Summary: Holiday baking is popular this time of year, but humans aren’t the only ones who enjoy the festive desserts. This blog discusses the destructive habits and diets of 5 baking pests. The featured pests are: roaches, flies, ants, rodents, and Indian meal moths. Then, the blog gives 3 important tips on how to enjoy holiday baking without the threat of pests. Romney Pest Control provide year-round protection from invasive pests.
One of the most rewarding activities of the holiday season is baking homemade treats to share with your friends, family, and Santa Claus. The emotional reward is the gratitude from your loved ones, and the physical reward is getting to eat the remaining sweets! But as enjoyable as baking is, this activity is much more time-consuming when you have to replace pest-infested ingredients.
Pests are food-motivated creatures that stop at nothing to get the nutrients they crave, and even your sealed food items are vulnerable to the jaws of these hungry pests. Platters and open containers of baked goods are even more likely to be invaded, especially when they’re left out. Let’s discuss 5 of the worst holiday baking pests and the easiest ways to keep them out of your festive kitchen.
Roaches
Cockroaches are basically the garbage disposals of the pest world, so it’s no surprise that they love our delicious holiday treats. But roaches can become a problem long before the cookie sheet comes out of the oven. The ingredients are already appealing, especially if they’re in cardboard packaging (they love the glucose). Roaches are always motivated to invade the kitchen because of the food sources, hiding spots, and damp areas.
Since they love sweets and starches, roaches are in paradise when they invade a home full of desserts. However, a roach infestation isn’t just an inconvenience. These sewer-bound pests carry over 30 types of bacteria and pathogens that cause disease, which they transmit through their bodies and droppings. The most common include salmonellosis, E. coli, cholera, and dysentery. Roaches leave pheromones (scent chemicals) to lead their family to a food source, so it’s essential to protect your sweets from these dangerous pests.
Flies
We often think of flies as a summertime pest, but they can still bug us in winter if they prepare. Early life stages overwinter in the soil, while adult flies try to invade buildings through windows and doors. Since our Texas winters don’t get too frigid, flies have an easier time finding a warm shelter for the winter. A home that’s doing some holiday baking is an easy target for the pests. Flies can smell food from miles away!
House flies technically drink all of their food since their proboscis can only consume liquid. They regurgitate digestive enzymes onto solid food to liquify it (yum!), so flies can eat any sugary treat or rotten food they get their grubby hands on. They’re another bacteria-ridden pest that transmit harmful pathogens to humans. Their taste receptors are on their feet, so they contaminate everything they touch with bacteria that’s linked to food poisoning symptoms.
Ants
The products of our holiday baking adventures are irresistible to the ants that march through our homes. Worker ants forage for food that will nourish their massive colonies, and they lead their fellow workers to the same source by leaving a trail of pheromones. Ants love anything sweet since the sugar gives them energy. Our favorite holiday baking treats are their ideal feast, but ants also enjoy cereal, sugar, bread, candy, and peanut butter.
Between their strong olfactory receptors and their opportunistic diet (aka they eat everything), ants are the most persistent food pests around. They often invade kitchens since they have all the food and water they can dream of in one place. Opened bags and boxes of food, as well as platters of baked goods, are most vulnerable to ant invasions. Odorous house ants are one of the usual suspects due to their indoor nests, so keep an eye on your festive sweets!
Rodents
Rodents are already an infamous winter pest — they love the coziness of our homes — so it’s easy to see why they’re also a holiday baking pest. They invade buildings through small gaps, then search for a hidden space to build their nests. Rodents constantly forage for food since they need to eat all the time in order to stay warm. Their favorites are grains, seeds, dried fruit, and cereal. That being said, they would happily eat anything they find in our kitchens.
It’s already annoying to find a family of rats or mice living in your house, but their presence is actually a health hazard. They mark their paths with urine and droppings, both of which have dangerous bacteria. Rodents also carry harmful pathogens that they transmit directly (bites) and indirectly (contamination) to us, so you don’t want them anywhere near your food. The warmth of the oven and the abundance of sugar are the main reasons why rodents love the holiday baking season!
Indian Meal Moths
This insect is a major problem in itself, but it’s also representative of a larger group called “pantry pests.” Pantry pests spend their whole lives inside non-refrigerated food items, and Indian meal moths are no exception. They are most destructive as larvae when they eat everything to bulk up for their metamorphosis. Adult moths lay eggs in the packaged food and won’t fly away unless they’re disturbed, like when “their” box of pasta is opened.
Indian meal moths are attracted to lights — like any other moth — but they prefer to stay hidden in their designated food item. These pests will invade a variety of dried goods, including grains, sugar, pasta, flour, cake mix, spices, and nuts. Indian meal moths and the general group of pantry pests don’t spread diseases or bite us. However, they do contaminate our food with their eggs and droppings, so it’s not good to use any holiday baking ingredients that once held a family of bugs.
Sugar, Spice, And Everything Nice — AKA Pest-Free
The key to preventing these pests is to take away their access to the foods involved in your holiday baking activities. When it’s nearly impossible for them to get into your food, pests are less likely to stick around your kitchen.
Our top tips for preventing hungry pests are:
- Use airtight containers. Flimsy plastic and cardboard are easily invaded by these pests. It’s best to transfer pantry essentials into airtight glass or acrylic containers with good lids. Cereals, baking ingredients, rice, pasta, nuts, and grains are best stored in these containers.
- Clean all crumbs and spills. Whether you prefer to clean as you go or save the big cleaning for the end of your holiday baking activities, make sure to wipe up any crumbs and spills. Use your antibacterial cleaner of choice to clean the surfaces that you used for baking.
- Safely store your baked goods. Similar to the ingredient storage mentioned earlier, store your baked goods in secure containers to keep hungry pests out. Airtight containers are the best, and an optional step is to keep the desserts in your fridge for additional peace of mind.
Romney Is On Santa’s Nice List This Year
Whether your Christmas cookies use store-bought dough or your mom’s handwritten recipe, we guarantee that “pests” shouldn’t be on the list of ingredients! The experienced technicians of Romney Pest Control are committed to protecting local homes and businesses from invasive pests all year long. We don’t waste time with inferior products or inefficient methods. Instead, we provide long-term solutions for even your most persistent pest problems. We understand the stress of a pest infestation — especially around the holidays — so leave the hassle of pest control to us. For a free quote on our dependable services, contact us today!
Citations
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DeAngelis, Z. (n.d.). 6 best ways to get rid of house flies in the winter. Pest Pointers. Available at https://pestpointers.com/best-ways-to-get-rid-of-house-flies-in-the-winter/ (Accessed on November 19, 2024).
Dillon-Fast, J. (1993, January). Where do flies go in winter?. University of Arizona: Cochise County Master Gardeners. Available at https://cals.arizona.edu/cochise/mg/where-do-flies-go-winter (Accessed on November 19, 2024).
EarthKind. (2022, July 25). What do ants eat outside & in your home?. EarthKind. Available at https://www.earthkind.com/blog/what-do-ants-eat-outside-in-your-home/ (Accessed on November 19, 2024).
Hickman, K. (2022, November 10). Here’s how to keep mice out of your kitchen. Family Handyman. Available at https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/how-to-keep-mice-out-of-your-kitchen/ (Accessed on November 19, 2024).
What do cockroaches eat?. (n.d.). Raid. Retrieved November 19, 2024, from https://www.raid.com/en-US/education/bug-basics/what-do-cockroaches-eat
