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Pantry Pests

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Pantry pests or stored product pests are problematic because they’re going to steal your food products. These pests tend to consume dried and processed food products found in residential dwellings. However, they can also impact commercial establishments. They will consume numerous products, including dried nuts, flour, cereal, dry pasta, powdered milk, and bread. Several pests fit into the pantry pest category, but you’ll primarily have to worry about saw-toothed grain beetles, cigarette beetles, and Indian meal moths.

Pantry pests can reproduce around the clock since they live with the food they consume. They blend in with their food sources and this makes them difficult to identify.

Appearances

Indian Meal Moths

The Indian meal moth is reddish-brown on the back and coppery on the front. Although the moths are problematic, the larvae are responsible for damaging your food. They can consume various food products. Another thing to note is that the moths will build cocoons on your ceiling. As a result, they’re difficult to eliminate.

Saw-Toothed Grain Beetles

Homeowners cannot ignore the potential that they’ll encounter saw-toothed grain beetles. They’re slender, flat, and grow up to a tenth of an inch. They also have saw-like teeth on both sides of their thoraxes. Adult saw-toothed grain beetles and larvae will consume dried food products.

These pantry pests are going to consume candy, cereal, dried fruit, flour, and other household products. They’ll also consume pet food and rodent bait.

Cigarette Beetles

These light brown beetles tend to grow up to an eighth of an inch. They have a humped back with smooth wings. Since they have body hairs, they look fuzzy. As the name suggests, these pantry pests prefer feeding on tobacco products, including cigars and cigarettes. However, they’ll also consume pet food, nuts, and cereals.

Reasons For Pantry Pests

If you have pantry pests in your home, rest assured knowing it likely has nothing to do with you. They can enter your home from outside, but this doesn’t happen frequently. Instead, there is a better chance that you brought them home with you. You likely purchased products that were already infested.

It only takes a few pantry pests to create an infestation. Since they live in their food supply, they can breed constantly. The problem will quickly spiral out of control unless you do something about it.

Signs Of Pantry Pests

It is pertinent to learn how to identify a pantry pest infestation. Remember that these pests are small and difficult to see. It doesn’t help that they will blend in with their primary food source. If you believe you have pantry pests, you should search your pantry for moths or beetles. If you find them around your food products, you likely have a pantry pest infestation.

In addition to this, pantry pests like being around light sources.

Pantry Pests Health Risks

You’re likely concerned about your health now that you’ve found pantry pests in your home. Well, you shouldn’t be. Pantry pests cannot attack people or animals. Another thing to note is that they can be digested without issues. Even if you swallow their eggs or living pests, you’re not going to get sick. Nevertheless, the thought of this can be disgusting. With that being said, you’ll want to take care of the problem before it worsens.

You also need to get rid of them because they’ll cost a lot of money. They destroy your food products and you’ll need to replace them.

Avoiding Pantry Pest Infestations

Homeowners should take steps to learn how to avoid future pantry pest infestation. For starters, you should always keep your food products in airtight containers. Make sure that the lights snap closed and that the larvae cannot chew through the material. You’ll also want to clean your shelves often. Get rid of food crumbs so you can prevent the pests from finding a meal in your home.

When purchasing new food, store it in new containers. At the very least, you should empty the old container and clean it thoroughly first. You can test for a pantry pest infestation by putting the product in a plastic bag and letting it sit for a month or so. Once you’ve found pests in the bag, you know you have a problem.

Again, always clean the containers before reusing them.

Dealing With A Pantry Pest Infestation

It is wise to understand that pantry pests are not easy to remove. Using DIY methods can help, but they’re not always effective. Instead, there is a risk that you’re going to experience issues along the way. You’ll want to look diligently to find a way to remedy the problem without exposing anyone to dangers. Use the tips below to fix it.

  • Get rid of any products that are infested with pantry pests.
  • Remove the remaining items from your shelves.
  • Use a vacuum to get rid of food crumbs, pests, eggs, and other debris.
  • Empty the vacuum’s contents into a plastic bag and dispose of it.
  • Clean the walls of the pantry.

If you haven’t had luck dealing with the problem on your own, call us. We offer affordable pantry pest removal services.

We’re Ready For You

Contact our office because we’re ready to begin helping you. We can call you within 24 to 48 hours.

Our Pantry Pest Treatments Are Safe

Our company is thrilled to say that we offer safe pantry pest solutions. We’ll be able to fix your problem swiftly and efficiently. We always use EPA-registered products to eliminate the pantry pests in your home. As a result, you can guarantee that our methods are not going to pose any risks to humans or their precious pets.

Preventing More Problems

You’ll want to do what you can to prevent future pantry pest problems. One way to do that is by being cautious when purchasing food. It is pertinent to check the food items before bringing them into your home. Also, don’t forget to store these items in airtight containers. Take these steps and you’ll likely be able to avoid future problems.

If you have any other pest control issues please check out other services.

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