subject: Residential Pest Control Tips For The Thanksgiving Pantry [print this page] In rural areas such as Roseburg, pest control includes hunting for turkeys. Lacking natural predators, turkey populations that have been introduced into such areas breed quickly and can damage crops. In Roseburg, pest control for turkeys comes in the form of an open turkey hunting season every spring.
However, unless you're running a farm in Roseburg, rodent control and bug eradication are probably more on your mind this Thanksgiving. Turkey day residential pest control usually focuses on the pantry, where pests can find food, a nearby water source, and toasty temperatures. Cigarette beetles, weevils, Indian meal moths and rodents love to eat the carbohydrate-rich foods stored in cupboards - crackers, flour, cereal and so forth. Becoming educated on pantry pests' diets and habits can help you prevent an infestation.
Packaged foods are the vehicle many pests ride into your pantry. Therefore, the first step in pantry pest control is carefully checking each package of food, ideally when you bring it home from the grocery store.
To check your food, look for insect eggs, small holes in the packaging and webbing. Of course, if you spot any adult insects near your food stash, there's a good chance there are more adults and possibly eggs nearby. Roseburg rodent control professionals would also advise you to look for rat and mice droppings, which are clues that you could have a rodent residential pest control problem. Squeaks, pet excitement, trails or pools of urine, and gnaw marks are other signs that rodents have set up shop in your home.
From Richmond to Roseburg, pest control experts suggest taking the following actions if you discover infested pantry food:
- For food that was bought recently, you can probably get a refund. Kill any insects first by sticking the infested food in the freezer for four days.
- Older food should be placed in a sealed container and thrown into the outdoor trashcan.
- If you want to try to salvage the food, use heat or cold to kill the pests. Again, four days' time in the freezer will kill most insects; alternatively, you can stick the infested food in the oven for two hours. Set the oven to higher than 140 degrees Fahrenheit - heat above this temperature will kill most pests. Then sift through the food, removing dead bugs.
Finally, you can avert the need for this kind of residential pest control by carefully examining food before you buy it.
If you do find a pest invasion in your pantry, follow these steps:
1. Review your whole food supply for infestation. Save or discard food as described earlier.
2. Vacuum out cupboards. Prevent another infestation by double bagging and throwing away the vacuum bag in the outdoor trash.
3. Lay out traps. Sticky insect traps are designed to mimic each species' female sex pheromone. Males are drawn to the sexual scent; they get stuck, and the breeding cycle ends. A variety of traps are also available for rodents.
4. Prevent future infestations by storing all food in airtight containers. Keeping a clean kitchen will help you avoid future pest invasions, as well.
Finally, if a pesky infestation has you worried this Thanksgiving, contact your local Eugene or Roseburg pest control experts. They can eradicate any creepy crawlies in your home, leaving you free to enjoy the gratitude of Thanksgiving.
