By DoMyOwn staff
Pantry Pests can infest stored food products like cereals, pet food, flour, grains, and more. These pests are easy to miss and can't be seen with the naked eye, so it's important to follow these prevention and treatment steps.
This is Nicole with DoMyOwn.com. Today we're going to be talking about pantry pests: what pantry pests are, how to get rid of them if you have them, and ways to prevent them from coming back.
The term pantry pest refers to a collective group of insects such as moths, beetles, and weevils. There are hundreds of different species of pantry pests but the most common types are drugstore beetles, indian meal moths, weevils, and confused flower beetles. Pantry pests are very easy to miss at first because the eggs are very very small and normally can't just be seen with the naked eye.
Your first sign of a problem is going to be when the larger adults start to emerge so you might be seeing some flying moths or some beetles. You're probably asking yourself how did i get these pantry pests? Well, typically things that you bring home from the grocery store, stored products like flours, cereals, sometimes even pet food can already be infested and then when you bring it into your home the infestation grows. Connected housings like apartments, duplexes, town homes... if your neighbor has an infestation problem it can sometimes travel to your apartment.
How do I get rid of them? We have a two-part method. The first part is a glue board with a sex pheromone on it and the second part is a crack and crevice insecticide spray. The first line of treatment is going to be pheromone glue strips. They're cardboard paper lined on the inside with a pheromone glue strip. The sex pheromones attract the male moth or beetle pests luring them in so they get stuck on the glue trap and they can't escape. You don't want to overuse the traps: no more than two traps per home. Overuse can cause over-saturation of the pheromone in the air thus causing confusion for the pests. You want to place or hang the glue traps in areas with signs of infestation such as your pantry, kitchen, closet, etc.
Do keep in mind when using them in areas where there is food you want to use them around only unopened food. The second line of treatment is going to be a crack and crevice insecticide spray. You'll want to remove all food items and utensils, you'll want to clean, vacuum, and then apply your insecticide. You'll be applying the insecticide labeled for pantry pests in corners along the edges of shelves, against walls behind and under appliances, and cabinets and in other areas where pests and larvae are likely to be found.
We have a really great pantry pest kit that contains the sex pheromone traps and a crack and crevice spray that will give you residual control of pantry pests and a wide variety of crawling and flying pests for up to eight weeks. Please note that you need to inspect and discard any items invested with pantry pests this is essential for control.
What are some ways to prevent pantry pests? First, things like cereals, flours, and pastas... anything that comes in a paper or cardboard box... remove from the original packaging and store it in tight fitting plastic containers. Clean pantry and shelves regularly. Don't purchase damaged packaging. Clean old containers before filling with fresh food. Keep storage units dry.
If you aren't sure if something's infested, test it. Store it in a separate plastic bag and store in clear bags for at least a month and don't mix old and new food- the old could infest the new.
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