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Pantry pests or stored product pests are commonly found in Petersburg, VA. The term is used to describe a group of pests and all of them like eating processed and dried food products in your home. While they’ll consume an assortment of foods, they’re primarily found in flour, dry pet food, crackers, spices, cereal, birdseed, dried nuts, and more. In our area, the most common pantry pests are Indian meal moths, cigarette beetles, and saw-toothed grain beetles. Since they live in food packages, they’re constantly eating and breeding.
Appearances Of Pantry Pests
Indian Meal Moths
Indian meal moths are small moths that fit into the pantry pest category. They have reddish-brown forewings. They’re also whitish-gray and coppery. Indian meal moth larvae will damage your food products. The moths are difficult to eliminate. They fly around kitchens and spin cocoons throughout the home.
Saw-Toothed Grain Beetles
They have slender bodies and reach a tenth of an inch. Both sides of their thoraxes have tooth projections that look and work like saws. Saw-toothed grain beetles of all ages will damage your food products. They’ll feed on dried fruit, flour, cereal, and more.
Cigarette Beetles
Cigarette beetles primarily consume tobacco products such as cigars and cigarettes. They’re an eighth of an inch and have a humped back. Thanks to their body hairs, they look fuzzy. They’ll also consume spices and wreaths.
Reasons Homes Have Pantry Pests
A pantry pest infestation has nothing to do with something you did or didn’t do. Instead, the problem is that you’ve purchased contaminated food products. You bought foods that contained pantry pests and brought them home with you. It happens more often than you could ever imagine.
Signs Of Stored Product Pests
It is vital to know what to look for. Pantry pests are difficult to spot. Knowing what to look for will help you identify the problem much sooner. Look at your food packages to see if you have any beetles or moths flying around. If you do, you likely have a pantry pest invasion.
How Dangerous Are Pantry Pests?
Most pantry pests aren’t dangerous. They don’t bite or sting. In addition to this, you can consume pantry pests, their larvae, and their eggs without getting ill. Even if you have pantry pests in your home, you don’t need to worry about your health. The primary issue is that they’re going to contaminate your food sources, so you’ll have to buy replacements.
Avoiding Future Infestations
Ultimately, there are several things you can do to keep these pests out of your home. First, you should properly seal your food in durable containers. Make sure the lid closes properly. Once you’ve done that, you should clean your kitchen and pantry. Remove food crumbs and leftovers. When buying new food, place it in a clean container. Never combine it with older food products. Always clean these food containers before using them again.
Place food products in plastic bags. Wait a few weeks to see if the food is infested.
Eliminating A Pack Of Pantry Pests
It is never easy to eliminate pantry pests. You know where they’re hiding but getting rid of them will be tough. Spotting them is the hardest step. Once you’ve found pantry pests in your food products, use the tips below to get rid of them.
- Get rid of the infested food products.
- Thoroughly clean your pantry. Remove all food products and clean the counters and shelves. Dispose of the vacuum’s contents in a plastic bag before getting rid of it.
- Wipe down the walls and shelves before placing the food products back into the pantry.
Some over-the-counter products can indeed eliminate pantry pests. However, they’re not recommended. Using them could be dangerous and ineffective. Call our office and let us deal with the problem for you.
When Can You Arrive?
Get in touch with our representative immediately. After your call, we’ll get back to you within 48 hours.
Safe Pantry Pest Solutions
We only offer safe pantry pest solutions. Our thoroughly trained technicians use EPA-registered products to eliminate these pests. Call us today to learn more about the steps we’ll follow to keep everyone in your house safe.
Preventing Future Issues
It is never easy to stop pantry pests from invading your home. Remember that these pests could be hiding in the food products at your local grocery store. Therefore, it can be difficult to keep them out. Store your food products in durable containers. Finally, carefully check the products you purchase before bringing them into your home.
If you have any other pest control issues please check out other services.
