The holiday season is nigh, which means families will be spending a lot of time cooking and baking in the kitchen. When digging through your cabinets and storage for baking necessities, like cookie cutters and containers of flour, make sure to leave unwanted “pantry pests” out of the mix.
“Pantry pests” are insects that tend to gather around food often stored in pantries and cabinets such as flour, dry cereals, spices, candies and chocolate. Common pantry pests include Indian meal moths and Merchant Grain Beetles.
Cooking and baking for the holidays should be fun, but finding creepy crawlies in your baking ingredients can put a damper on things.
The kitchen and pantry may also attract other visitors as well. Mice are a more common fall pest, and can contaminate food and damage drywall and electrical wires throughout a home.
Cockroaches can trigger allergies and asthma, especially in children. By following a few simple steps, you can feel secure that your tasty creations and home are pest-free.
- Immediately wipe up any crumbs or spills from countertops, tables, floors, shelves and drawers.
- Store food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly in sealed receptacles.
- Carefully inspect packages before placing them in the cart at the grocery store. Only purchase food in sealed packages that show no sign of damage.
- Install door sweeps on exterior doors and repair damaged screens.
- Check expiration dates on baking ingredients before use.
- Eliminate all moisture sites, including leaking pipes and clogged drains.
- Sometimes, despite your best efforts, pests still find their way in, especially in older homes. To help maintain your high holiday spirits, contact us for help fighting an invasion.