Kitchens tend to be the heart of a home, a central location for family meals and entertaining guests. But the enticing smells and cozy surroundings can invite guests of a different kind-- pests. Ants, mice, pantry pests, roaches, and flies, among others, will gladly crash your next dinner party if you let them. Here’s how you can let common kitchen pests know they aren’t welcome at your table.
Ants
Ants are attracted to kitchens for the water and food sources, and they aren’t picky eaters – they’ll help themselves to anything from crumbs and spills to grease and trash. Ants are constantly foraging for food to sustain and grow their colonies and will make their way indoors through small cracks and crevices, gaps around windows and doors, and openings around utility lines or pipes.
Mice
Kitchens appeal to mice with the promise of food and nesting options, particularly near warm appliances like your stove or refrigerator. Keep an eye out for droppings, chew marks or holes in packaged foods, and nesting materials like paper, insulation, or furniture stuffing.
Pantry Pests
Pests that are likely to invade your pantry include moths, grain beetles, and weevils. These pests thrive on items we all typically keep on hand: pet food, flour, sugar, cereals, grains, spices, dried fruit, pasta, even chocolate and some types of medications. Minimize your risk by keeping pantry space and cupboards clear of food debris, inspecting groceries for signs of damaged packaging, and storing pantry items in airtight containers.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches like kitchens for the food, moisture, warmth of appliances, and dark hiding places. They may hitchhike in on packages or in grocery bags, wander in from outdoors, or emerge from areas in your home where they overwintered. Cockroaches carry viral and bacterial pathogens and are known to spread them via contact with food items, food preparation spaces, and utensils or dishes.
Flies
A variety of flies are commonly found in kitchens, drawn by grease, grime, and organic matter. To keep these irritating insects from getting comfy in your kitchen, store produce properly, clean up spills promptly, and keep drains clear.
In general, there are some measures you can take to stop pests from raiding your kitchen:
- Keep clean. Wipe down counters, vacuum or sweep regularly, keep trash covered and empty it regularly.
- Stay dry. Minimize moisture by cleaning up spills promptly, repairing any leaky plumbing, and eliminating standing water such as dishes in the sink.
- Seal it up. Keep pests from getting inside in the first place by sealing cracks and crevices in foundation or openings around pipes and utility lines. Make sure doors and windows close completely and all screens are intact.
If you find you’re still playing host to unwelcome dinner guests, call Burgess Pest. We offer free estimates, we don’t overstay our welcome, and you won’t even have to feed us.
