How to Prevent a Stored Product from Pest Infestation

Keep an eye out for insects hiding in the bag of flour, chocolate, or spices as you delve through their cupboards for supplies to create pumpkin pie and cookies for the holidays. Because of their proclivity for congregating around food products stored in pantries and cupboards, these insects are known as stored product pests or pantry pests.

This time of year, when Christmas baking is in full flow, it's not uncommon for households to come across merchant grain beetles, Indian meal moths, flour beetles, and other stored goods pests. Home deep cleaning services in Rajkot are available. You can easily book services online.

Unintentionally, these insects are introduced into the home through things stored in paper packing and open bags.

As a result, it's critical to thoroughly inspect all things for signs of damage before bringing them inside.

Several beetles, moths, and a mite that can infest whole grains or processed goods are stored products or pantry pests. Small beetles crawling over countertops, moths flying across rooms, or caterpillars creeping up walls or across ceilings are usually the first signs of a problem. 

To prevent repeated difficulties, the remedy entails locating and removing all contaminated products in which these pests have evolved and general cleanup and the usage of sealed storage containers.

Some pests that eat on stored goods prey on whole kernels. The granary weevil, rice weevil, and Angoumois grain moth are among them.

Rice weevils are reddish-brown to black snout beetles that range in size from 1/8 to 1/4 inch long. Adults can live for 6 to 8 months and can be discovered up to a mile away from affected items.

A legless grub develops inside wheat or maize kernels and other whole grains or caked materials in the larval stage. It might take as little as one month to develop from egg to adult.

Flour beetles and sawtoothed grain beetles can't eat whole or undamaged grains, but they'll devour dried fruits, dry dog food, dried meats, candy bars, narcotics, tobacco, and a range of other things. Flour beetles have a seven-week life cycle. 

Females can survive anywhere from a few months to over a year as adults. Flour bugs that are perplexed fly and are drawn to light; red flour beetles crawl toward the light but do not appear to fly. Sawtoothed grain beetles aren't drawn to light and don't fly.

Almost any home food, spice, and leather product are attacked by drugstore bugs and cigarette beetles. Cigarette beetles are most usually found in paprika and dried dog food. Bread, flour, meal, breakfast dishes, and spices like red pepper are all common sources of drugstore beetles. Both species' adults can fly and are drawn to light.

The Indian meal moth is a common pest in homes. The creamy grey and coppery brown front wings of the 1/2-inch long adult are immediately identifiable. A caterpillar in the dirty white to pink larval stage creeps away from contaminated products in search of a safe spot to transform into an adult.

Adults are evidence of an infestation, but eliminating them will not solve the problem. It is necessary to locate and destroy infested articles. The pest's identification will help you figure out where to hunt for it, although some of these insects can live on a variety of surfaces.

The older the infestation, the more insects there are. Partially used boxes or bags of products that have been neglected in the backs of pantries and shelves are frequently the sources of the first source. As active adults looking birdseed for new food sources, the infection expands.

Grain Moth Angoumois

The pale golden brown Angoumois grain moth is 1/2 inch long. In the house, it may be seen flapping. The larval stage develops in entire kernels or caked grain, similar to how weevils do. Infested seeds include barley, rye, corn, oats, rice, and many others.

Grain Beetles (Merchant Grain Beetles)

Merchant grain bugs are uncommon in raw grain products, which is surprising. They would rather eat packaged cereal, cake mix, cookies, and chocolate. Merchant grain beetles have brown bodies with flat bodies and six saw-like teeth on each side.

Meal Moths in India

The Indian cuisine After an insect biologist discovered it eating cornmeal, commonly known as an Indian meal, the moth was given its name. Dried fruits, grains, seeds, nuts, chocolate, chocolates, birdseed, dog food, powdered milk, dried red peppers, and candy are among their favorite foods.

Flour Beetles are insects that live in flour

Flour beetles eat wheat and other grains, have adapted to live in extremely arid settings and can resist more radiation than cockroaches. Mealworms are their larvae, and they can destroy significant stocks of wheat and other grains.

The insect is commonly found in decorative ear corn. It takes roughly 6 weeks for a life cycle to complete. The adult looks like a clothing moth, but the finger-like extension on the hind wing tip distinguishes it.

Processed grains or cracked kernels and a range of spices attract a significantly higher number of insects. Red and confused flour beetles, sawtoothed grain beetles, drugstore beetle, cigarette beetle, and Indian meal moth are all common pests.

Grain Beetles with Sawtoothed Teeth Grain Beetles with Sawtoothed Teeth

Flour beetles, cigarette beetles, pharmacy beetles, and sawtoothed grain beetles are red-brown insects that are 1/8 inch long. Only infested products usually have immature or larval stages.

Prevention Tips: 

To avoid bringing pantry bugs home for the holidays, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) suggests the following tips.

• Shop wisely: The majority of pantry pests are introduced into households through contaminated items. If an item appears to be damaged, choose a different bag or box.
• Seal Items: Food storage that is properly sealed can go a long way toward preventing an infestation. Move items into a sealed glass or Tupperware-type container with a secure lid once packages are opened before storing them in the pantry or cupboard.
• Use Bay Leaves: Add bay leaves to canisters and containers of dry commodities such as flour, rice, and other grains. Many pantry bugs are deterred by the herb's pungent aroma.
• Examine the following dates: Before using, make sure to verify the expiration dates on the ingredients. Sort through outdated items in the pantry regularly and chuck out anything that has been sitting there for a long time.
• Frequently clean: Remove any crumbs or spills off countertops, tables, floors, and shelves as soon as possible.

Detection 

Pheromone-monitoring systems can also be installed in the facility to detect pests that have made it past your initial line of defense or have entered from the outside. For finding/narrowing hot spots or high-density areas of insect activity, Miller recommends using a grid-like layout of both hanging glue-type traps for flight-capable pests and dome-pitfall form traps for crawling pests. This will act as a starting point for visual sightings while also assisting with sanitation.

Webbing, frass, cast skins, larvae, pupae on or around food products or storage spaces, and damaged/out-of-condition packaging are all visual symptoms of an infestation, in addition to spotting live or dead insects flying or crawling on boxes, bags, or pallets. The meal may also have a musty odour if it has been infested with insects.

When looking for specific insects, VanRyckeghem recommends looking for the following signs:

• Indianmeal moth larvae are very active and may crawl away from contaminated food materials to dark spaces, thus fissures and wall/ceiling junctions are common places to find them. Infestation can be detected by finding webbing on or in product containers or packaging.
• Warehouse beetle larvae molt several times, leaving delicate hairy cast skins on the surface of food or packaging material.
• Adult cigarette beetles emerge from paper-wrapped items or boxboard containers, leaving a trail of small exit holes. These appear to have been poked with the tip of a pencil.

Every plant should have a policy in place for dealing with infestations as soon as they are discovered, rather than waiting until there is a problem to implement one. This policy should begin with the segregation of potentially infested goods, followed by a thorough assessment of nearby items, prompt management engagement, and, if necessary, tracking the source of infection. 

Empty and clean the cupboards with soap and water regularly to remove any residue or anything else that might be lurking inside.

If you find a pantry pest in your food, throw it away in a sealed outdoor garbage can as soon as possible. In the event of a full-blown infestation, a licensed pest control professional should be contacted for assistance.

To find all contaminated goods, you'll need to search thoroughly. Start looking for them in ornamental objects or birdseed if they aren't in the pantry or cabinet.

The best strategy to eradicate the problem is to dispose of the affected things. Check everything in the pantry and on the shelves as well. Under cans and other things, beetles are frequently discovered. Vacuum the shelves thoroughly on both the upper and lower surfaces, then clean the cracks and crevices with a crevice attachment. It's preferable to conduct a thorough job the first time around rather than having to repeat a rushed examination and cleanup.

Following treatment, adequate cleanliness and storage are essential for avoiding future issues. Fill jars or other containers with products from cardboard, paper, or plastic containers that may be tightly sealed. Heat (155°F for roughly 20 minutes with the oven door propped open) or a non-self-defrosting freezer at 0°F for 4 days can be used to cure decorative objects like Indian corn, dried flower arrangements, or bird feed.

Contact Dodson Pest Control right away if you feel your pantry has uninvited visitors. Our team of professional professionals will do a free examination and collaborate with you to develop a pest-removal strategy.