Who Else Might Be Eating Your Cereal? (Pantry Pest Prevention)

There is a chance that you could be inadvertently offering an open invitation for pests to enjoy an open buffet in your pantry. Just like us, pests need food and water to survive. And just like some of us, they go for the fastest and easiest source. As a result, your personal stash of food can give pests an easy target. Fortunately, there are things you can do to deter united guests into your favorite box of cereal.

Clean Up Your Crumbs

Once you have cooked and eaten a meal, it can be tempting to just settle in and worry about the dishes later. However, this habit can easily lead to an invasion of pests. Dirty dishes, crumb-covered counters, and sticky floors are all green lights for pests including ants, mice, and cockroaches. Taking a couple of extra steps and wiping up food debris and disinfecting food preparation areas will go a long way to keeping pests at bay.

Use Airtight Storage Containers

Once you open and package and put it in the pantry for storage, your best bet is to transfer the food to an airtight container. Metal, glass, and plastic containers will all work as long as they provide a tight seal. Tiny pests can crawl through the tiniest cracks, so a tight deal is essential. If you want to protect your food and use sustainable containers, mason jars make a great option. 

Keep up with Expiration Dates

We have all been guilty of buying food and produce and storing it somewhere only to remember it a few weeks later and realize that it has gone bad. Be vigilant about the expiration dates on perishable materials and be sure to regularly clean out spoiled food. Also, keep in mind that even nonperishable items can be infiltrated by pests. If at all possible, try to rotate out canned and sealed items so that they don’t spend so much time on the shelves. 

Use Natural Deterrents

Both bay leaves and cinnamon have proven effective in repelling certain pests. Dried bay leaves can be placed in cupboards to fight off pests and provide a safe deterrent. Cinnamon can be sprinkled around the pantry and cupboard thresholds to ward off ants. Cinnamon sticks are also effective if you don’t want to deal with loose spices.

Call the Professionals

If you have cleaned and tried out some DIY methods without satisfactory results, it may be time to call in the pest control experts. Our technicians at Capital Pest Services can help you get to the root of the problem, exterminate an infestation, and set up an ongoing prevention plan. Call us today to learn more and schedule an appointment. 

Capital Pest is proud to be a family-owned and operated pest control company serving Raleigh, NC and its surrounding area (Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Clayton, Pinehurst, Pittsboro, Fuquay-Varina, etc). Contact us for our pest control services today!