Thanksgiving is almost here and if you’re anything like us, you’re probably spending a lot more time in the kitchen; it seems that so many holiday traditions involve making and eating special foods! As you dig into your cupboards to pull out the powdered sugar and pie plates, you don’t want to find that invading insects have been feasting on your favorite recipe ingredients.
There’s a long list of bugs that would find your flour, sugar and chocolate appetizing, but you’re most likely to see Indian meal moths and merchant grain beetles. Neither of these bugs carry any diseases that will make you sick, but no one wants to pick bugs out of the fruit cake (we’re busy enough just picking out the fruit! What *are* those green things?).
Cockroaches, however, are another story. They can carry over 30 kinds of bacteria including salmonella and E.Coli and will eat almost anything including glue and toothpaste! Roaches multiply rapidly and are difficult to eliminate. When you see one roach, you can safely assume there are a lot more crawling around where you can’t see them. Call a pest control professional (like Siani Pest Control!) and have your home treated, then keep everything clean and those roaches will have to find another place to eat.
Mice can enter your home in a space as small as a dime and just love anything grain based like oatmeal, pasta, and crackers but they’re not picky and will chow down on whatever’s handy (even those green things in the fruit cake).
How can you prevent pantry pests from ruining your pumpkin pie? Read on!
Inspect the packaging
That’s right, pest control in the pantry begins in the store! Before buying bags of sugar, flour, chocolate or nuts, pay close attention to the seams of the bags and look for any holes or tiny tears. If there’s an opening, don’t buy it!
Store it right
Once you get the food in your house, ensure that you have the appropriate storage containers to keep it. Don’t expect a bag clip to keep enterprising (and hungry!) grain beetles out of that bag of flour. Invest in a proper set of canisters or get some plastic containers with secure lids.
Deck the halls
If you’re getting a live tree, wreath or garland, look over it carefully for any signs of insect activity. This goes double for the wood pile. If you have a fireplace, check your woodpile regularly for insects and rodents and look closely at the wood you’re bringing in to the house to make sure it’s not hiding bugs!
Clean it up
Don’t let spills, particularly anything sugary or fatty, sit. If the whole family is gathered around the tv watching football games or binge watching your favorite shows (or putting cookies out for Santa!), make sure to clean up crumbs, because the kitchen isn’t the only place bugs find food!
The takeaway from all this is call Siani and get your home treated if you suspect any kind of infestation in your pantry. Then keep your counters, floors and furniture clean and crumb free and you’ll make your home an inhospitable place for bugs.