Got Pests in your Pantry?

So have you ever gone into your pantry and reached for a box of pasta to pour into the hot boiling water – ready for a delicious home cooked meal with the family only to find a bunch of black bugs floating at the top of the water right after pouring in the pasta? What a way to turn a home cooked meal into pizza delivery night huh? I hate it when that happens!

How about reaching for the flour for that amazing banana nut bread recipe that grandma left you on her last visit… you got the eggs out, bananas mushed – all the ingredients ready to go and as soon as you open up the flour bag you see tons of black tiny bugs having a wild party in your flour bag! Woah! Where did these critters come from and why are they everywhere? Yup, go check – if you have one you probably have a whole lot more because apperently they like to reproduce more than rabbits do and they’re quicker about it too! Check the pasta, cereal, crackers, spices, etc… anything you have in there sitting too long should be checked and immediately thrown out. Don’t try to salvage any of it and don’t just leave it in the kitchen garbage – get those suckers outside of your house immediately and then call me! 239-945-6543

What you have is a common case of Pantry Pests and they are about as “pesty” as bugs can  possibly get… unless you have termites but that’s a totally different blog post! Collectively as a group they’re called pantry pests but they really do have individual names and they look different too. We get calls from homeowners all the time, mostly women, after they called the take out guy they usually call us and we come right over to clean it up and get things back in order! Fortunately for you we have years of experience and we know just what to do to make your home a bug free one and we do it all with a smile! 🙂

So we did some digging on the internet to get you the scoop on these lovely critters and here’s what we found… please keep in mind that the best prevention to any pests is to have your home or office sprayed on a regular basis. (at least once a year)

PANTRY PESTS QUICK FACTS

Discovering “bugs” in your breakfast cereal may be disgusting, but it isn’t unusual, because many insects like to eat what we do. Stored foods commonly infested include flour, cereals, cracked grains, baking mixes and processed foods, crackers, macaroni, cured meats, powdered milk, dried fruits, nuts, popcorn and spices. Insects that feed on these products may also infest other grain-based items such as pet foods, birdseed and ornamental corn. Dried flower arrangements may also be attacked.

Insect pests most often encountered in stored food products are:

• Indian meal moths
• dermestid beetles
• sawtoothed grain beetles
• cigarette and drugstore beetles
• flour beetles
• granary, rice and maize weevils
• bean weevils
• spider beetles

Several stages (egg, larva, pupa and adult) of these insects may be present at the same time in infested products. Because we keep our houses warm, these insects may continually reproduce and many stored product infestations can be found nearly any time of the year.

The first indication of an infestation is often presence of small brown beetles, moths or worms in cupboards or on counters. Upon closer inspection, insects may also be found in opened packages or containers of food and in the cracks and crevices of cupboards. Unopened packages may also become infested because some of these insects can readily chew into cardboard and foil packaging. Insects can be brought into the home along with infested food products. They can multiply and spread to other stored foods.

Once an infestation is suspected, identify the pest and try to locate the source. Occasionally, the source of an infestation can be very hard to find. It may be in an unopened package from the store. Consider the possibility food may have been spilled next to or behind hard-to-move appliances. Mice will sometimes collect seeds or dry pet food and hoard them in walls, under cupboards or dishwashers where the infestations are nearly impossible to find.

Pantry Pest Prevention: (after calling us of course!)

The following tips may be useful:

**Purchase food in package sizes that can be used up in a short time. Do not store food products more than two to four months, if possible. Use older packages before newer ones and opened packages before unopened ones.

**When purchasing packaged foods, be certain containers are not damaged and seals are intact.

**Store dried foods in insect-proof containers such as screw-top glass, heavy plastic or metal containers. This will prevent entry or escape of insects. Cardboard, paper or plastic wrapping will not prevent insect infestations.

**Keep food storage areas clean and do not allow crumbs or food particles to accumulate, as exposed food will attract insects. Cleanliness is especially important in areas where pet foods and birdseed are stored.

We want to take this time to say THANK YOU for reading our blogs, liking us on facebook, following us on twitter and connecting with us on linkedin. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you haven’t already done so. We also appreciate our many loyal clients for all their years of patronage and we wish you and everyone a Very Happy Thanksgiving Holiday season!

We proudly service the Lee, Charlotte and Collier Counties.  Call us at 239-945-6543 or visit our website at http://www.lennyspestcontrol.com/ to get a quote today!