The kitchen is comparable to Heaven when it comes to insect pests. It’s got food, water, plenty of places to hide, and garbage to breed and feed on. What more could an insect want in life? Of course, this makes kitchens a nightmare for the human residents that have to deal with these insect pests. There are certain insect pests that you are more likely to encounter in kitchens than others, which can help in finding out where they are most likely located and how to control them.

The most common insect pests that people see in kitchens are ants, particularly black carpenter ants and odorous house ants. The key to dealing with these ant pests is finding and following their foraging trail till you locate the source. When you find the trail, you can then determine whether the nest is outside or inside in a hidden area like a wall void. The best places to search for an ant trail are ones where there is food and moisture readily available, such as the edges and corners as well as inside of cabinets, pantries, baseboards, stoves, and under the sink. If locating the trail visually does not work, you can try prebaiting in order to find where the ants are traveling, as well as what kind of bait or food they are most attracted to; lipids, protein, or carbohydrates.

Stored product pests (PCPs) are the second most common insect pests encountered in kitchens. These include insects such as Indian meal moths and saw-toothed grain beetles. These are pests that are attracted to the food you store in your pantry and cupboards. Because of this, the best way to locate them is to visually inspect your pantry to see which foods are attracting the pests, as the pests or their larvae are often found in the food packages they are infesting. You want to look over older food items first in addition to any pet food you may have, as these items are most often the ones targeted. Keeping your kitchen clean and sanitized is the best way to control these pests.

What insect pests do you most often encounter in your kitchen and where are they located?