No matter what the season, pests and wildlife need food and water to survive. With that being said, pests are attracted to our homes by several different things. One of those major things being food. Rodents like mice or rats will eat anything in sight and smell. Crawling insects like cockroaches and ants surely love a good snack like cookies and crumbs. Raccoons love garbage and pet food. Here Any Pest takes a deeper look at the many foods in your home that could attract pests and wildlife.

Foods That Attract Pests

Bread & Grains

Rodents and cockroaches will eat just about anything humans eat. One of the more natural foods these pests feed off of are grains and seeds, whether they have been stored for later use or remain attached to a plant in your garden. Rodents are attracted to boxes of grain and farm fields prior to harvest. In more suburban areas, they may scavenge for seeds or grains from your pantry or garden. They may also raid bird seed containers, sneak into sheds where you have stored grass seed or find their way into your cabinet for unprotected cooking and baking ingredients.

Fresh Produce

Out of all the foods rodents consume, they generally love fresh fruits and produce. Therefore, raspberry and blackberry bushes, as well as apple and pear trees, can serve as magnets for these pests. When unconsumed fruits and produce are left to rot on bushes/trees or left in uncovered trash cans, these rodents are drawn by the smell and sweetness. This can ultimately lead to infestations of residential properties.

Nuts & Peanut Butter

Rodents love nuts, from peanuts/peanut butter to walnut and everything else. In fact, just about any nut can serve as sufficient nourishment for rodents and wildlife. These serve as high-protein energy sources and rodents are very attracted to them. With that being said, you can use this desire against them as well. Use the love of peanut butter against rodents with a peanut butter scented glue trap.

Crumbs & Garbage

Never underestimate the power of food crumbs. The smallest food crumbs on the floor can be enough to feed a tiny pest living in your home. Leaving any crumbs on the floor opens up your house to a potential infestation of pests. Another major attraction to your home is left garbage. Food of any kinds are key targets of wildlife dumpster diving. Raccoons, rodents and other wildlife will always find exposed food when it is available.

Pet Food

If it’s good enough for your dog or cat, it’s good enough for the rodents, raccoons and wildlife in your neighborhood. Anything from grains, seed, hay, fish food and so on are of interest to pests and wildlife. Be sure to not leave food out as this can be a major attraction to these pests.

Preventing Pests

• Don’t leave any foods out in the open
• Store all food supplies in airtight containers or refrigerator
• Wipe up crumbs and all spills immediately
• Ensure the fresh produce that you buy is less likely to have fruit flies
• Don’t keep any ripe fruit or vegetables on the counter table in the kitchen
• Bag up all garbage and make sure the bin is tightly closed and secured

Eliminate Pests

Here at Any Pest, Inc. we combine the highest quality work with the best customer service available in the industry. We have been protecting residential properties for nearly three decades with our residential pest control services. Our process includes:

1. CONSULT – An Any Pest Inc. trained and registered technician will consult with you on the phone and gather information about your pest infestation for free. After learning more about your infestation, we will set-up an appointment for a free inspection of your home. We will work with you to address any concerns and always propose responsible treatment options.
2. INSPECT – Providing a free inspection of your home allows our pest technician to discover your specific pest problems or find pest-conducive environments in or outside of your home that could enable future pest infestations. We will then evaluate the results of our inspection and thoroughly discuss our findings with you along with our proposed treatment options.
3. TREAT & MONITOR – Based on your consultation and the evaluation of your property, an Any Pest, Inc. technician will provide quality workmanship when implementing treatment services for your residence. Tailored specifically to your dwelling, our treatments minimize your exposure while keeping existing or potential pests out of your home. After treatment, we will monitor your results and follow-up with you to make sure your pest control needs are being met.