Pantry Pests are one of the most aggravating pests. After all, they could lead you to throw away half a cupboards worth of food. Theres nothing worse than waking up in a good mood, making your fresh coffee and craving your favorite cereal to find someone else has beat you to breakfast. Furthermore, some pantry pests your may find in your pantry are, Rice Weevils, Silverfish, and the Indian Meal moth. So, you may be wondering, what makes these creepy crawlies attracted to your food and how to prevent them? Well, here we go!
Types of Pantry Pests
Rice Weevils
Rice Weevils are are about 2-3mm long. Also, They tend to be reddish-brownish to black in color. These pests can be found in wheat, rye, oats, rice, barley and corn. Typically, these guys are found in grain storage facilities or processing plants. So, chances are, they are already nicely packaged in your new bag of rice or oats. How does this happen you may wonder? Unfortunately, the Weevils larva develop inside the whole grain kernels. That’s how they work their way into potentially your next bag or rice or grains. So what do you do if they have infested your pantry? Infested food items should be thrown away immediately. Upon throwing away items, vacuum and scrum your pantry.
Silverfish
As you could probably guess, their name comes from how they look. Silverfish look silvery and almost metallic with fish like movements. Silverfish like to eat paper, packaging and since they can chew they will often chew through the food packaging. More often, they will target foods like flour, sugar and rolled oats. Chances are, they like to hang out in your kitchen. The kitchen is a moist area and will provide them with the hydration they need to survive. Similar to the Rice Weevils, if they have invaded your pantry, throw away all infested items and clean out your cupboards really good.
Indian Meal Moths
Indian Meal Moths are one of the most common household pests of stored food products. Larvae houses in grain products such as, seeds, dried fruit, dog food, and spices. Unfortunately, these pests as well tend to come packaged in your food that already had an infestation from the store. What you would see is large amounts of spun silk which holds the eggs, fecal matter and molted skins. Once you catch this, its important to closely inspect all your food items in your pantry as they will climb into any all food items they can get access to.
The best you can do is to inspect packaged food that they are likely to infest prior to buying. Secondly, inspect packaged items to making sure tightly sealed and have no punctures. Just like the previous two, any infested food items you have, throw them away immediately, clean and inspect your pantry to make sure you got them all out.
Pantry Pest Prevention?
As mentioned above, make sure when you are shopping that you are thoroughly inspecting your food items to ensure you’re not picking up something with an infestation. With some of these pests its not a matter of cleanliness in your home but what you bring home from the store. Make sure your pantry is clean, then check for holes or cracks. For extra protection, seal holes and cracks. Lastly, perhaps one of the best measures to take would be to store your packaged food in air tight containers instead of keeping the food in the original box or bag. In conclusion, when in doubt or freak out it is also best to call a pest control company as the can properly identify and know how to eradicate the issue in your home.
RH Miller Can Help!
Ultimately, RH Miller Pest Services has been immersed in the Central Florida area in cities like Winter Garden for over a 30 years. In conclusion, our experts are committed to getting results for your lawn. As with all of our services, our process starts with a free estimate. Call our offices today @ 407-339-7119 to get the ball rolling! Between fertilizing, weed control, and fending off lawn-destroying insects, lawn care can be a full time job, our lawn professionals are standing by ready to give your yard the boost it needs!
