Controlling Insect Pests

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With water lines, food scraps and grease to attract insects, the kitchen is the starting place for keeping such 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.
• House flies can only reproduce outside, so good screens are your first line of defense. Indoors, you can wield a fly swatter or hang strips of flypaper to keep their numbers down.
• 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. Try one with a different active ingredient if it’s not effective. For severe manifestations, you’ll need to call in an exterminator.
• Fruit flies swarm around ripe fruit, sweet foods and even vinegar especially in later summer. Store fruit in the refrigerator and other attractive foods in airtight containers.
• Food moths and green beetles proliferate in flour, pasta, cereal and other green 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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