Last Updated on June 1, 2023 by
How often have you had to go in the pantry to find lots of pests crawling through stored food products? Depending on different food ingredients and products, pest infestation can vary in nature. You can have different kinds of pantry pests crawling around and varying level of infestation. From a simple bag of flour to chocolates or stored spices, pest infestation can break into everything.
Cabinet food storage also doesn’t seem to affect pest infestation much. Indian meal moths, merchant grain beetles, flour beetles, and many other types of pantry pests are quite common. Colder parts of the world like Canada have even more of a pest infestation problem. Colder climates support pest population growth at a rapid rate. Here’s what you need to know about pantry pests:
Table of Contents
The Infamous Indian Meal Moths
Getting its name from the habit of feeding on cornmeal, which is also known as Indian meal, the Indian meal moths are quite common pantry pests. They are thought to travel into homes and pantries with store food products. Usually, they do not travel long distances on their own.
Most likely, Indian meal moths feed on grains, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, bird seed, powdered milk, chocolate, dried peppers etc. One of the worst things about the Indian meal moths is their reproduction rate. They can boost their population in a pest infestation so quickly that it can become hard to control.
Resilient Merchant Grain Beetles
With brown flat bodies and six saw-like teeth on either side of their bodies, merchant grain beetles are known worldwide. What makes the different to many other pantry pests is that they do not commonly reside in raw grain products. You are more likely to find them devouring processed cereals or cake mix.
Anything like cookies, chocolates or other similar foods are likely to be targeted by merchant grain beetles. These have a bit of a sweet tooth in this sense. Also, merchant grain beetles can provide some of the hardiest pest infestation problems for pantries.
Adaptive Flour Beetles
Flour beetles are type of panty pests that have adapted to survive in the driest environments. They can also withstand enormous amounts of radiation, much more than cockroaches. This is why you often find these pest infestation problems in the deepest layers of pantries.
They typically consume grains of many types and especially wheat. Flour beetles produce larvae that are mealworms. These can be destructive to large sizes cereal and other grain stores. Flour beetles are very hardy and will last longer than most pest infestation problems all size pantries.
Pantry Pests Prevention Tips
If you want pest infestations to not happen in your pantry, you will need to take responsible steps. If there is already a high-level pest infestation, you will need quality pest control service. Most major cities of the world have pest control, service providers. Pest control Vancouver and all other cities of Canada is a service available readily. Here are some tips you can try to not have pest infestation problems in the first place:
- Seal Stored Products – Pests often follow tracks of food products. They smell or sense their way into pantries where they will cause pest infestations. You can remove these tracks by having your stored products sealed in airtight containers or bags. Use sealed glass or Tupperware-style of containers that have secure lids on top before storing products in pantries.
- Pest Proof Your Shopping – More often than not, pest infestation occurs with pests brought in with shopping. Any products you buy from the supermarket can likely already contain grain pests. These pantry pests make their way into your home and then stay there for longer periods of time.
- Check Expiration Dates of Products – For all food products, it is important to check expiration dates. This will not only remove any bad ingredients from your pantries but will also make you inspect the pantry often. Make a habit of sorting through dates and cleaning the pantry as you go along the process.
- Bay Leaves Can Help – Place a bay leaf in each of the food containers and packages to make pests go away. Dry goods can easily keep a bay leaf when needed. Most grain pests and pantry pests hate the smell of bay leaf. This will not be a 100% pest-proofing guarantee but will deter many pests from feasting on your grain.
- Clean, Clean, and Clean Some More – Cleaning the pantry often can sort many things out, including the possibility of pest infestation. Clean daily and ensure immediate wipe up of any crumbs or loose grains. Keep your countertops clean, tables and floors free from spilled food products and cupboards tidy.
Pantry pests can do quite some damage to your stored food products. Its essential to ensure the prevention for pest infestation problems in pantries for homeowners. These pest prevention tips for pantries would help keep pest infestation at bay. However, if your pantry is already filled with pests of different kinds, professional help will be the answer you need. Call on your pest control Surrey service or wherever you live in Canada. Remove all stored products and go with full-scale pest removal to stop these from coming back.
Overview
Pantry pests are a typical problem homeowners face, and they can cause significant damage to stored food items. These pests are tiny insects that can infest dry goods, such as cereal, flour, grains, and other pantry staples. To prevent a pantry pest infestation, homeowners can take several preventative measures.
One of the most critical steps in preventing pantry pests is to maintain good hygiene practices in the kitchen. This includes promptly cleaning up spills and crumbs, wiping down shelves and countertops, and regularly taking out the trash. It is also important to store food in airtight containers, as this can help prevent pests from accessing the food.
Another effective prevention tip is to inspect food items before purchasing them. Check for any signs of damage or infestation, such as holes, webbing, or live insects. Additionally, it is recommended to rotate food items frequently, using the oldest items first to avoid expiration and spoilage.
Homeowners can also use natural pest deterrents, such as cedar blocks or lavender sachets, in their pantry to repel insects. Other options include pheromone traps or sticky traps, which can help catch any pests that may already be present.
Author Bio-
I am Salman Ahmad, an Engineer by choice, Blogger, YouTuber, and Entrepreneur by passion. I am the owner of the tech blog TechloverSAhmad. I love technology in my day to day life and loves writing Business Tech Articles on Latest Technology, Cyber Security, Internet Security, SEO, and Digital Marketing.
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