When controlling insects, the kitchen is the best place to start. With food scraps, grease, and water lines to attract insects, the kitchen is the place for keeping pests at bay.
- Ants can be held in check with baited traps or residual sprays that you can buy at the supermarket or hardware store. Apply the spray or set several traps around windowsills, exterior doorways, baseboards, and sinks.
- Cockroaches can be discouraged by a dusting of boric acid powder along baseboards and under the sink. If you see roaches in the kitchen, apply a residual spray of commercial roach killer. If it’s not effective, try one with a different active ingredient. For severe infestations, you’ll need to call an exterminator.
- House flies can only reproduce outside, so good screens are your first line of defense against them. Indoors, you can wield a fly swatter or hang strips of flypaper to keep their numbers down.
- Fruit flies swarm around ripe fruit, sweet foods, and even vinegar, especially in late summer. To stop fruit flies, store fruit in the refrigerator, and store other attractive foods in airtight containers.
- Food moths and grain beetles proliferate in flour, cereal, pasta, and other grain products. If they’re a problem, discard the infected food, vacuum the area thoroughly, and scrub with liquid dish detergent and water. Store any new grain-based products in airtight containers, such as screw-top jars or plastic containers with locking lids.
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To rid your home of insects, start in their favorite room: the kitchen.
