Are you spending time at someone else's house this Thanksgiving, or preparing a beautiful meal at your place? Perhaps it is a little of both. Whatever your Thanksgiving plans hold for you, be sure to protect yourself from hitchhikers. Not the ones on the road with their thumb out, the ones that secretly crawl into your clothing, your bags, and your food packaging. It is hard to keep bugs out of your kitchen and pantry because that is where the food is. But if you follow these six tips, you might just have a bug-free Thanksgiving.
TIP #1
Check your pantry items
Pantry pests hitch a ride into your home when you go to the grocery store. They hide in packaged food that has been damaged--or they chew their way in. Be sure to check your packaging carefully before you buy. The last thing you need at Thanksgiving is a weevil, beetle, or moth crawling around in your food.
TIP#2
Protect your pantry
If bugs or rodents get into your pantry, don't feed them. Invest in hard plastic containers. Not only will they prevent bugs from burrowing and chewing their way into your food, they will keep your food items fresher. If pests can't get into your food, they will move on. Keep your pantry dry, disinfected, and well ventilated to keep bacteria down. Installing wire shelves also helps. Bugs like dirty, moist wooden shelves with powders and grains sprinkled on them.
TIP#3
Protect yourself when you travel.
If you go anywhere, be sure to protect yourself from bringing back a bed bug infestation. Bed bugs are everywhere--even in the most lush accommodations. Be sure to check for bed bugs in your room. Check the sheets for tiny blood stains, the mattress edges and corners for black fecal residue, and the furniture in the room for tiny brown seed-like bugs. All it takes is one female bed bug to hitch a ride in your luggage and you'll have an infestation.
TIP#4
Protect your home
As you're sealing your home up for the cold weather, consider some bug proofing. Use a caulking gun to fill in cracks, gaps, and rotted holes. Seal around light fixtures, windows, pipes, outlets, and other areas where utilities enter your home. Replace or repair any damaged screens, weather stripping, or door sweeps.
TIP#5
Repel and kill bugs
A professional treatment will keep bugs from entering your home through any entry points you may have missed. Pest control companies use only a limited and focused amount of pesticide, just enough to finish sealing your home.
TIP#6
Don't feed the animals
When you're throwing out those trash bags full of tasty Thanksgivings scraps, make sure to put your bags in sealed trash cans. If you have had trouble in the past, consider using a bungee cord to secure your lids. You would be surprised what a hungry raccoon will go through to get into your trash cans.