches all use woodpiles. Wood roaches live in woodpiles too, and they usually only end up indoors when someone brings them in on firewood.
Stack it off the ground on a rack, out in the yard and away from the house, not against the brick.
Don't store firewood in the garage against the wall. That moves the hideout indoors, right next to your stored boxes.
Bring in only what you'll burn soon. A big stack by the fireplace gives anything in the wood time to wake up and wander.
Wear gloves and knock each piece against the ground or the rack before it comes inside.
Don't spray pest products on wood you plan to burn.
What's Covered, and When to Call
Spiders, scorpions, and American and Oriental roaches are all covered on our quarterly plan. We treat inside and out, garage included, and if covered pests come back between visits, re-treatments are free. German roaches are handled separately.
Mice and rats are their own service. Our rodent control starts with an inspection, then trapping and sealing the spots where they're getting in.
We're a local, family-owned company. If you open a box and find more than you bargained for, the easiest way to get started is to request a free estimate online. If you'd rather, you can also call or text us at (469) 340-0200. We'll find a day that works for you.
Holiday Pests FAQ
Is the attic or the garage better for storing decorations?
Either can work. What matters more is the container. Plastic bins with tight lids, kept up off the floor, give pests far fewer places to hide than cardboard.
Is it safe to keep firewood on the back porch?
A small amount for the next fire or two is fine. Keep the main pile on a rack out in the yard, away from the house.
What should I do if I find droppings in a box?
Wear gloves and a mask, throw out any nesting material, and wipe the bin down. Then take a look around the attic or garage for more signs. Droppings in storage usually mean mice are getting in somewhere nearby.
Here's to a calm, pest-free start to the holidays.
John Around the Block Pest Control (469) 340-0200 | aroundtheblockpest.com