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Holiday Baking Minus The Pests

December 1, 2011

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Don't let uninvited holiday guests nibble on your treats, let McCauley Services help you keep pests out of your stored food!

With Thanksgiving well behind us, homeowners in Little Rock, Benton, Hot Springs and all across Arkansas are turning their attention to holiday shopping, wrapping, cleaning and of course, baking! Nothing can get you into the holiday spirit like the smell of cookies baking in the oven, but before you go rummaging through your cupboards and pantries to dig out your baking supplies, McCauley Services, a longtime Arkansas pest control company, would like to offer some important tips to help you keep those pesky, little critters known as pantry pests out of your holiday treats!

First, pantry pests, also known as stored product pests are a group of insects that commonly invade bird seed and stored human food such as dry cereal, flour, cake mixes, cornmeal, powdered milk, graham crackers, chocolate, pasta and much more. Indian meal moths are considered the most bothersome of the stored product pests in Arkansas, but others include beetles, ants and weevils, so to keep your kitchen free of these uninvited, holiday guests, McCauley suggests:

• Store food in hard containers with tightly fitting lids

• Items that pantry pests love to feed on should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer if they are not going to be used for a long period of time

• Do not purchase items that are seldom used in bulk, purchase only in small quantities

• Before purchasing items, check packages to make sure they are sealed and free of any damage

• Clean crumbs and spills from cupboards, pantries and countertops immediately

• Check expiration dates

• Take trash out regularly

• Do not mix old stored products with new ones, this can spread pest infestations

• A simple thing to prevent infestation is to place a single, bay leaf in packages after you have opened them; the powerful smell of the bay leaf repels some of these pests

If after you have cleaned out any old stored products and cleaned crumbs and spills from your kitchen surfaces, you still suspect you have an infestation of pantry pests; McCauley Services is ready to help! Our home pest control services, available in Little Rock, Hot Springs and throughout Arkansas, are sure to keep all of your holiday treats pest free. Contact our Arkansas exterminators for more information on getting rid of pantry pests and Happy Holidays from McCauley Services!

Tags: Little Rock pest control  |  Arkansas exterminators  |  pantry pests  |  indian meal moth  |  stored product pests  |  beetles

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