Pest Control News:
Not a Creature was Stirring
The holidays are rapidly approaching bringing with them the childhood memories that we try to recreate for our children. Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa, Chanukah, or Christmas, there will be feasting, baking and sweets. There will be sticky handed children and plenty of packaging from the gifts that we share. Family and friends visit and hold parties where crumbs will drop and sugary drinks will be spilled. Doors are open more times during the holiday season than at any other time of the year. These are all invitations to creatures that may be stirring on the holiday evenings, if you aren’t careful.
Whether you bring in a Christmas tree, a Chanukah bush or a Kwanzaabush, you need to check live foliage for insects that may be hiding there. Decorations that have been stored in the basement, shed, attic or garage should be opened outside and checked for pests, especially in Arizona where the pests love quiet dry storage places. It may be time to invest in plastic or rubberized storage containers to protect you decorations and family from pests. Make sure that baked goodies are kept in tightly sealed containers; rodents and insects will gnaw through zip lock bags. Check your dry goods before the baking begins, careful to abide by expiration dates.
There are expiration dates on dry goods such as wheat flour because of the time it takes for insect eggs to hatch. Harvested and processed grains will never be completely free of pests. Packages of cornbread and muffin mix may eventually hatch weevils. Make sure that you purchase new products rather than trust the ones that have gone out of date. You can lengthen the shelf life of these goods by storing them in the fridge or freezer. Nuts in chocolate bars are another harbinger of insect eggs which is why chocolate bars containing nuts have a shorter shelf life than chocolates without nuts. Trust me, I know because I managed a store where we sold these items and had to be educated about the warnings. My employer wanted to sell out dated items at a discounted rate, but I showed him what the chocolates look like after the insects hatch.
Pest control in Arizona is there for you this holiday season. A simple inspection will show where your home is vulnerable to uninvited holiday guests. The last thing any of us need is an infestation to start the New Year. There is nothing to worry about if you know how to prevent the holiday intruders.
Tempe AZ –
Termite Control Arizona
1753 E BROADWAY, STE #101
TEMPE, AZ 85282
(480) 630-3019
