Don’t Let Pests Ruin Your Holiday Dinner

From the days before Thanksgiving through the winter holiday season, Americans will be preparing multiple large meals. Gatherings of family and friends make these feasts a delight, but uninvited guests in the form of pests can interrupt the festivities in a hurry. By following the tips provided by our licensed pest control experts, you can help keep your holiday dinners populated by guests of the human variety.

How to Keep Your Pantry Raid-Free This Holiday

 1. Take inventory of what you have in stock before heading out to the store. This prevents doubling up on items that may sit in your pantry, unused and unchecked. This is also a great time to double check that Indian meal moths, grain and flour infesting beetles, weevils, ants, or mice haven’t started taste testing the ingredients before your big meal.

2. Start your check with dry ingredients such as dried fruits, flour, powdered milk, pet food, and cornmeal. Such foods are common hangouts for Indian meal moths. These pesky critters can lay up to 200 eggs in a week, and quickly spread to an entire food supply.

3. Move on to items such as pasta noodles, cake mixes, cookies, cereals, and cocoa. These can often house flour infesting beetles and weevils. These reddish-brown critters can use their sharp, saw-like teeth to tear through packaging and diminish your food supply quickly.

4. If you find any evidence of an infestation, immediately dispose of any contaminated or open food items in an outdoor trashcan. You should then thoroughly clean the area with a vacuum, soap, and warm water.

5. Once your pantry is clean, head to the grocery store to stock up for meal prep. Be sure to carefully examine all packaging for any signs of damage or compromised seals. You just determined your pantry was clean and pest free—we are sure you want to keep it that way!

6. Pests don’t necessarily know that you are planning a large meal, and they can pose a threat all year round. Try to keep your pantry clean and make sure any stored food is sealed tightly. Keeping the entire kitchen area tidy will help prevent ants, mice, and other unwanted pests.

By following the tips above will help ensure a pest-free feast and enjoyable holiday season with your family and loved ones.

Contact the Pest Control Experts at Hughes Exterminators Today 

We want to wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday. If you encounter pests in or around your home, contact licensed pest control professionals Hughes Exterminators. Since 1964, the professionals at Hughes Exterminators have gone Beyond the Call® to protect our customers and their families. The STEPS® Total Protection System™ from Hughes examines the complete picture, and actually determines the cause of any potential pest issue before developing the proper solution for removal.

For a free, no-obligation complete home evaluation, call us at 877-464-8443 or click here to complete a free whole home evaluation form.