If you’re a fan of the Farmhouse decorating style that’s sweeping the nation (thanks largely to Joanna Gaines and the HGTV show Fixer Upper), you’ve probably noticed the trend to display firewood near a fireplace as a decorative touch. Even people with gas fireplaces are placing stacks of wood in decorative firewood holders or in specially designed nooks. It looks great and adds a natural element to a home’s décor that many people are looking for. However, there’s something very important you should consider before taking the time to chop up (or buy) the perfect logs to display in your home—pests!
Here at Knockout, we’re no experts in interior design, but we are experts in pest control. And one of the surest ways to invite pests into your house is to bring in wood from the outdoors and store it in your home. In fact, we don’t even recommend stacking wood near your house. It’s wise to place firewood at least five feet from any structure to protect it from wood-destroying organisms like termites.
Firewood—especially firewood that still has its bark—can house all kinds of pests, including beetles, ants, and worst of all, termites. Stacked wood is also a great hiding spot for black widows who like dark, sheltered areas.
Upon casual inspection, the wood you want to bring into your home may not appear to be infested with bugs, but there is likely a critter or two hanging out somewhere. Bringing in old, dry wood with its bark removed is safer, but not completely risk-free, and if you ever plan on burning the wood, using a pesticide on it should be out of the question.
If you have no intention of ever actually burning the logs, the safest way to go is to buy logs that are purely decorative. A quick search on Amazon for “decorative logs” yields all kinds of great options, depending on the look you want. It may seem wrong to pay for something you might be able to get for free in your backyard or very inexpensive locally, but consider the cost of bringing unwanted pests into your house—especially termites! That free or cheap wood could prove to be very costly in the long run.
In the Temecula area, we have enough problems with pests as it is. Don’t welcome them in as part of your décor.
If you are in need of a pest control specialist in Temecula, contact us at Knockout. We’d love to help you get your pest problems under control this year and keep your home free from other unwanted pests. We specialize in all types of pests, including ants, spiders, rodents, and termites.
