Thanksgiving is a time to pause with family, reflect over the blessings of the past year, and look ahead to another year. There is always something to be thankful for, some years you have to look harder than others, but there is always something for which to be thankful.
But sometimes there are things that inhibit a celebration of thankfulness. Ask anyone who has prepared Thanksgiving dinner and they will tell you how many things go wrong during the cooking process. But we get it done.
What about when pests are present? Pests bring a threat of illness to the table, and we don’t want the threat of illness at your kitchen table this Thanksgiving.
So here is our list of 6 ways to have a pest free Thanksgiving.
Table of Contents
- Your typical American Thanksgiving
- Where pests can be present
- 6 ways to have a pest free thanksgiving
- Conclusion & next steps
Your Typical American Thanksgiving
There are many Thanksgiving traditions, too many to cover in this post. But, some of the more common traditions are preparing the homemade dinner and desserts, watching the Macy’s or McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, watching football, playing games, and more.
You schedule time with family to make a new type of cookie for the 5 days leading up to Thanksgiving. You plan pies and bars, far more desserts than you should be eating, but it’s all in the name of Thankfulness.
You wake up early Thanksgiving morning to start baking the turkey and all of the fixings, soliciting help from the kids or spouses where you can.
You watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade, ooh-ing and ahh-ing as the floats and bands march by. Shortly after, you switch the channel to Sports Center or another network to start listening to pre-game talks and stats.
You lay out some board games and video games in the living room for the kids and arriving guests. You sit down for a moment to breathe, but shake yourself out of it, reminding yourself to baste the turkey.
Finally the food is done, and you pile into the kitchen, exchanging words of grace or thankfulness before digging into a meal.
Ahhh, Thanksgiving; a holiday most know it as having to unbutton your pants to accommodate the food baby digesting in your tummy.
While these scenarios aren’t representative to the entire American population as a whole, they are common Midwestern Thanksgiving traditions. And among these traditions listed here, can lurk pests. Read on to the next section to learn of where pests can be present in each of those scenarios.
Worried about your Thanksgiving holiday being thwarted
Where Pests Can Be Present
Pests can be present in each area of our lives at times, and likewise pests can be present in each of these Thanksgiving scenarios listed above.
Preparing sweets. Baking is a fun aspect of the holidays for many. But if you’re not careful (and sometimes even if you are careful), you could find pests in baking items like flours, sugars, nuts, etc. Powder post beetles, pantry beetles, pantry moths, sugar or pavement ants, and other types of pantry pests like to find homes and food in your pantry.
Preparing dinner. Mice or cockroaches are often kitchen pests, which makes preparing dinner a difficult task that may not be safe for your health. Mice will search for pantry items and you will notice they’ve eaten your food as they leave bite marks and claw marks on everything.
Because they don’t have any bladder control, mice also leave droppings and urine wherever they go. This is not appetizing when you’re thinking of preparing your holiday feast. Not to mention, through their feces and urine is how many of their diseases are spread.
Watching the parade or sports in the downstairs den. Centipedes are not harmful, but they sure are creepy! They like the dark, seclusion of basements. So if you have a downstairs den that you are planning on having available to your additional guests, make sure there aren’t any unwanted guests hiding along the walls or in the corners or under furniture.
Playing board games or video games. Spiders often make their webs in closets and can easily make their homes in stored containers or accessories there as well. In the south it is often advised that people shake out their shoes before they put them on in case a spider or scorpion has made its home in there.
Just keep it in mind so you’re not surprised if a spider tagged along on the board game boxes in the back of the closet.
And more! Earwigs and silverfish can be dry area pests, like in bookshelves or storage rooms. Crickets are more of a warmer weather pest, but if they get inside in the fall, they can certainly be annoying. Fall pests like Boxelder bugs and Asian lady beetles might be some unwanted house guests if Thanksgiving falls on a warmer fall day.
So, because people generally don’t want pests, and certainly don’t want pests on a holiday like Thanksgiving. Continue reading to learn of 6 ways to have a pest free Thanksgiving.
6 Ways to Have a Pest Free Thanksgiving
Nobody wants to have pests, and surely not on Thanksgiving. Read on to learn of 6 ways to have a pest free Thanksgiving.
1) Store your baking goods. Keep flours, sugars, nuts, and other baking items in an air tight container so no pests like beetles, moths, or ants can get in.
2) Keep your kitchen clean. Wipe down surfaces to ensure if any pests were in your kitchen. If you’ve had mice or cockroaches before, it is very important to wipe down surfaces as cockroaches and mice carry diseases.
Rodent control is one of the more important pest control services, so if you don’t have a plan in place for rodent control at your home, give us a call.
3) Keep your kitchen tidy. Keep leftovers in stored plastic or glass containers in the fridge. Wipe down the stove so pests can’t find food or crumbs there. And keep up on your dishes so pests don’t find food or water there. Fruit flies will often breed in drains, and other pests do use sinks as a water source.
In our post, How to Keep Your Home Pest Free, we explain some DIY pest control options including repellents and oils. Check those tips out for some easy kitchen cleaning techniques and DIY crawling insect control.
4) Tidy the downstairs den. Centipedes and millipedes like dark secluded areas. They hide behind furniture. Be sure to vacuum well, even along baseboards, and maybe even spray some cleaning product along the baseboards. Cleaning products, or even essential oil sprays (if you’re into that) have strong odors that many insects do not like.
Basically make your house inhabitable for pests and you’ve got your problem solved. Sure, easier said than done, though.
5) Check for cobwebs. Spiders like hiding in clutter, so be sure to dust in preparation for hosting your Thanksgiving holiday. Spiders make their webs in corners of rooms or closets, so keep this in mind when you’re cleaning your living room or scanning the hall closet for board games.
6) Finally, get your home inspected for pests by a professional. This is an awesome option to give you peace of mind when it comes to hosting the holiday. There is enough stress going on anyways, like with the food preparation, family drama, and disagreements on games to play or channels to watch.
Done Right Pest Solutions offers multi-pest inspections at a low rate, and if any treatment is needed, the cost of the inspection is waived!
We also offer a completely pest free option: our Peak Seasons Plan offers the most peace of mind for our clients. Learn more by checking out our Residential Pest Control page or our YouTube videos.
Check out our post How to Know if the Peak Seasons Plan is for You.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Thank you for taking a journey with us. We love the holidays and want to keep them special for you. Having pests disrupts your atmosphere and brings stress.
You learned how pests can be present at many aspects of a Thanksgiving celebration. You also learned 6 ways to have a pest free Thanksgiving, including tips and tricks to keep pests away, and what to do if they are present in your home.
As mentioned, Done Right Pest Solutions offers inspections to put your mind at ease regarding the presence of pests. And, if anything is needing to be done, the inspection fee is waived upon services rendered.
Call, text, or email if you are having any pest concerns prior to the holidays. We’d love to help you keep them away so you can fully enjoy your day with your loved ones. 651-342-9489, donerightpestsolutions@gmail.com.
We can’t wait to help.
Done Right Team
Has you Thanksgiving plans ever been interrupted or thwarted by pests? We want to hear from you in the comments! Pests ruin our regular days sometimes, they don’t have to ruin our holidays!
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