Are you faced with pests in your kitchen? Whether you are dealing with insects or rodents, a pest infestation is stressful and even dangerous for your health. The good news is that you can find out how to prevent pests in your kitchen, all while keeping your sanity and your health in check.
This guide will overview how to prevent pests in kitchen, as well as what to look for and how to get rid of them.
What Pests Will Takeover Your Kitchen?
Let’s first take a look at the type of pests that are likely to take over your kitchen.
When your kitchen is taken over by unwanted guests, you can typically expect to find the following:
Ants: No one wants ants in the kitchen, but unfortunately they are a common pest that you will find. There are a variety of different species, including carpenter ants and fire ants. If you find ants in areas in your kitchen, there are effective ways to get rid of these insects.
Cockroaches: Seeing a cockroach scurry across your kitchen floor can make your hair stand on end. Unfortunately, cockroaches are another common insect that you will find in this area of your home. You might find German cockroaches as well as American cockroaches.
Mice: If you have food that is easily accessible, you might find mice in your kitchen. It might be a single mouse or even an infestation. Either way, it is critical to get mice out of your kitchen as soon as possible.
Rats: Lastly, you can even find rats in your kitchen. They can be hiding in various places and even destroying the structural integrity of your kitchen, such as the cabinets and walls.
Now that you know the type of paths that you will find in your kitchen, let’s talk about the signs that you will see if there is an infestation.
Common Signs of Kitchen Pests
You might suspect that you have an insect or rodent problem, but how do you know for sure? If you were wondering how to prevent pests in kitchen, you must know the common signs that there is a problem.
Keep an eye out for the following when it comes to pass infestation in the kitchen:
Damage to Food Packaging
One tall tale sign is damaged food packaging. This can range from finding holes inside cardboard storage boxes or shredded packaging.
If you find food packaging that is not intact as it should be, you might have a mice or rat problem on your hands.
Finding Live or Dead Insects
Finding insects, whether they are dead or alive, is a sign that there is a problem in your kitchen. You can find dead insects inside of cupboards and other areas of your kitchen. Whether the insects are dead or alive, make sure you pay attention to other possible signs of infestation.
Rodent Droppings
If you find mice or rat droppings in your kitchen, this is a sure-fire sign that there are rodents lurking in this area of your home. You can find them on the floor or inside pantries or drawers. You will want to clean this right away, as the disease is easily spread through rodent droppings.
Physical damage to structures
Both insects and rodents can cause physical damage to the structure of your kitchen. Mice and rats can chew through almost anything, including wiring, plastic, and even the walls.
Meanwhile, carpenter ants can also cause instruction as they will eat wood. This means they can chew up your cabinets and walls as well.
Rodent nests
Lastly, finding rodent nests in your kitchen is also a sign that action needs to be taken quickly. Rats and mice like to nest in areas that are quiet and dark, and typically unbothered by humans. If this sounds like an area of your kitchen, you will find nests made out of shredded paper, stuffing from pillowcases and blankets, and more.
When you find pests in your kitchen, you know that they need to be removed as quickly as possible.
Why You Must Get Rid of Pests in Your Kitchen
There are various reasons why rodents and insects are problematic to have in your kitchen. Aside from the fact that they are gross to have around food, there are other concerns as well.
First, both mice and insects can carry disease. They can carry Hantavirus which can be released in the air.
When pests come in contact with your food, it is contaminated and needs to be thrown away. Hantavirus can also come in contact with your food.
Lastly, it is hard to get a kitchen completely clean when there are bugs and rodents running around. Eliminating these pests from your kitchen keeps the area clean while preventing germs and diseases.
How do Pests Enter Your Kitchen?
If you happen to find a rodent or insect in your kitchen, you might be wondering how they got there in the first place.
Pests can find amazing ways to make their way inside your house. For example, a small mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a ballpoint pen.
Below, you’ll find some of the most common access points for pests that get inside the kitchen.
Open Doors
You might not think much about leaving an exterior door hanging open for a couple of minutes while you are busy with something. Maybe you are carrying groceries in and out of the house, or maybe you were unloading the car to take laundry to the laundromat.
Whatever the case, an open door is one of the easiest access points of your home to rodents. They can slip right eye into your house, and you’ll be none the wiser until an infestation comes to light.
Open Windows
Just like an open door, open windows are also another easy way for a pass to come inside.
This is especially true if The windows do not have screens. Bugs can squeeze away inside the small spaces of your windows and gain entry into the kitchen.
If you have windows that do not contain screens, you want to make this a priority to fix for preventing pests in the kitchen.
Gaps around Windows and Doors
Missing screens are a problem, but store gaps around windows and doors. Sometimes, gaps are so severe that you can see daylight through them. If this is the case in your home, know that this is another easy access point for pests.
Smell of Food
Insects and rodents can be attracted to your kitchen just by the smell of food. This is especially true if you cook food and leave it out for an extended period of time. You will want to put food away in a timely manner so the smell doesn’t attract ants, mice, and other types of pests.
Open Food Containers
Open food containers or an easy food source for mice, rats, and insects as well. This includes containers that are suitable for cereal, dry pasta, and other types of food.
Whether your storage container is plastic or cardboard, you want to keep it tightly sealed. Allowing insects to get in and gain access to your food will only make them stay and hang around longer.
What to do When You Find Pests in Your Kitchen
Do you know that you have a pest problem in the kitchen, so what do you do next? Consider the following:
Determine the Type of Pest: In order to prevent pests in the kitchen, you must identify the past again. There are several times, and Bugsey you’re fine, such as carpenter ants, and German cockroaches. If you are not sure, you can always contact a professional pass control company.
Try to Find their Food and Water Source: Another priority is to remove the food and water source that they might be attracted to. Make sure there are no leaking pipes under your kitchen sink. Addressing leaks in the ceiling of your food can help get rid of an infestation, but it will also help prevent pests in the kitchen as well.
Clean and Scrub Your Kitchen: The next step you want to take as you eliminate the infestation is to clean and scrub your kitchen. This means cleaning the cupboards, cabinets, kitchen countertops, and even inside the refrigerator. Take the vacuum and suck out all the crumbs that could be serving as food and another pass.
Once your kitchen is clean, you want to stay that way. Clean kitchens can be left susceptible to infestations.
How to Prevent Pests in Kitchen: When to Call Pest Control
Many homeowners know when they’re in over their heads when it comes to an infestation. If your kitchen infestation seems like too much to handle, Drive-Bye Exterminators can help. We will help detect and illuminate any type of past that might be invading your kitchen.
If you were wondering how to prevent pests in the kitchen in your system, contact us today for more information.
