Kitchen cupboard
Invaders
The unfortunate truth is your kitchen is just as much a magnet for pests in general as it is for you. Every time you get hungry and head to the kitchen, you’re exhibiting a Pavlovian response. Built upon years of associating a pantry with the stuff that fills your belly, pests are no different. If you’ve gotten into the bad habit of leaving food out or not picking up crumbs, you’re essentially ringing a dinner bell for everything you’d like out of your home. And once pests have made the association between your kitchen cupboards and food, it takes a fair amount of effort to get them to go away and never return.
Perhaps more troubling, many pests will either contaminate your food and/or leave eggs within your food. So it’s not just a case of insects or mice eating your food and leaving. On the benign side of the spectrum sit weevils, Indian meal moths, and various beetle species that are commonly found within pantries. On the extreme side of the spectrum you may find rats, mice, or cockroaches – all of which hold the potential of carrying disease.
The fact is, it’s much easier to prevent these pests from arriving in the first place than it is to eradicate them once you’ve got an infestation on your hands.
How do I get rid of them?
Focus on your first lines of defense – look at possible entry points and minimize the ability of pests to get through them. The two chief entry points are cracks and/or crevices connecting the outdoors to the inside of your home AND your groceries. Pay particular attention to windows and doors. It may seem obvious, but the seals around doors and windows, as well as the screens covering them, tend to be ground zero for pest entry.
By the same token, check your food items as though you were expecting the perimeter of your house. Does any packaging have holes or tears? What’s the expiration date? Some pests are drawn to decaying food, so it’s a good idea to only ever buy food well before its expiration date. Do you have food in your kitchen that’s already expired? Throw it out!
The most labor intensive portion of preventive pest measures in your kitchen is the systematic cleaning out of your shelves and refrigerator. Seriously consider the expiration date for each item, and whether or not it’s something you wish to hold on to. Wipe down your shelves and floor to get rid of any crumbs or foodstuffs. Keep your kitchen as dry as possible as humidity tends to go hand in hand with many species of invading insects.
NEVER combine expired food with fresh food, as you’ll have no idea of how far gone it is, AND the odor will bring unwanted pests into your home.
Lastly, give your local Pest Control a call to ensure you’ve eliminated all of the pests in your home. If you’re not 100% certain that every pest is gone, the likelihood of re-infestation remains.
What should I do next?
Give us a call at (269) 424-3458. We’d be happy to walk you through both the removal AND prevention process. Once we’ve eliminated the pest problem, you’ll want to make sure you eliminate any of the tasty treats that brought them there in the first place. As discussed above, the main thing is to remove open access to discarded food items that might lure them in to begin with.
- Call us to discuss a tailor-made plan of attack: (269) 424-3458
- We'll treat the affected areas, and provide guidance on ways to eliminate further pest issues.
- You may wish to seal any cracks or holes you find in your building's walls (remember - these critters are tiny!)
- Routinely wash away, sweep up, and vacuum any food residue or crumbs to ensure there's nothing to lure them inside. In other words, hide your grandma's cookies.
- Make sure you're consistently checking the affected spaces for signs of re-infestation.
We’re here to assist! Give us a call at (269) 424-3458!
