How not to feed the pantry pests – from Tri-County Pest Control
It may appear to be a simple enough concept, however, keeping pests of all shapes and sizes out of your pantry and food items can be a little trickier than one might think.
Pests enter homes in search of three things – food, water and shelter. While friends and family may think that your beautifully arranged and self-contained pantry might be slightly OCD, it actually functions to keep pest noshing opportunities at bay.
In terms of the type of pests you may find invading your pantry and any other cabinets you may store food include Indian meal moths, rodents (especially mice) and Merchant Grain Beetles. While many people become “grossed out” by the mere thought of pests just entering their pantry, worse things can happen – they can contaminate your food.
Mice have the ability to spread Hantavirus and Salmonella. They can also bring lice and fleas into your home.
At Trident County Peat Control, we like to educate our customers and clients on how they may be able to prevent these potential invasions before they get out of hand. Therefore, here are a few steps you can take to to keep the hungry bugs and rodents at bay:
- Store all of your food in sealed, airtight containers.
- Try to buy only food items in sealed contained with no signs of previous ‘breaking and entering’
- Add bay leaves to any dry items such as four, rice and other grain items. The pungent scent of the bay leaf will deter any pests raiding your pantry.
These are not steps to procrastinate on folks. We encourage you to take the few extra minutes to make sure everything is sealed tight in your pantry. While we understand this takes maintenance with new food items being switched out regularly, it will save you time and money later with ruined food that may have been contaminated.
When in doubt, or pests have already run amok in your pantry, reach out to the experts here at Tri-County. Our highly-trained team will eradicate these wily critters in no time.
Remember…seal tight to sleep tight.
