A Very Old School Way to Keep Bugs Out of The Pantry This WInter

THERE’S A VERY OLD SCHOOL, NATURAL WAY TO KEEP WINTER BUGS OUT OF THE PANTRY

Winter is coming, even though George RR Martin (STILL) hasn’t published the last book of GOT. But besides fictional zombies and totally real cold, winter brings along a lot of pests. Or rather, winter drives a lot of those pests into our homes looking for a warm place filled with food. And by food, we’re talking about whatever’s in your pantry, and even whatever’s in your closets. After all, there is a reason a lot of us clearly remember the smell in our grandparents’ closets: moth balls. I used to think that was pretty old school. But a very old school way to keep these winter months bugs at bay might work even better.

FRESH OR DRIED BAY LEAVES IN YOUR PANTRY AND CLOSETS WILL KEEP WINTER BUGS AWAY

Ok, no more drum roll. If you didn’t already get it from the picture, I’m talking about bay leaves. Fresh or dried bay leaves. They’re easy to find at almost any grocery store these days. Plus, they’re not going to set you back an arm and a leg, and they don’t smell like our grandparents closets at all. Not to us, anyway. So if winter pests in your pantry or closets has been an issue, you might want to look into using bay leaves as an alternative to strong chemicals. And let’s be honest, do we really think if it says “safe” on the label that it’s actually safe anymore?

Horny, “Woody” Woodpecker A Menace In Massachusetts

BAY LEAVES ARE SAFE, NATURAL AND ARE A DOUBLE-WHAMMY WINTER BUG REPELLANT

But bugs think bay leaves simply smell awful, and will actually avoid anywhere they can smell them. So if you want to keep weevils out of your grains, pasta or anything else, simply put some bay leaves on each shelf in your pantry. Besides bay leaves’ odor, they also contain another strong insect repellant, eucalyptol. It’s like a natural double whammy. And people have used them for generations, though for some reason there haven’t been many studies done to establish why they work. But if you want to go all-in with natural winter bug repellants, you can also use eucalyptus, basil and anise.

Oh, and don’t forget your closets filled with your best wool coats and sweaters! Put bay leaves on the shelves and in pockets, and don’t forget the cedar, too!