Pest Control For Beetles And Moths That Get In Your Pantry
Beetles and moths are common pantry pests that can ruin the food in your cabinets. They get in boxes and sacks of food that contain flour and products made from flour. They're so tiny, they can get in just about anything that isn't sealed tightly.
Prevention is the best pest control method for these pests, but if you got caught off guard by an infestation, you may need to call a pest control company for help. Here is some information about pantry pests and how to control them.
Where Pantry Bugs Come From
Some bugs may come in from outside and reproduce in your cabinets, but it's common to bring beetles and moths home from the store, especially if you shop from bulk bins. Bugs often infest small animal foods and bird food too. You may not notice the bugs since the bugs are so small. Plus, the larvae might be present instead of the bugs, and you may not notice the worms blended in with the food.
Once they're in your kitchen, the beetles and moths multiply and spread through your stored food products. You can kill the bugs by placing the food in the freezer for a few days, but you may just prefer to throw your food out, which can be an expensive loss.
How To Prevent An Infestation Of Pantry Bugs
If you call a pest control service to help you eliminate your infestation, ask about ways to prevent the bugs from coming back. They might recommend keeping moth and beetle traps out to kill the bugs before they can take over again if you bring some home from the store.
Be sure to look bulk food over carefully for bugs and larvae before you bring it home. You may want to store bulk-bin foods in glass mason jars or plastic containers that seal tightly so if the food has bugs, the bugs won't escape and get in your other foods.
How To Kill An Infestation Of Pantry Pests
The pest control service may want you to seal all the food you want to keep and place it in the freezer. If you don't want to eat food that had moths in it, you may still want to freeze things like gerbil and bird food for a few days and then seal them in airtight containers.
Throw out all the food that you think is contaminated and then seal the foods that are left. Vacuum your cabinets to pull up bugs and food crumbs, and then wash the cabinets well so no bugs remain. The pest control service may recommend killing the bugs that might be left with pheromone traps that kill beetles and moths.
Since the infestation is in your food pantry, they may not advise spraying indoors unless the bugs turn up in other places too.
Reach out to a pest control service for more info.