There are a lot of ingredients that go into our foods. Sometimes it can be fun to try to read some of the names, words like maltodextrin or butylated hydroxytoluene. Fortunately, we live in a society that has foods with labels so we can know exactly what is in our food before we buy it. However, sometimes extra ingredients can sneak inside packages. We call these extra ingredients pantry pests.
Today we will be talking about some of these unpleasant "food additives," how they get into our foods, and some helpful tips to help keep them out of your pantry.
Factors That Lead To Pantry Pest Invasions
There are a variety of pantry pests that can threaten our food on a daily basis, carpet beetles, cigarette beetles, confused flour beetles, saw-toothed grain beetles, and Indian meal moths to name a few. All of these have one major thing in common, they all love dry foods. Some dry foods pantry pests can be found in our cereals, flours, grains, and other stored foods that are devoid of moisture.
The thing that most often causes these foods to become infested is damage done to their packaging. If your local supermarket has a pantry pest problem, any item of food that has a hole in it could also have pantry pests. And some pantry pests can chew their way into undamaged boxes of dried foods. Now that we have established this, let’s talk about some practical ways you can stop pantry pests from invading your home.
Tips To Keep Pantry Pests Out Of Your Home
The good news is, keeping pantry pests out of your pantry is not terribly difficult. All it takes is a keen eye and a bit of vigilance.
- Avoid buying items of food if their box or seal has been damaged or broken.
- Check dried foods after you buy them as there is a small chance they could have pantry pests that snuck in before they were packaged.
- Store all dried foods inside airtight glass, metal, or plastic containers so if one product is contaminated, more do not follow.
- Clean out your pantry every 3 months.
Why Call Adams If Your Pantry Is Under Attack
If you are reading this right now with pantry pests already eating away at your stored foods, we have a pantry pest solution here at Adams Exterminating Company. Although we may have to throw out a few boxes of contaminated food, you will not have to worry about any more contaminated products once we are finished. To find out what this service looks like for your home, give us a call today.