You have a beautiful plant - I can see why you want to move her indoors for the winter. But I also understand your wife’s concerns with bringing in unwanted guests with the plant!

In general, here are the keys to a good transition (based on information from the websites listed below):

Inspect the plant (while still outdoors) for pests both on the stems/foliage and in the soil. Spray external pests with water or an insecticidal soap. For the critters residing in the soil, you can soak or drench the soil with an appropriate insecticide (always follow any chemical labels - especially with an edible plant - the label is the law!)

If necessary, you may need to repot the plant (due to either summer growth or pest infestation.)

You can also isolate the plant for a couple of weeks in an area of the house away from other houseplants and let the pest lifecycle run its course.

Note that you may also need to transition the plant to its new, lower light environment.

Following are a number of websites that explain how to move a plant indoors after its ‘summer vacation’ outside - some are Bay Laurel specific!

https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/docs/lawn-and-garden/in-house-publications/garden-maintenance/Overwintering%20Plants%20and%20Pots%20-%20REVISED%20Oct.%202020.pdf - see page 3 for Bay Laurel specifics (under the culinary herb section)

https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/bringing-houseplants-back-inside - good general information

https://extension.illinois.edu/herbs/bay-laurel - moving a Bay Laurel specifically

https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2022-09-09-tips-moving-houseplants-indoors-and-overwinter-care - better, more detailed info on how to prepare for the move indoors

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/bring_plants_indoors_now_but_leave_the_pests_behind

https://www.uvm.edu/news/extension/moving-houseplants-back-indoors-winter

Thanks for reaching out to Ask Extension.