6 Ways to Prevent Pests in Your Kitchen

Do you have ants in your kitchen? Or perhaps pesky fruit flies? There are few things more frustrating than the presence of insects and other pests in your home. The kitchen is an especially bad place for pests because insects go where food is present. According to Consumer Affairs, ants are the most common kitchen pest, followed by spiders and roaches. Once you have pests in your kitchen, it can be difficult to remove them.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent pests from invading your kitchen. Below are a few easy steps to implement immediately to keep your kitchen clean and clear of insects. Take these steps and more today. Keeping bugs out of your home starts with cleanliness, but even the cleanest homes can still have insects. Sometimes, it can't be helped and you need professional assistance to eliminate the pests in your home. If you still need help ridding your kitchen of insects, contact Mares Exterminating for your pest control service today.

Clean Up Food Immediately After Eating

By far, the biggest culprit when it comes to attracting pests is food left out in the kitchen. Whether it's leftovers on the counter or food crumbs that aren't cleaned up, food plays a major role in attracting pests and insects. Another culprit is liquid. You may spill soda, juice, or other liquids, then fail to clean them up completely. The remaining residue can attract insects.

Cleaning food and liquid is the best way to prevent pests from appearing in your kitchen. Wipe down counters after every time you cook. Be sure to clear food and leftovers and put them away. Put dishes in the dishwasher immediately and don't let them gather in your sink. Don't allow standing water to accumulate in your sink or other areas of your kitchen. Keep your home and kitchen clean, and you significantly reduce the chances of having insects in your home.

Another important step is to try to only eat in one location. If possible, eat all your meals at your kitchen table. That means most of your crumbs and food waste will be in one area, which makes it easier to clean. If you eat all over the house, that means you have food waste all over the house, which gives pests many more possible entry points.

Use Easily-Sealed Containers

Leftovers are an attractive target for pests. If bugs think they can reach food, they'll go for it. Often, people use Tupperware and other containers that aren't fully sealed. It's important to remember that pests can find their way through even the smallest gaps. If you use a container that doesn't fully seal, it's best to invest in some new ones.

When possible, use containers that seal and lock completely. That eliminates the opportunity for pests to get into the containers. If they can't access food, they're unlikely to stay in the area. Sealable containers are also good choices for pantry items. Often ants and small insects can find their way into boxes and bags. Sealable Tupperware can be more protective and discourage pests from entering your kitchen.

Seal Gaps and Cracks in Your Kitchen

Insects don't just appear in your kitchen. Most often, they come through tiny holes and gaps that you may not even know to exist in your home. It could be holes in your walls or foundation or even cracks and gaps around your windows. If you aren't trained to look, you could miss the gaps altogether.

One of the best ways to prevent pests in your kitchen is to have a pest control service analyze the space and identify areas where pests could be entering your home. You may have to seal gaps around your doors, windows, walls, and foundation. A pest control service can identify these gaps so you can take action and keep insects out of your kitchen.

Use Pest Killers Year-Round

Most hardware stores sell discreet pest killers that you can leave out year-round. Most of them look like apples or other fruit, and they contain pest poisons that give off an attractive scent. Ants and other pests enter the trap and carry the poison back to the nest. The result is that it kills the queen which will kill the whole nest. This prevents further infestations in your home.

Many people buy these traps when insects appear. However, it may make sense to buy traps and have them out all year. Once they appear, pests are notoriously difficult to get rid of. You could have pests that you don't even know about in your walls, carpet, and underneath your floors. Insect traps draw them out and kill them before they can make an appearance in your kitchen. Having pest traps year-round keeps pests away permanently so you never have to see them.

Take Your Trash Out Immediately

Many people keep their trash can in their kitchen. This makes sense because the kitchen is the most common source of waste. However, your trash can also attract pests and insects. That's especially true if you let your trash sit too long or let it overflow.

If your trash overflows out of the can, that can be an attractive food source for ants and insects. They may get into the home with the intention of targeting your trash can. Instead, take your trash out immediately so they don't have the chance. That'll eliminate the attractiveness of your trash can as a food source for insects, and may prevent pests from entering your kitchen.

Get Annual Service from a Pest Company

Want to make sure you don't have ants and other pests in your kitchen? Have a pest control service come out every year for a pest inspection. They can go through your kitchen and the rest of your home to find insect nests and to identify areas where bugs could enter your home. They can also recommend steps you can take to eliminate those vulnerabilities and help you protect your home and kitchen from a pest invasion.

It's important to take this step before you notice bugs in your kitchen. Taking action early can help you prevent full-blown infestations. If you wait until you see pests in your home, that may mean a nest is already established somewhere. You want to take action before the nest is established. Have a pest control service out regularly each year to prevent a pest nest from even being formed.

Ready to keep pests out of your home? Contact us today. One of our pest control service specialists can come out to your home and inspect it. They can tell you what you need to do in order to keep insects out of your kitchen. Contact Mares Exterminating today to schedule your consultation.