Hello World! Welcome Friends! Few things are quite as shocking as finding an infestation of bugs in your pantry or anywhere in your home. Discovering bugs in the kitchen, garage or even finding bed bug eggs can make you want to put the house on the market! Even if you panic when you discover pests in the pantry and want to throw all your food in the trash, most pantry pests are relatively harmless. They just want to eat your food. Read on to learn about some of the common pests you might find in the pantry.
Image via Flickr by insightpest
What Are Pantry Pests?
Common pantry bugs include the flour beetle, Indian meal moth, and wheat weevil. They are attracted to dried foods like grains or flour and processed foods like crackers. Ants may also find a trail to crumbs and spills along with open bags of food. Sometimes pests come into your home inside the packaged foods you buy at the grocery store, and finding them is not a reflection on your housekeeping skills.
You might notice small moths flying in the pantry or see brown specks in the flour. Sometimes they can be hard to spot because they’re the same color as the food they’re hiding in.
How To Get Rid of Pantry Pests
It’s just bad luck if pests come in with the shopping, but your best defense against a large-scale infestation are cleaning and preventative measures like the following:
- Don’t buy large quantities of grains and dried products if you don’t plan to use them up quickly. Bulk foods should be stored in airtight containers or even in the fridge or freezer.
- Check containers and bags for any sign of pests before consuming them. If you find evidence of flying insects or larvae, immediately dispose of the product in the trash outside and check everything around it. Dispose of all food that has any evidence of pests.
- Implement a pantry organizational system that helps you rotate food regularly and avoid things getting shoved to the back and forgotten.
- Clean up any spills in the pantry, including the corners where little bits of food can get caught. Wash out storage bins and containers regularly.
- Once you’ve located the source of the infestation, call in a professional to help identify and eradicate your problem. They use a variety of methods to trap and kill pests along with educating you about the bugs. They can also offer tips to avoid future pest trouble. Pest control professionals are skilled in food- and pet-safe treatments.
Pantry Infestation Risks
The types of pests that usually infest your pantry foods aren’t poisonous, they don’t bite, and they don’t go into the walls and cause structural damage to your home. They’re also not linked to any health concerns if you unknowingly ingest them. Even so, any kind of pest infestation is something to take seriously and mitigate as soon as you can. It can be expensive to throw away food. Keeping a watchful eye on those products in your pantry can help you spot an infestation quickly before it spreads.
Pantry bugs can be a real hassle and give you nightmares, but with some attention and the help of professional pest control remediation, you can be ready to tackle any pest that comes your way.
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