When it comes to Christmas trees, there's two camps. Some don't want the mess of a real tree, but others would no sooner have a fake tree than they would a fake turkey.
Hart Tree Farm, in Rockford, sells roughly 7,500 Christmas trees each winter. Yet, some worry that if you cut down a real tree, you could bring bugs into the house.
Raymond Cummings, from Simply Pest Control Solutions, says there's an easy way to inspect for insects.
“Before you bring the tree in, if you have a garage, put a white sheet underneath the area where you're going to shake the tree, so that way you can see if there's any insects in the tree,” Cummings said.
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Cummings says these bugs don't want to be in your house anymore than you want to invite them in. “The insects that are in trees or on trees throughout the summer into the fall are built to be outside,” Cummings said.
Tom Hart, the owner of Hart Tree Farm, says it's rare to find bugs in your tree. “There's no fear of bringing anything that you wouldn't want in your house, as far as chemicals or pesticides,” Hart said.
Hart explains in the spring, he treats the trees for bugs, so that by winter, it's a bug free Christmas. It's also important that you pick a healthy tree.
“Make sure that the top looks good," Hart said. "There's no dead branches; the tree isn't real thin; has good color... those are some good signs of a healthy tree.”
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Hart Tree Farm expects to be sold out of trees in a little over two weeks, so if you want a real tree this Christmas, make sure to get out and cut one down before they're gone.
For more information on Hart Tree Farm, click here.
This story was originally published by Olivia Yatooma at Scripps News Grand Rapids.
