The holidays are around the corner and your life over the next few weeks can get hectic. Between baking, shopping and decorating your home, the last thing on your mind are the pests that can put a damper on this time of year. Between rodents and stored product pests, your kitchen festivities can quickly turn to a nightmare. Could you imagine throwing on a last minute dish only to find beetles in the pasta or rodent chew marks in your fresh baked cookies? It is important to keep these pests in your thoughts, but out of your home while we get closer to the season.
- Inspection
When grocery shopping, be sure to inspect all dry products, such as beans, cereals, pastas, crackers, flour and spices for any signs of pest contamination. Some signs of stored product pests (beetles, weevils and moths) are tiny drill holes in the box or bag and broken seals. If it doesn’t look right or sealed properly, don’t bring it home. Almost 100% of the time, the stored product pests came from the market or the packaging facility, but when brought into your house they can infest other products and flourish. Many times these pests remain undetected until the problem is out of control. Signs of rodent contaminations are more noticeable, look for any rips, tears or chew marks. Rodents are disease vectors, if there is suspicion of rodent contamination, it is imperative not to bring these products home, ingest them, or serve them.
- Proper Storage
After grocery shopping, store food in proper air tight glass or plastic containers. This will help any pests from getting in as well as keep your items fresh!
- Sanitation
When your pies or turkey are in the oven, take the time to look around for any crumbs or spills and clean them up. Sanitation is one of the largest issues that have the potential to attract problem pests such as rodents, roaches and ants.
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