Five Festive Holiday Baking Pests

Five Festive Holiday Baking Pests

Any person with even a hint of a sweet tooth is in paradise during the holidays. It feels like everyone brings home more baked goods every week, whether it’s from a coworker, a neighbor, a friend, or your grandma, who seems to have memorized a thousand cookie recipes over the course of her life. Even if baking or cooking are not your primary talents in life, it can be fun to try your hand at making homemade desserts during a snowy evening. But one possibility of holiday baking that is not enjoyable in the least is pests forcing their way into the kitchen. There are many pests that would love the opportunity to live in our kitchens and warm homes in general, but these five are some of the most unfortunately common critters that are drawn to our holiday baking creations. 

Ants

When the ants come marching in, you know you have a major pest problem on your hands. They are eusocial insects, meaning they live in a colony and survive due to the workers gathering food for everyone. The worker ants are the ones we see diligently scavenging for any crumbs or tiny foods they can find, and leading the rest of the workers to the same spot. Despite the cold weather, ants are a common baking pest during the holidays for one discouraging fact: they love sugar and all things sweet. Any food that is remotely sweet – sugary cereals, fruits, cookies, brownies, cake, granulated sugar – is very appealing to an ant. Their olfactory receptors are some of the strongest in the pest world, so ants can sniff out all kinds of food from a ways away. Couple that with the fact that ants are opportunists and will eat just about anything they come across, and that is exactly why ants are a frequent pest in homes during all seasons.

Ants enjoy sugary foods year-round, but they also seek out protein during specific seasons. They need the protein to have energy for assisting the queen and keeping the nest in tip-top shape, so ants will usually resort to eating other insects and spiders if they can’t get it from our foods, like meats and eggs. Ants are also drawn to anyplace with moisture since they need water to survive, and a kitchen has that in the form of the sink and dishwasher. If there are any leaks after a storm or puddles left from an unfortunate baking mishap, ants will be even more attracted to the kitchen. Three common ant species we see during this baking season are odorous house ants, crazy ants, and pavement ants. All three seek out sugar and protein, so the kitchen is the prime scavenging location for the workers. To prevent ants from crashing the party, keep all ingredients and foods stored in airtight containers throughout the holiday baking process, and clean all crumbs and spills when you are done for the day.

Roaches

Yes, unfortunately, these disgusting pests are huge fans of holiday baking season. There are a couple of ways in which they can invade. One is when the ingredients are being packaged or sitting at the grocery store, especially if they are stored in cardboard boxes. Roaches love eating cardboard for the glucose content, so they can chew their way through a box and unintentionally use it to transport themselves to the home of the person who purchases the food. What a scary thought! The second way roaches can invade is through entering the house itself. Since roaches will live anywhere that our food is, they are found invading the kitchen most often out of every room in the house, and they unfortunately do not come alone. They are not eusocial, but roaches do reproduce often and travel in small groups for protection.

Cockroaches will eat just about anything in the world, but they favor starches and sweets. They will eat finished baked goods like many other pests, but they also enjoy the packaging of ingredients and residue in the garbage after a day of baking. But besides the annoyance of a bunch of insects enjoying our food, roaches bring an entirely different danger when they invade. Roaches have numerous diseases and pathogens that can result in serious health issues for people who accidentally eat the food the insects walked all over. Since they live in sewers and dumps, cockroaches constantly pick up disgusting bacteria from these places and then transmit them onto the normal food that they discover next. They can transmit the diseases through their legs and bodies touching the food, as well as actually eating the food and defecating in it. Some of the most common diseases caused by roaches are salmonella, E. Coli, cholera, and dysentery. Roaches even leave pheromones behind for potential mates to find, which causes the food to taste off-putting to humans. Inspect all food packages at the store before purchasing, and put all ingredients in sealed containers once the packages are opened. Even if you are not opening the foods immediately, try not to keep anything encased in cardboard out for too long. Cockroaches love both the cardboard and the food inside, which is not a winning combo for the person who actually bought the food.

Indian Meal Moths

This one is part of the infamous pantry pests family, a group of small insects that sneakily invade our pantry staples and don’t spread diseases. Indian meal moths are small moths that infest dried goods in all of their life stages. They fly erratically when disturbed, like most moths do, but Indian meal moths are more concerned with eating pantry foods than gathering near lights. These moths do the most damage as larvae when they are trying to build up energy for the upcoming metamorphosis, but any stage can technically be found in a package of food. The two most invasive stages are egg and adult; eggs can be laid within a package of a baking ingredient, and adults can sneak into the package and start nesting. 

These moths may potentially be the most common pantry pests, as they can be found in every region and invading all kinds of stored foods. The easiest way to determine if your pantry pest is the Indian meal moth is that they have two-toned wings and fly erratically out of whichever pantry staple they have been living in. They will invade a wide range of dried goods, such as flour, cake mix, nuts, pasta, spices, grains, sugar, and dried fruits. Since they do not carry bacteria or cause diseases for humans who ingest the food, it is still not good to eat after the moth has been in the food. But the idea of using ingredients that Indian meal moths laid eggs and produced droppings into for a batch of Christmas cookies is enough to make anyone squeamish. As with roaches, keep all baking ingredients stored in sealed, airtight containers to keep Indian meal moths out. We often think of pests being a problem when we have a counter full of baked goods, but storing all of the ingredients is the first major step to preventing pests from ruining our holiday baking.

Rodents

Since real rodents lack the culinary skills of Remy from Ratatouille, we don’t want them anywhere near our kitchens. These critters are common pests this time of year, as a warm shelter with access to food and water is all they want. They are also quite agile and can fit through gaps and holes in the house that seem way too small for them. Rats and mice need to eat constantly to keep up their energy and stay warm. Since they reproduce multiple times a year, the adults also need to find food for the young rodents in their nests as well. They can have about 7 to 10 litters a year, with up to 14 in each litter. Mice and rats also make nests for their families, so they need papery materials that can be found around our homes. They will eat many things, but they typically enjoy seeds, grains, and dried fruit the most. So if they find their way into a kitchen, rats and mice can devour some baking ingredients and use the papery packaging for their own little homes.

Rodents prefer to live anywhere that is dark and secluded, which makes them even more difficult to remove. They are commonly found behind walls, munching on the insulation and only emerging to find food. They can also live back in the corner of dark cabinets or other food storage spaces for even easier access to sustenance. But besides the issue of rodents stealing your holiday food, they are a major health hazard wherever they go. They constantly produce droppings and urine to mark their territory, which has all kinds of harmful bacteria. Since they also like to live in garbage and unsanitary spaces, rodents transmit diseases and dangerous pathogens by walking all over the garbage and then other normally-clean surfaces. If you believe any of your baking ingredients or general food has been infiltrated by rodents, throw it out immediately. It is not worth it to risk eating something that has been contaminated by a dirty rat or mouse. 

Flies

That’s right: flies are not just a problem in the summer. Many fly species overwinter by burying themselves in the soil to keep warm; the earlier life stages are typically the only ones to do this act. But if adult flies can get through gaps near windows and doors, torn screens, or holes in the house, they will spend the season in the comfort of our warm homes. Flies just need somewhere that is warm and contains some form of food for their survival, so they can live in a house forever if they have the choice. Flies can even live behind walls, like rodents do, and remain inconspicuous unless they buzz a little too loud or carelessly fly around our houses. But they won’t remain hidden for long, as they are attracted to light and will go towards the brightest light source.

The yearly population of flies depends on the overall weather conditions, number of predators, and food availability. House flies need to drink all of their food because they only have a long proboscis, or mouth part, that requires them to live off of a liquid-only diet. This means they need to regurgitate digestive enzymes (sounds appetizing, right?) onto food in order to then drink it. They enjoy sugary foods, such as the frequent baked goods around the holidays, as well as rotten vegetation and actual garbage. Due to the garbage that they often eat and live in, flies also carry dangerous bacteria on their feet. They need to walk all over food in order for the taste receptors on their legs to test the food, so all of the garbage bacteria can then be transferred to our delicious baked goods. This bacteria has been linked to food poisoning symptoms in humans, something we definitely don’t want since it can ruin our holiday season. Keep all doors and windows closed when not in use, and take out the trash when it is full. If flies seem to be a constant problem in your area, there is nothing wrong with keeping a good old-fashioned fly swatter in the broom closet while you bake sweet treats in the kitchen.

Have Your Holiday Cake and Eat It Too, Thanks to Pointe Pest Control! 

The number one way to prevent any of these pests from invading the kitchen is to store all ingredients and baked goods properly. If the pests can’t find any crumbs or flimsy packages to invade, they will not be as easily motivated to enter the home. Keep all pantry staples (flour, sugar, nuts, etc.) and cooled baked goods stored in airtight containers with secure lids. There are plenty of options available today, like the pop-top containers and glass Tupperware. If you want to go a step further in securing the food, placing desserts in the fridge provides another barrier between the food and the pests. Also, clean all spills and crumbs as soon as possible. Wipe down the counters with an antibacterial cleaner, and sweep or vacuum the floors when you are done cooking or baking for the day. As long as the food is properly stored and the kitchen is generally clean, pests should not be as drawn to the kitchen as a winter shelter.

Whether you are looking to prevent pests from infesting or are already dealing with pests rudely barging into your home, Pointe is here to serve you! Our team of experienced technicians are happy to treat for all kinds of common pests, including ants, roaches, spiders, rodents, and bed bugs. We provide services on a quarterly basis in order to keep you pest-free during every season, since pests do not take the winter off from trying to infest our lives. Contact us for a free quote and to learn how our treatments can ensure that the only secret ingredient in your desserts is love, not pests.

Citations

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DeAngelis, Z. (n.d.). 6 best ways to get rid of house flies in the winter. Pest Pointers. Available at https://pestpointers.com/best-ways-to-get-rid-of-house-flies-in-the-winter/  (Accessed on December 5, 2022).

Dillon-Fast, J. (1993, January). Where do flies go in winter?. University of Arizona: Cochise County Master Gardeners. Available at https://cals.arizona.edu/cochise/mg/where-do-flies-go-winter (Accessed on December 5, 2022).

EarthKind. (2022, July 25). What do ants eat outside & in your home?. EarthKind. Available at https://www.earthkind.com/blog/what-do-ants-eat-outside-in-your-home/ (Accessed on December 5, 2022).

Hickman, K. (2022, November 10). Here’s how to keep mice out of your kitchen. Family Handyman. Available at https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/how-to-keep-mice-out-of-your-kitchen/ (Accessed on December 5, 2022).

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What do cockroaches eat?. (n.d.). Raid. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://www.raid.com/en-US/education/bug-basics/what-do-cockroaches-eat