The pantry is a sacred place in any house. Behind the pantry door, you’ll find kitchen staples, snacks, basic ingredients, and favorite foods. When you look in the pantry or cupboards, there are probably a lot of different foods that you hope to see. One thing you hope you don't see is a moth, beetle, or white larvae crawling through your favorite cereal.
Pantry pests can be a huge inconvenience, and they’re not always easy to get rid of. We have some tips to help you identify these pests, prevent them from coming into your pantry, and get rid of them if they’ve already snuck inside.
Types Of Pests That Might Make A Home In Your Pantry
There are several species of insects that are considered pantry pests. Most pantry pests are a kind of moth or beetle. You may find:
- Indian meal moths
- Rice weevils
- Flour bugs
- Several kinds of beetles
Pantry pests aren’t harmful to humans. They don’t bite, they don’t sting, and they don’t carry any harmful diseases. However, they will contaminate and ruin food, and they are certainly considered nuisance pests.
How Pantry Pests Get In
Most pantry pests don’t come into your home—they’re brought in. It’s not a pleasant thought, but if you have pantry pests, it’s probably because you brought them in from the grocery store without realizing they were there. Once inside the house, they can spread to other foods in your pantry.
How do pantry pests get inside food? In most cases, an adult female will lay eggs inside a food source. Pantry pests prefer grains and cereals. They may lay eggs in flour, cereal, oatmeal, rice, bread, crackers, and other common food items.
When the eggs hatch, the product might already be in your home. The larvae will begin feeding on whatever food source they were born into. Some pantry pests can chew through light plastic or cardboard and spread throughout your pantry.
Best Pantry Pest Prevention Tips
You may be asking yourself how to get rid of pantry pests. Is there any way to prevent pantry pests from getting inside? How do you know if there are pantry pests in your food? The best prevention is to inspect. Check every item you buy for signs of tampering. If beetles or moths have gotten in, you may see an entry point on the box.
Another good step toward avoiding pantry pests is to shop in places you trust. Although any grocery store may unknowingly be harboring pantry pests, you’re more likely to find them in stores that are humid or not as careful with their food sourcing.
In your home, the best way to stop the spread of pantry pests is to store items in hard plastic or glass containers. Make sure these have airtight lids to stop pantry pests from spreading within the pantry. If they can’t get into food sources, they won’t be able to spread as easily.
What do you do if you find pantry pests in your home? How do you get rid of pantry pests? All-Safe Pest & Termite is here to help. Our pest professionals can come by to do an inspection. We’ll help you identify what food has already been contaminated and should be thrown out. We can then create a treatment plan that works for you. Our treatment is quick and effective. You shouldn’t ever worry about whether your food is safe to eat. Let us keep your pantry pest-free!