Cooler temperatures and shorter days are here and that means Thanksgiving and the holidays are not far behind! What is it about cold dark days that make us want to stay inside and cook and bake and EAT?! We’ve got another step to add to the cooking/eating cycle and that’s cleaning up! Cooler temperatures also mean that bugs and rodents are trying to find a warm place to spend the winter. Don’t let it be your house! Read on to find tips and advice to keep your pantry pest free into 2021!
There’s a long list of bugs that would find your flour, sugar and chocolate appetizing (I mean, who wouldn’t that’s basically a cookie!), 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 it’ s not a very wholesome sight to see insects wandering around in your kitchen cabinets.
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. If you see one roach, we can guarantee there are a lot more crawling around where you can’t see them. Call us 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, cereal, pasta, and crackers but they’re not picky and will chow down on whatever’s handy, including the protein bars no one likes.
Here are our list of tips to avoid an infestation this season:
Inspect the packaging
That’s right, pest control in the pantry begins in the store! Before buying bags of sugar, flour, chocolate, cereal or nuts, pay close attention to the seams of the bags and boxes and look for any holes or tiny tears. If there’s an opening, don’t buy it!
Siani approved food storage
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!
Another pest favorite, popcorn! Family movie nights with snacks like these can bring pests from the kitchen into other living spaces.
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.
