When it comes to the kitchen, vinegar is your best friend. Not only does it help keep your home spotless, it ranks high as a solution for how to get rid of small insects in the kitchen. To use this, make a 50% solution of vinegar and spray it over the problematic spots in your house.
Clean & Sweep Regularly
Good housekeeping helps keep bugs away, especially in the kitchen where food crumbs can accumulate. Empty trash cans regularly, and vacuum weekly. Don't forget to clean your kitchen-sink and bathtub drains; drain flies will live in there and fly out to look for food.
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.
Windex – Windex is one of the most common and most effective DIY household products for pest control.
You can kill the bugs by freezing them or exposing them to extreme heat and then thoroughly clean the area. If your cupboard contains plenty of grain products, beans, and rice, check everything.
So the next time you are wondering how to get rid of small insects in the kitchen, dissolve some salt in water and spray it on surfaces and corners of the house that are likely to attract insects. If your problem recurs, use the spray on the ants or other insects directly.
How do I get rid of them? Empty your pantry completely and vacuum out the shelves, floors and corners. Then, wash the spaces down with soapy water — but don't apply bleach, ammonia or pesticides. They won't prevent a future infestation and can be dangerous if they come in contact with foods.
There is a general misconception that any soap can be used as an insecticide. Dishwashing liquids are primarily designed to dissolve grease from dishes and clean clothes, not to kill insects. Dish detergents may dissolve the protective waxes on the plant leaves.
Mixing a quart of water, 12 ounces of vinegar, and a tablespoon of dish soap, you can create a mixture that will rid your garden of annoying, buzzing pests. This mixture is also harmless to plants, animals, kids, and other garden bugs you want to keep around.
Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray. It is effective in repelling ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and many others. Creating a mix is quite simple and is considered safe for humans and pets. Acidity of the vinegar is potent enough to kill many pests.
Bugs love kitchens because they provide three of the essential elements that pests need to survive: food, water and shelter.
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.
The most common small brown beetles are the drugstore beetles, also known as bread beetles or biscuit beetles. They are one of the most common stored produce pest insects in the U.S. These beetles get their name from their love of stored products and, oddly, prescription drugs.
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.
The 5 Most Common Types of Kitchen Bugs
Cockroaches, ants, fruit flies, drain flies, silverfish, and pantry pests such as beetles and weevils are the most prevalent pests in the kitchen.
Here is the solution which is easy and safe natural and homemade insect-killer: mix 1 cup of water with half a cup of apple cider vinegar, plus ¼ cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of molasses.
But when you combine the two, you get an effective, sprayable miracle cleaner that clings to surfaces. Just spray it on, let it sit for a while, then scrub lightly and rinse, and you'll be amazed at the results every time!
“Vinegar is a good cleaner because it's acidic, but when you add dishwashing liquid/dish soap to it (which is a base or neutral) - you neutralise the vinegar. You take away the very thing that makes it work well. “The dishwashing liquid works that well on its own. Adding the vinegar is a pointless step.”
A pantry moth's life cycle goes through four stages. They can live from 30 to 300 days. A fairly short life, but when you consider one moth can lay up to 400 eggs, then that one moth can do considerable damage to your pantry and the food it contains.
If you see little moths flying around or open a package of food such as cereal and see little bugs crawling around, you have pantry pests. By the time these insects are noticed, they have spread to more than one food package.