Neem oil kills over 200 species of insects like white flies, aphids, thrips, etc. Mix a few drops of neem oil with plain water or soapy water and spray the solution in the corners of your kitchen. Make sure not to miss any spot that might harbour insects. This will also drive cockroaches away.
Lemongrass, citrus, peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, citronella, catnip, and lavender oils all possess properties that repel bugs. The oils can be used individually or combined to make a simple anti-bug potion.
Grain insects: These teeny tiny bugs typically hide in dry food pantries. They enjoy munching on foods like flour, rice, dry pasta, and cereals. Also known as weevils, or flour beetles, they are typically between 2mm and 3mm long.
Repair any holes in drywall and caulk gaps around floor molding where insects can invade your home from neighboring units. Patch holes and loose edges on window and door screens. And be sure to keep windows and doors closed if they do not have screens. Repair gaps around pipes, air conditioners, and dryer vents.
The three most difficult pests to exterminate are:
Termites. Bed Bugs. Cockroaches.
Bugs love kitchens because they provide three of the essential elements that pests need to survive: food, water and shelter.
Also, stored product pests, known as “pantry pests,” can appear in your kitchen, as tiny black bugs. Beetles and weevils can be brought into the kitchen in foods such as cereal, pasta, rice, spices, etc. Female pantry pests, looking for a quiet place to lay their eggs prefer the dark, quiet of your pantry.
Clean up crumbs and spills on your counters, table, floor, and in your pantry. Keep your sink free of dirty dishes. If you have pets, pick up their food bowls when they aren't eating. It's also important to take the trash out regularly to avoid attracting pests.
Acetic acid makes vinegar an excellent tool for pest control, repelling some of the most common backyard nuisances and even killing weaker insects. It's most effective against ants, spiders, and mosquitos. You can keep spiders from entering your home by spraying vinegar around your property's perimeter and entryways.
Borax Powder. The first natural remedy you can use to ward off a cockroach infestation is borax powder, a cleaning agent that repels these insects. You can either clean your cabinets with it or sprinkle it inside them to keep roaches away.
Exposed Food and Food Preparation Surfaces
There should be no cooked food in the kitchen when using bug bombs because ingesting contaminated food could cause serious health emergencies. It would be best if kept inside the fridge or covered tightly in sealed containers.
Kitchens & Pantries
Look for them inside cabinets where food is stored, as well as under sinks where there's usually a bit of moisture from drain pipes and garbage disposals. Warm appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves, and toaster ovens are literal hot spots for insects, too.
Finding the infested material and the source of the infestation is the key to getting them eliminated. If the cabinets and pantry are cluttered, discard whatever is old and no longer needed. Once the cabinets are empty, vacuum them very well. This will remove any hidden insects and all debris.
Larder beetles get their names from the place they are often found – in your larder – which is an old word for your pantry or cupboard, where you store food, especially grains and meat. They are small in size, only about ¼” to ⅓” long, and oval-shaped. Look for the brown band around the midsection of their black body.
Usually, flour mites are brought into the home by an outside contaminated food item. Maybe a food item wasn't properly stored at the grocery store or it was damaged. Any tears or rips in food packaging can increase the chance of flour mite contamination.
The six most common kitchen pests are ants, cockroaches, house flies, fruit flies, drain flies and pantry moths. These six insects have earned notoriety as the most common kitchen pests due to their adaptability, their attraction to food sources and their ability to thrive in indoor environments.
A number of insects feed on spilled food and debris that work their way into cracks, crevices, behind kitchen appliances or under sinks and cabinets. The most common pests are ants, cockroaches, silverfish, and carpet beetles.
Pests and people are attracted to the same things: an easy meal, a convenient water source, and a cozy place to raise a family. All too often they find these things inside our homes. Delayed repairs and poor maintenance quickly become an open invitation for bugs and rodents to enter.
Neem Oil. A product of the Neem tree, this oil kills over 200 species of insects but won't hurt humans or wildlife. Spray neem oil on indoor plants to help control aphids, thrips, and white flies.
It can take several days or even weeks to eliminate a pest infestation completely, depending on how many pests are present and how serious the infestation is. In small apartments, this could mean two days or more of treatment time. However, in larger homes, the process might take just one day.
Entomologists have been saying for years it's not possible to have a completely bug-proof home; now there are numbers to back that up.