Summary: It’s the middle of the most festive season, so everyone is busy doing their favorite holiday activities. This blog explores a fictional world where pests can enjoy the same holiday activities as humans. The featured pests are: ants, crickets, fireflies, hornets, praying mantises, mice, moths, and termites. One of the best holiday activities is receiving long-term solutions from Pointe Pest Control.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Holiday activities and traditions brighten up this time of year, even when the frigid temperatures make us want to never leave our beds. These festive activities are fun to do with anyone, be it your family, friends, partner, or yourself.
We’re already in the thick of the holiday season, so our list of holiday activities to complete is slowly shrinking. The abundance of homemade cookies and holiday light shows cause us to wonder: what if pests could participate in our favorite holiday activities?
Let’s answer this question by using the real habits of 8 common pests to determine each one’s favorite December activity!
Baking Cookies — Ants
Where an exposed food item sits, ants are sure to follow. Worker ants need to gather enough food to feed their entire colony — including up to 100,000 ants — so they’re always on the hunt for safe food sources. They use their strong olfactory receptors to find food that’s miles away. Ants gravitate towards sugary or protein-packed foods because these give the pests more energy to complete their daily tasks.
It’s safe to say that no pest would want to bake cookies more than ants! They would spend autumn scouring their cookbooks for fun cookie recipes to try during the holiday season. Ants would stock up on their ingredients beforehand, then spend days baking enough cookies to feed an army. Everyone in the ant’s life (friends, coworkers, the mail carrier) would receive a plate piled high with red-and-green-sprinkled cookies every time they see the merry ant.
Caroling — Crickets
Crickets are the noisiest pests we know, especially on warm summer nights. Their famous chirps are used to communicate with each other or to ward off potential predators. Male crickets chirp by rubbing their front wings together to produce their desired calls, also known as stridulation. Female crickets seek a mate with loud chirps because these usually belong to the strongest crickets. The calls sound the same to us, but to crickets, every chirp conveys a different message.
A pest that we know for its chirps would definitely go Christmas caroling if it had the chance! Crickets would bundle up and set out on their predetermined route, lyric sheets and hot cocoa in hand. They would cheerfully sing each song to the surprised homeowner who opened their door to the horde of thrilled crickets. The group would cover the usual range of Christmas hits, but their favorite song would be “Jingle Bells” because they finally get to shake their handheld bells.
Looking at Christmas Lights — Fireflies
Fireflies are also most active in the summer, but their twinkling lights live in our hearts all year long. They use their bioluminescence for the same purpose that crickets use their chirps: communication. Each light pattern is used for a different purpose, like finding other fireflies, warding off enemies, or attracting a mate. Since they’re nocturnal and live in grassy fields, fireflies give their lights — and bodies — a rest during the daytime.
Only a firefly would appreciate the effort and time put into creating an elaborate Christmas light display in the front yard. These insects would pile into the car to stay warm as they look at the impressive lights around the neighborhood. They would note the range of colors and speed of flashing for each display. The fireflies would be most impressed with the houses that coordinate their light show with popular songs, and would be inspired to try it with their own lights!
Ice Skating — Hornets
This is the time of year when we’re thankful that stinging pests can’t withstand the cold. Hornets are quick and agile when they dart around in search of food. They have two sets of wings, the smaller pair sitting underneath the large pair. These wings allow the hornet to fly an average of 14 miles per hour! Besides their impressive speed, hornets are also known for their nasty attitudes. They’re quick (literally) to defend their colonies, so it’s best to stay away.
Hornets would be a force to be reckoned with on the ice rink. They would bring their own ice skates and lace them up before confidently gliding onto the ice. While other skaters are holding onto each other and giggling when they can’t stay upright, hornets are racing each other around the rink. But they wouldn’t run into anyone who’s a less confident skater. The hornets would easily skate around them in intricate patterns that subtly show off their skills.
Visiting A Christmas Tree Farm — Praying Mantises
Praying mantises may have a calm demeanor, but their size and alien-looking eyes are scary enough to offset it. While they’re harmless to us, mantids eat enough other bugs and spiders to make them a formidable foe in the pest world. They protect their offspring by placing their walnut-sized egg mass on a thick tree branch, usually in a conifer. The last thing we want in our Christmas trees are 400 tiny praying mantises!
Speaking of Christmas trees, praying mantises would undoubtedly love to visit their local Christmas tree farm. They would slowly peruse each row of fluffy-branched trees, looking for just the right one. Their patience and eye for detail would come in handy during this process. Eventually, the praying mantis would choose the most even, full, and healthy tree on the farm. The pest would end the visit with a cup of hot cider as they admire their beautiful tree.
Watching Christmas Movies — Mice
One of the major reasons why mice are such a dreaded pest is because they reproduce so much! They average 5 to 10 litters a year, with 5 to 12 babies in each litter. This is also why mice are always looking for nest materials and food sources; they can’t rest when they have a growing family to care for. Young mice stay with their parents until they’re almost 3 weeks old, then they are off to provide for themselves.
One of the mouse’s favorite holiday activities would be watching Christmas movies, for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that they would enjoy the quality time with their family as they spend a cozy night together. The second reason is that mice would never say “no” to movie snacks! They would have every type of popcorn and candy available while they marathon the classic Christmas movies night after night. Their favorite? Home Alone, of course!
Wearing Ugly Sweaters — Moths
A lot of moths are infamously drawn to our porch lights, but some species actively seek out the darker corners of our homes. Clothes moths hide in closets and drawers packed with clothes because they eat the fibers. Their favorite clothing materials include silk, felt, wool, and fur. Moths chew holes into the clothing item in order to consume the keratin inside, as this protein gives them the nutrients they need.
If clothes moths already like eating sweaters, how much more would they enjoy wearing them? We could see moths creating their own ugly sweaters for their office’s holiday party. They would glue pompoms, candy canes, ribbon, and tinsel all over the sweater in hopes of making it uglier than ever. The moth would revel in the compliments it receives on its homemade sweater, and end the night on a high by winning the prize for “Ugliest Sweater” for the fourth year in a row.
Building A Gingerbread House — Termites
Termites don’t bite or spread diseases, but they’re no friends of ours! These hardworking pests are fueled by the cellulose in the wood they carve for their colony’s tunnels. Termite colonies can have hundreds of thousands of members, so every termite needs to pull its weight to sustain the huge group. The three classes — workers, swarmers, soldiers — all have designated jobs to do. They never stop to rest, so the colony is always abuzz (not literally) with activity.
A gingerbread house competition would be fierce when a termite is involved. They would purchase every candy and color of icing to make their pre-made gingerbread houses the most beautiful. The competition would take hours to complete since the termite wouldn’t stop until they were sure that their house was absolutely perfect. The detail on the icing and the placement of the candies would give the termite the win — before it eats its victorious house.
Scheduling Preventative Pest Control Services — Pointe Pest Control
You’d think that the freezing temperatures would cause pests to go into hiding, and they do — in our homes. At Pointe Pest Control, we provide year-round protection from invasive pests. Our experienced technicians inspect the property for pest activity, then create a treatment plan that’s customized to fit your needs. We provide personalized, long-term solutions that target current pests and prevent future invaders. Our top priority is your complete satisfaction with our services, so we are happy to answer any questions you have along the way. Don’t let invasive pests ruin the fun of your holiday activities. For a free quote on our thorough services, contact us today!
Citations
Foster, S. (n.d.). How fast can bees, yellow jackets, hornets, and wasps fly?. School of Bees. Available at https://schoolofbees.com/how-fast-can-bees-yellow-jackets-hornets-and-wasps-fly/ (Accessed on November 25, 2024).
