As summer comes to an end, we head into a season of baking. Holidays provide many opportunities for creating sweet treats such as cake, cookies, brownies and more. So this is the perfect time of year to talk about stored product pests, also referred to as pantry pests. Here is a quick guide to help you keep your food-storage areas safe from this type of pest.
5 Tips for Keeping Stored Product Pests Out
- When you shop for whole grains, processed foods, cereal, flour, dried fruits, beans, spices, nuts and other pantry products, it is important that you check the packaging for tiny holes, tears or gaps. These pests can get into your food before you even bring it home. Also, keep an eye out for tiny orangish brown moths sitting on store shelves. This a sign that there could be an Indian meal moth infestation in one of the packages.
- When you bring pantry products into your home, it is a good idea to pour them into sealed plastic containers before you place them in your pantry. There are a few reasons for this. If there is webbing or tiny insects crawling around in the food, you're likely to see them before you attempt to use those products in your favorite holiday food recipes. If you don't see any pests, they could still be in there. Plastic containers will keep them from spreading from one container to the next. Containers also keep smells inside, so pantry pests will not be drawn to your food-storage areas from somewhere inside, or outside, of your home.
- If you don't use containers, be sure to put recently purchased food packages to the back of your shelves and older products to the front. This will help prevent food from becoming past due and creating strong smells that are attractive to pantry pests.
- This is the time of year to do a quick check of all your due dates. If food is past due, throw it out.
- Keep an eye out for moths in your pantry. While beetles, weevils and mites will give you few or no signs, Indian meal moths crawling around in your pantry is a sure sign of infestation.
If you find stored-food pests in your pantry, kitchen or storage room, let us know. The pest control team here at Adams Exterminating Company is one of the best in the business. We can help you resolve this and other pest problems quickly and effectively.