Shortly after Katy came to use we realized she was infested with fleas. We contacted the vet who suggested we hire an exterminator. It was one of those bad news good news scenarios. Bad news was that we had to hire an exterminator. The good news was that our house got one of the best cleanings it got since we moved here. We decluttered and cleaned. What we would not do for ourselves, we did for the dogs.
When we hired the exterminating company, we knew that we wanted them to look at another issue. Once we were on that path, a contract would cover us to have them check us out for all main pests.
We have had a fly problem for many years now. I have always associated it with our plants or perhaps food. These bugs are annoying and I had never been able to trace the source. Since we had the expert there, I asked. His question surprised me. He asked us if we used dry dog food. When we answered yes, he asked us how we stored it. We have always put a chip clip on the bag and stored the unused bag in a cabinet. Sure enough, the cabinet was the worst source of the infestation.
These bugs are sometimes called cereal bugs. They come into your home in grain products. When stored in sealed containers they do not infect your home and spread. A simple trip to Wal-Mart to purchase two plastic containers, one for the open bag and one for the bags being stored has kept us bug free since our extermination. I only wish I had known about this when we started on this journey. It does not require expensive dog food storage containers to prevent this problem. There are many inexpensive options available at your local markets.
The good news is not only were we free of fleas, but we also got rid of a long term annoying problem we likely would not have pursued had we not had the more serious flea problem.
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Ugh! nobody likes fleas!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the dry food storing tips! I'll make sure the dry food is kept properly in the containers.
I had a similar issue in my pantry. I was not happy when I discovered it. The plastic storage containers not only help with the bug problem it also helps with organization of my pantry.
ReplyDeleteWe store our pets' food in storage containers due to a fear of mice. I had never thought about flies coming home in our food, though. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteNever had a problem with flies, but we have to keep ours in a container to prevent mice also. Although, since we added a cat to our family, mice aren't a problem either!
ReplyDeleteI put cat food in empty coffee cans. It simply cannot be left out. Too many other critters want to snack on it!
ReplyDeleteWe keep our dog food in a giant trash can (with lid) in the garage. Since we buy about 100lbs of dog food at a time, I find this much easier than worrying about junk getting in the bag once its been opened!
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