Roaches And Pantry Pests Take Over For The Holidays

Bugs are part of life, right? You've been dealing with bugs since you were knee high to a grasshopper--and even more so, if you've spent any time camping. When you see a bug creeping around your kitchen or pantry, you probably just squish it, and move on with your day. Here are two significant reasons why that is a bad idea. First, those camping bugs aren't the same bugs that crawl around in your house. Urban bugs get exposed to many more toxins than forest bugs. They have access to sewer veins, culvert systems, dumpsters, hospital trash, compost piles, leach fields, disease, and more. And, second, whether you realize it or not, those bugs are affecting the health of your family. A surprising number of families fight cockroach related disease every year, thinking that it is the flu. I know you're tough. And, I know you can handle a few bugs living in your home, but wouldn't the holidays be better without the illness?

If you would like a pest free holiday, here are some steps you can take.

1. Seal up your walls. If you don't have bugs in your house, you'll have less chance of getting bugs in your pantry. Use a caulking gun to seal holes in your exterior walls where wood has rotted, bug and rodents have chewed, and where heat is escaping. If heat is getting out, there is a good chance bugs can get in.

2. Inspect weather stripping, door sweeps, and window screens. It doesn't take much of a gap for an insect to squeeze into your home. Look closely, and use a caulking gun to fill in the holes.

3. Seal your foundation cracks with a liquid cement.

4. Get a perimeter treatment, or year round service from a pest professional.

5. When you purchase pantry items at the grocery store, be sure to check all packages for tears, rips, or holes. Many pests will hitchhike into your pantry.

6. Throw away old items. Insects can smell rotting food from a remarkable distance.

7. Use old items first.

8. Keep your pantry ventilated and dry. Bugs love moisture.

9. Store food items in hard plastic containers, if possible. Not only will you keep bugs from smelling and getting into your food, your pantry items will be fresher when you go to use them.

10. Keep your pantry clean. Even a grain of sugar is a meal for some insects.

With these tips, you can have a pest free holiday, and keep illness out of your home. Most people don't deal with bugs until they find them crawling around inside their food packages, not realizing that those bugs were already crawling on their dishes, silverware, and items they ingest. Be wise, and get proactive about excluding bugs from your home. Trust me, it will make your holidays much more merry and bright.