Get Rid of Common Kitchen Pests for Good
Imagine this scenario – you wake up in the middle of the night peckish and decide to pad down to your kitchen for a slice of that delicious chocolate cake you bought yesterday. You are excitedly dreaming about all that chocolatey goodness when you see something skitter in front of you and it’s not your pet dog or cat. Eeek!
Kitchen pests aren’t just annoying and at times frightening. But they are also carriers of many bacterias or diseases, can cause allergies in children, and contaminate the air we breathe through their fecal droppings and shed skin. There’s no good reason you would want bugs in your kitchen.
Cockroaches
Did you know that Katsaridaphobia is the fear of roaches? Even if you aren’t afraid of roaches, you might just find them disgusting to have around, especially in your kitchen where you prepare food and have your meals.
As with other kitchen pests, they are attracted to grease, organic food, food debris, clutter, and heat. These are all items they can find in the kitchen.
They can enter your home through cracks, crevices, or any holes from adjoining areas or outside your home. They are quite sneaky and industrious about getting into your home and at your food debris. That’s why it’s important to seal off all cracks or holes in your home to prevent them from getting in and to use traps, baits, or other pest control treatments to kill them once they are indoors.
Ants
No article on pest control in the kitchen would be complete without a diatribe on ants. There are hundreds of species of ants in the United States, but only a few of them care to infiltrate your home. They are attracted by food debris, grease, and moisture in the kitchen.
Of course, keeping your food covered and in the refrigerator rather than out in the open is a great way to prevent ants from getting at them. But if you find that you have a lot of ants in your kitchen, there might be a nest in the wall void or openings from the outside that you aren’t aware of. These nests need to be destroyed or any openings sealed up as one ant can attract dozens of others in a matter of hours.
You can also use baits indoors and outdoors and spray your foundation to help clean up your kitchen of ants.
Rodents
Rats and mice carry lots of diseases, bacteria, and viruses on them, so they are always something to be avoided and kept away from your kitchen. They are attracted to food and clutter, so keeping clutter down to a minimum, staying organized in your home and kitchen, and keeping all foods covered and refrigerated will help.
But these rodents can be super creative about getting into your home through tiny holes or openings in the foundation, walls, floors, or windows. Find and seal entry points asap, and also put out rodenticide baits or traps inside and outside your home to deter them from entering or kill them upon entry.
If you are not comfortable killing these creatures on your own, consider comparing quotes on pest control services to help you out. They are experts at this business and won’t be squeamish about it at all.
Flies
If you tend to leave your windows or doors wide open in the summertime to let the fresh air in, you might be letting in more than just fresh air. Flies can easily enter your kitchen or home through these open outlets. They are attracted to the food, organic matter, grease, and clutter in your kitchen.
They can also enter your kitchen through sewage or drainage pipes, and any cracks or holes in the walls or floors. Yet again, your priority must be to seal off any entry points and to set up fly traps.
Also, spray all sewage or drainage pipes, and sanitize all trash cans, dumpsters, drains, and equipment. This will help prevent flies from multiplying and breeding. One or two flies can quickly become dozens because they multiply so fast, so you would want to prevent this from happening as quickly as possible.
Pantry or Stored Product Pests
The problem with a pantry or stored product pests is that a lot of them come into your home by hitchhiking on packages of foods you purchase at the grocery store. They can also fly into open windows and doors. Some of the common ones are Moths, Indian meal moths, saw-toothed grain beetles, and rice weevils.
Keep your pantry or storage areas in your kitchen or basement clean, tidy, and clutter-free. Treat any cracks or crevices in your home where these pests could enter by using insecticides that are safe for kitchen use. There are many microbial foams, gels, liquids, or sprays labeled for kitchen use.
If you are not sure if it’s safe for kitchen use, better not to use it at all. You are going to eat meals in the kitchen and you don’t want to do that in a polluted space with chemicals inundating your system. That would defeat the entire purpose of killing or exterminating kitchen pests.
Get Rid of Kitchen Pests Fast and Easy
Pest control is all about doing it as soon as you find kitchen pests roaming about your home. The faster you eliminate them, the easier it is to ensure they don’t multiply, breed, and take over your living space.
If you are searching for some assistance in getting rid of unwanted kitchen pests, then compare quotes on various pest control services to get the best match for you and your needs.
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