Many pests can contaminate our food or the areas where we prepare meals. But some of the nastiest pests around are the ones that only target our pantries and stored foods. Pantry pests can cause health problems and blow through your grocery budget, so it pays to know how to prevent them and act quickly to solve any problems.
Pantry Pests To Watch Out For
There are a wide variety of pantry pests out there, and each of them can change drastically depending on what stage of their life cycle they are in. That makes it difficult to truly learn all the things to watch out for, but here are some general descriptions of common pantry pests:
- Meal moths: While the adults have fabric-like wings similar to other moths, it’s their worm-like larvae that pose the real threat. These grubs target dry goods like flour and cornmeal.
- Sawtooth beetle: Known for their saw-like front mandibles, these bugs like to eat dry goods like tobacco and packaged food.
- Drugstore beetle: These small, brown beetles look a lot like pill bugs. They also eat dried tobacco products and grains.
Tips To Prevent Contamination
Often, pantry pest problems start at the store or packaging plants. That means smart buying is an important part of how you can avoid introducing pests directly into your property, where they have access to your other food. Here are things to watch for:
- Packaging: Thoroughly checking your items before purchase for any holes or signs of chewing by pests is paramount.
- Winged pests: The presence of flying bugs anywhere near food can be a sign that an infested item has already spawned mature bugs or that they are looking for a place to lay their eggs.
- Eggs: Speaking of eggs, you should also be on the lookout for yellow or creamy eggs, in or around food packaging.
Tips To Prevent Invasion
Those methods will help you avoid bringing contaminated items inside your property, but they won’t address the other ways that pests can get inside. Pantry pests are dual threats because they can also make it inside in the same ways that other invasive pests do. Here are ways to keep pantry pests from getting inside:
- Crack sealing: Insects can squeeze through impossibly tight spaces, meaning you need to check for cracks or holes that bugs can use to access your structures.
- Doors: Not only can flying bugs swoop in through an open door, but they can also crawl through excess space under the threshold. Install screens and door sweeps that limit these access points.
- Windows: Speaking of screens, the ones on your windows should be maintained, too. Holes or tears can provide pests with an easy way in.
- Landscaping: Tall grass and overgrown trees or bushes in your yard, especially those that run right up to your exterior, provide pantry pests with rest stops to contemplate a way inside. Keep these trimmed back to limit access.
Solve Things The Neighborly Way
With so many different kinds of pests that fall under the category of “pantry pests,” it can be difficult to address all the ways that they can get introduced to your property. That’s why only professional service can offer true guarantees that pests will be removed entirely and prevented in the first place. At Neighborly Pest Management, we know all the ways that pantry pests can infest your property, and therefore we know how to prevent them and address problem areas. We can help you with more tips and tricks, or get started on more thorough treatments of your home that can protect against a range of pest invasions.
For proper pantry pest control, turn to Neighborly Pest Management.