FACTS AND INFORMATION ABOUT PANTRY & HOUSE PESTS FROM ONTARIO'S LEADING PEST CONTROL COMPANY

A larger number of insects feed on processed grains, broken kernels and spices, the components of a pantry. They can infest whole grains or processed foods. The most common types of stored product pests or pantry pests include:

• Granary Weevil
• Rice Weevil
• Red Flour Beetle
• Confused Flour Beetle
• Sawtoothed Grain Beetle
• Drugstore Beetle
• Cigarette Beetle
• Foreign Grain Beetle
• Merchant Grain Beetle
• Warehouse Beetle
• Angoumois Grain Moth
• Indian Meal Moth

Usually, the first sign of a problem is the appearance of small beetles crawling over counter tops, moths flying across rooms, or caterpillars crawling up walls or across ceilings. While finding adult pantry pests is the signs of an infestation, merely killing them is not an effective solution. Infested articles must be found and destroyed. Identification of the pest can provide clues on where to look but some of these insects can live on a wide range of materials.

In general, the greater the number of pantry pests seen, the older the infestation. Often the initial source is partially used boxes or bags of products that have been forgotten in the backs of pantries and shelves. The infestation spreads as the active adults search for new food sources. A thorough search is needed to locate all infested items.

The best way to get rid of pantry pests requires finding and destroying all infested products in which these pests have developed, sanitation, and use of sealed storage containers to prevent recurring problems.

Learn more about how to get rid of pantry pests.