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.
Pictures may not be used without written permission.
