VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — You don’t always see them in plain sight.
Pests could be taking over your home and multiplying by the dozens in your kitchen appliances. Everything may look spotless as you walk through your kitchen, but you have no idea what could be living beneath the surface.
Tim Jackson, a pest technician with Accel Pest & Termite control, has seen it all throughout a decade of working to fight pests.
“Everyone thinks they know where it's coming from,” said Jackson. “Just because you see a bug in the middle of a room, doesn’t mean it was born in the middle of the room.”
Jackson said he has seen the unimaginable: a colony of roaches hidden behind cabinetry, nestled inside the back of a refrigerator, and other appliances.
Pests, such as German Cockroaches, build inside the nooks and crannies of kitchens. Jackson said pests live behind the stove, inside of toasters, behind power outlets, even the inside of your microwave.
It gets worse.
There’s one particular case Jackson said he’ll never forget: German Cockroaches inside of a coffeemaker.
“I moved the Keurig and there was bugs floating in the reservoir and crawling up the back side of the machine,” said Jackson. “That was one of the sickest moments I’ve had in a long time. I mean, the smell was awful and they were on the walls, crawling behind stuff. I was like ‘Oh my god, this is not gonna be a good day for me!’”
In this particular case, Jackson said the roaches also made their way inside of the refrigerator, the toaster, and the client’s new dishwasher.
It makes sense. Cockroaches can find everything they need inside of kitchen appliances. They’re attracted to food, moisture, warmth, and darkness. Appliances are a magnet for the pests.
“You’ll never see them until you see droppings and at that point, they’ve already set a mark and you’re gonna start to have a problem,” said Jackson.
His advice? Move appliances around and clean them often, wipe crumbs from your countertop, and keep food items inside of your pantry sealed.
“They’re looking for a meal. They’re gonna find it, then they’re gonna take it back and feed it to their compadres,” said Jackson.
If you spot one bug, it’s probably not alone. You’ll need to call an expert to find the source.
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