Pantry Pests will not go away on their own as they will feed off your stored food products and continue to pass between whichever foods they have access to. These conditions can allow pantry pests to breed and complete several generations within a year!
Do not apply pesticides such as sprays or dust in a way that may contaminate food. Only use insecticides when food products are not located within the treatment area. With the appropriate treatment, you can eliminate these pests from your home.
Make Your Home Less Inviting to Pantry Pests
Pantry Pests that have found their way into your home can thrive due to the amount of stored food products located within the pantry. Through proper sanitation and implementing some non-chemical control techniques, you can begin to keep pantry pests out of your home.
- Remove dry pantry foods and bulk foods from original containers and store them instead in tight-fitting containers: Foods such as pasta, cereal, flour, or anything that comes in a paper or cardboard box should be moved into these containers.
- Clean pantry shelves regularly: This will help to remove small bits of food that pantry pests need to survive.
- Never purchase a broken or damaged package: The chance of these being infested is greater than for perfectly sealed ones.
- Do not mix old and new lots of foodstuffs: If the old material is infested, the pest will quickly invade the new.
- Clean old containers before filling them with fresh food: They may be contaminated and cause a new infestation.
- Keep storage units dry: This is important because moisture favors the development of pantry pests; dryness discourages them.
Use Insecticides to Treat Pantry Pests
Products needed for Step 2
Place Traps Within the Pantry
The use of pantry pest traps or an insect pheromone trap is a great way to trap and collect the pests that are lingering in your pantry, kitchen, or even your bathroom. These traps have several benefits such as:
- Easy to use
- Non-Toxic
- No Mess and No Fuss
- Disposable
You do not want to overuse the traps. Do not use more than two (2) pheromone traps per home. Overuse of these traps can cause oversaturation of the pheromones in the air causing the pests to not be attracted to the traps.
Products needed for Step 2a
Use Crack & Crevice Insecticides
A crack and crevice insecticide treatment can help eliminate any remaining pantry pests from the area. Before you apply an insecticide spray labeled to treat for pantry pests, you'll need to remove all food items and utensils from the pantry or cabinet areas you plan on treating. Then, vacuum and clean the area thoroughly before applying the insecticide spray to the area.
To Apply Crack and Crevice Sprays:
- Place the injector tip of the product into corners and along the edges of shelving against walls, and into cracks, crevices, and voids where pantry pests may be living and apply the insecticide spray.
- Let the product dry following application. If a white residue is left from treatment, it can be removed using a damp washcloth or sponge.
- Based on the lifecycle of pantry pests, you will need to do between 2 - 4 follow-up treatments spaced about 3 weeks apart to gain full control.
Products needed for Step 2b
The Pantry Pest Kit from DoMyOwn is a great option for treating pantry pests in your home!
Check out our full list of products for treating pantry pests.