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There are plenty of things to love about the summertime — beach days and ice cold drinks and treats are my personal favorites. There is one culprit, however, that can ruin even the most memorable of summer days: bugs! Dealing with bugs is never a fun task — especially if they’re taking over your kitchen. 

In an effort to avoid these pesky kitchen pests now that the heat has arrived, I decided to reach out to a few experts for their best tips to prevent bugs from entering your home — and what to do if they’ve already set up camp. If you’ve ever encountered ants while you’re preparing your pasta salad, or noticed fruit flies invading your fruit basket, then these tips are for you. Below are the most common pests that’ll try to get into your kitchen this summer — and how to stop them.

Although ants are quite common, getting rid of them is not always as easy as it may seem. “Preventative measures are always the first plan of attack when keeping these common kitchen pests at bay,” says Dan Stockslager, pest control expert and Georgia-based region manager for Orkin. “Eliminating food sources and moisture, along with sealing entry points, forms the cornerstone of successful pest prevention in kitchens.” 

To avoid what can be a prolonged process, both Stockslager and Laura Ascher, cleaning expert and founder of Our Oily House, recommend cleaning up food right away as well. “Ants are able to follow a scent trail to food, which means you may see them on countertops, in and around cabinets, or even along baseboards,” says Stockslager. “Seal gaps, cracks, and crevices around windows, doors, and utility areas where ants and other crawling pests might enter. Make sure screens are without holes and properly fitted to doors and windows.”

As a DIY preventive measure, Ascher recommends a : “Combine 5 to 10 drops of peppermint oil in a 4-ounce spray bottle, top it off with water, and spray along baseboards, around outside door frames, and on windowsills,” she says. “This DIY spray is very effective at keeping ants away, but it also helps repel pantry moths, roaches, and even spiders. However, it’s important to keep in mind that many indoor pets — especially cats — don’t like the scent of peppermint.”

“Fruit flies tend to hover around overripe or decaying produce such as fruit baskets, trash cans, and sink drains, so always make sure to throw out those items, wipe your countertops, sweep your kitchen floors, keep the trash can lid closed, and wash your sink and drains every few days,” she says.

Meal moths, as well as other pantry pests like rice weevils, tend to hide in dark areas such as pantries and cabinets. Ascher says they’re particularly common near grains or dry goods such as flour, cornmeal, rice, and even pet food. In addition to keeping your pantry organized and clean on a regular basis, Stockslager says inspection is key in preventing meal moths.

“During summer, more closely watch your kitchens and pantries to catch early signs of an infestation,” he says. “Always inspect the produce, grains, and flours before storing them away.” Ascher suggests for meal moths. “This helps deter pantry pests before they even make an appearance,” she says.

One of the more unsightly kitchen pests, cockroaches tend to be better at hiding and therefore harder to eliminate. Stockslager says they’re mostly attracted to dark, moist environments, and like other pests, will follow any food trail. 

“Cockroaches love to hide in tight, dark spaces, so you’ll see them running out from beneath refrigerators or behind appliances as well as into wall cracks or crevices that offer moisture and food residue, like near sink pipes,” he says. “Immediately clean up crumbs, spills, and food residue from countertops, floors, and sinks. Also, repair leaks promptly and eliminate standing water around sinks and dishwashers, and use proper ventilation in areas prone to dampness.”

It might be tempting to open your kitchen door or window on a sunny day, but Ascher and Stockslager recommend rethinking that to avoid houseflies. While sticky traps might do the trick for trapping one or two, Ascher says it’s best to focus on keeping doors closed, and making sure there are no crumbs or food left out. “This includes dog and cat food!” she says.

Additionally, Stockslager recommends regularly taking out the trash and cleaning both the trash and recycling bins to remove food odors, as well as keeping food in airtight containers and never leaving open food containers on the kitchen counter.

If you’re dealing with a severe infestation of any of these common kitchen pests, or maybe you’ve just exhausted every DIY method, Stockslager says it might be time to call in the pros. “It’s important to have a trained expert diagnose your individual case and come up with the best treatment option,” he says.

If you want to call in something a little stronger for your pest problem (before contacting an expert), then you’ve come to the right place. Below are editors’ and contributors’ favorite tested products that keep their kitchens bug-free all summer long.

Before I started collecting houseplants, I wasn’t too picky when shopping for a bug-killing spray. Once the collection grew and we got a dog, I searched high and low for a pet-friendly and effective bug spray that would get rid of gnats and ants (my kitchen’s biggest invaders during the summer) without harming my plants and my beloved goldendoodle. I spray this along the edge of my kitchen window and around my sink and faucet as a preventive measure.

Shopping writer Nikol Slatinska swears by Terro fruit fly traps. “Each trap lasts 45 days, at which point you throw it away. That’s right — there’s no chance you’ll ever touch the dead bugs or spill the liquid,” she says. “In that way, these traps feel more sanitary than others. They also don’t plug into the wall, so they won’t increase your power bill or take up valuable outlet space.” 

When it comes to meal and pantry moths, shopping writer Morgan Pryor loves Dr. Killigan’s Premium Double Potent Pantry Moth Traps. “The scent-free pheromones attract them to the trap’s surface, which is coated with sticky glue,” she says. “The trap’s design is slim and discreet, so you can slide it into a compact area and let it work its magic, keeping your kitchen free of moths for up to six months.”

Senior Style Editor Blair Donovan tested the Zevo insect trap from a recommendation of several other editors. “Within a week I had a noticeable lack of bugs buzzing around. In fact, this trapped so many initially that I’ve already had to order a new cartridge refill — it really works, better than any at-home remedy I’ve tried. Best of all, because the sticky portion slides into the back of the trap, my bug graveyard stays completely out of sight.”