Pantry Pest Identification

The following insects are often referred to as pantry pests because they can invade and contaminate dry goods that we typically store in our home’s pantry and kitchen areas.

• Drugstore beetles
• Earwigs
• Flour beetles
• Indian meal moths
• Millipedes
• Moths
• Silverfish
• Weevils

These pests are frustrating pests to deal with and are tricky to prevent and control since our homes provide them with food sources.

Pantry pests aren’t dangerous; they don’t bite or sting, aren’t aggressive, and don’t spread pathogens that make us ill. What makes them dangerous and unwanted is their ability to contaminate large amounts of food and cause food waste; a costly problem for home and business owners. Any food these pests get into needs to be discarded.

Most of the time, pantry pests get into homes through products purchased from the store already infested with pantry pest eggs or larvae. Some of the most common things found in almost any of our California pantries that can become infested with pantry pests include:

• Oats, rice, and flour
• Spices and dried herbs
• Chocolate
• Cereals and crackers
• Dried pasta
• Dried pet food

In addition to the larvae and eggs of pantry pests getting your home through purchased food items, an infestation can also happen after adults move into your home. Things like light and moisture often attract pantry pest adults. Once they move inside, they will contaminate your family’s stored food either by feeding on it or utilizing it as a breeding site.

In most cases, it is the pantry pest larvae that cause most of the problems. The adults will lay their eggs on a suitable food source, and once the eggs hatch, the larvae begin eating and contaminating the food with their saliva, excrement, and shed skins. We discover pantry pest infestations in various places; often, the infestations begin at a food processing or storage facility. Restaurants, grocery stores, hospitals, schools, homes, and anywhere else food is regularly stored or prepared are places where pantry pests breed and feed.

Protect your family’s food from being contaminated by pantry pests with the help of the experts at Next Generation Pest Control. We understand these pests, how quickly they can take over a kitchen, and how frustrating their presence is inside our California kitchens. Our professionals will take the time to get to know you and understand your property’s exact pest control needs. Through our customized pest control solutions, you can be sure we will solve your pest problems as safely and effectively as possible, offering you a long-term solution. To learn more about how our comprehensive residential or commercial pest control solutions will solve your property’s pantry pest problems, reach out to Next Generation Pest Control today!

We have put together a list of tips that you can utilize to prevent future problems with pantry pests in your Manteca home.

• Proper food storage is key to preventing problems with pantry pests. Remove dry goods from their original packaging and store the food in hard-sided containers with airtight lids.
• Keep your home’s pantry and other storage areas free of crumbs and other food debris.
• Inspect dry goods you are purchasing from the store. Never buy products that have rips or tear in them; the tiniest of openings will allow a pantry pest to move inside it to lay its eggs.
• Regularly check expiration dates of dry goods in your home, removing expired items.
• Eliminate spaces in the exterior of your home that could allow adult pantry pests to move into your home on their own to utilize the food stored in your house as a breeding site.