The season begins when nature bestows us with elegant flowers and the beautiful color of life but unfortunately, spring bugs also appear around us. Due to the incredibly increasing intensity of temperature, a colossal number of bugs come out of their hibernation process and leave their house in the search of food. Although it is a natural process, unfortunately, it is a big problem in our kitchen. Nobody likes to see bugs hanging around the pantry and food. If you want to know how to eliminate bugs from your kitchen and how to stop their arrival, keep reading this informative article.
Spring bugs that usually reach the pantry are:
We often see mosquitoes, flies, moths, and other species prowling through the air and on the floor of the kitchen.
1: Moths and their larvae
These spring months are the time when the moths begin to mate and have young. These insects look for spaces with rich sources of starch and free of humidity to deposit their eggs.
The pantry is the dreamy spot for these creatures to lay their eggs. Therefore, it is very common for white worms to appear in rice. After a month, the eggs hatch and the larva emerges, which instinctively slides between the rice grains, feeding on them until they grow and become a moth.
2: Ants
Ants are another spring bugs that is very common to see in this season. They are highly visible as they walk in a single file carrying up to twice their weight in food.
We are used to these looking for sweet things, but the truth is that they look for different sources of food to prepare for the coming winter.
3: Flies
Despite their importance to the ecosystem, these flying insects are not friendly. They can also deposit their eggs in the pantry or near your kitchen. They usually look for spaces with organic remains in fermentation and decomposition so that the maggots (the name of the young flies) have food to grow.
Dirt, moisture, and food attract these spring bugs. These bugs carry many bacteria-generating sources of contamination. That is why it is very important not to leave food out in the open to avoid infection.
How to eradicate the spring bugs that we do not want in the kitchen?
A pantry is a place where we prepare our meals and these are also of interest to insects. Legumes, grains, and cereals are nutritious sources for moth larvae, ants, and other vermin. Therefore, it is very common that, if you do not take the appropriate measures, they reach your home. When thinking about eradicating pests, it seems that you must do a daunting task, but it is not rocket science.
If you maintain cleanliness and are always aware of the state of the pantry, it will be very challenging and hard for bugs to defile (spoil) your food. Preventive measures are very simple to apply and their cost is not an arm and leg. Pay attention to the following useful tips to keep away insects that we do not want in the kitchen.
1. Toilet in the pantry and in the kitchen
Cleaning at home is important, even more so in the area where food is stored. Cleaning is essential to maintain hygiene and also keep insects away from the pantry.
Always try to keep the cupboard tidy and clean, disinfecting surfaces from time to time to eliminate microbes and odors that can attract bugs. This is a very assertive way to prevent insects from being attracted to the food you store.
2. Store your food in airtight jars
Store food in its original packaging is often very harmful to your health. For example, plastic or paper are materials that moths can easily traverse to lay their eggs. This is how you later find their larvae in the rice grains.
To prevent this from happening, it is best to always store your meals in glass or hard plastic containers with utterly airtight lids. This will help prevent spring bugs from sneaking into your food, in addition to preventing environmental factors such as humidity from deteriorating the grains or legumes.
3. If you see cracks in the pantry, repair them!
Kitchen cabinets in poor condition are an entrance for spring bugs to enter your food. Cracks, poorly closed doors, or deteriorated wood are used by moths, ants, and other bugs to access food. Repairing in time will prevent insects from settling in your pantry and becoming a plague.
4. Use screens on windows and doors
With the increase in temperature, it is pleasant to open doors and windows to let the wind in. In addition, it is also important to ventilate the house; however, that practice can be a gateway for bugs to enter. To avoid them you can use curtains on the windows or fine anti-insect mesh that can be placed on doors and windows. This will help you get the wind in, but not the bugs.
5. Natural essences
Just as the smell of food attracts insects, some strong aromas drive them away. For example, the citrus and tangy smell of orange or the aromatic essence of bay leaves are good options to keep bugs away.
You can put bay leaves in the pantry near your food, and clean the surfaces -from time to time- with white vinegar or orange oil so that the tiny intruders do not feel like approaching your kitchen.
6. Pest-repellent Plants
It is not a hard nut to crack to get rid of bugs and rodents, just using pest-repelling plants for this purpose. Using plants to repel pests is 100% natural and has no side effects on your health and is better for your family. Insecticides and rodenticides are extremely poisonous and demolish the ecosystem so, don’t trust them. You can use various houseplants that are naturally pest deterrents such as lemongrass, Citronella grass, Venus flytrap, Catnip, Marigold, mint, parsley, and lavender.
TRICKS TO KEEP THE KITCHEN CLEAN AT ALL TIMES
Keeping the kitchen space clean is much easier than you imagine, as long as you follow some recommendations. Below, discover eight tricks to keep your kitchen neat for as long as possible.
Take care of your hygiene
It may seem obvious, but it is not at all. If you want to maintain cleanliness, you must first be conscious about having good hygiene. That is, with clean hands and taking care not to wear shoes that have had contact with the outside and that could be contaminated.
Organize and clean the pantry
Over time, the pantry gets dirty, and not just with dust. When handling items, it tends to get dirty, either due to containers that were not properly closed or because when removing food, it was already half open.
The result of all those remains on the surface could have consequences, such as the appearance of pests or that over time they are more difficult to clean.
Clean and clear the furniture
Once you have finished using the kitchen, take care of cleaning everything with a cloth, clearing the furniture that you used and that was in contact with food. Leaving food remains on surfaces is a reason for pests and insects to appear.
Use trash cans with lids and pedals
There are multiple types of garbage cans, of different sizes and characteristics. The one you are going to use in the kitchen should, at least, comply with the following: have a lid and a pedal to lift it.
As the garbage can is an article that is to store waste -of which much is organic-, its decomposition can attract bacteria and insects. And, in the same sense, this object has a system that automatically opens its lid, which will allow you not to come into contact with it, preventing you from dirtying it with food remains and also from getting dirty yourself.
Clean the dishwasher and spills
Especially when washing vegetables or used dishes, it is likely that food leftovers will remain on the dishwasher rack. Clean this space very well, since it could especially attract cockroaches, which are insects that circulate in humid places.
No matter how small the spills may be, always try to clean them up, even more so if they are broths, flavored soft drinks, milk or any product that could be attractive to pests and/or difficult to eliminate over time.
Sweep frequently
Whether it’s from dust or food falling on the floor, it can get dirty very quickly. Worse still, if you don’t pick up the food scraps that have fallen, you could step on them, have an accident, and spread the food all over the floor.
Use the refrigerator to store food
Lastly, there may be times when you don’t eat all the food you cooked or there is something you made in larger quantities. For all these cases, he always prefers to refrigerate the food, instead of leaving it in the pot or in a container in the open air. If it is a very hot season, these foods can decompose and generate unpleasant odors.
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