Nothing feels worse than going into your pantry, opening up your favorite boxed snack, and finding some type of bug or insect. These little fellas are known as pantry pests and can infest all of the bagged and boxed foods in your home. Here’s what you should do to prevent infestations and control existing ones.
Pests That Infest
The most common pantry pests are usually beetles such as the warehouse beetle, flour beetle, drugstore beetle, and cigarette beetle. There is also a moth known as the indianmeal moth that will infest the same types of foods. More times than not, these pests will already be inside of the foods you buy rather than your home developing an infestation out of the blue.
Control Existing Infestations
Once a pantry pest has been found you should immediately begin checking all of the foods in your pantry. Look at the packaging for damage and even sift through some of the food for live beetles and moths. When you do find any pantry pests, throw all of the contaminated food into a sealed garbage bag and immediately take it outside. After all of the food has been inspected, vacuum and clean out your pantry space.
Prevent Infestations
As soon as you purchase food, inspect it for pests before placing the boxes and bags into your pantry. An easy way to do this is to transfer newly bought food into airtight plastic and glass containers. You should also buy your foods in smaller packages to avoid having them sit on the shelves for an extended period of time.
It’s important to remember that pantry pest infestations can simply start by buying one bad box of food from the store. When you need your pantry pest infestation professionally managed, contact Knockout Pest Control. To learn more, or to schedule an inspection, give us a call at (800) 244-7378.
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