Simple acts of stocking up the pantry is a common practice. Cereals, noodles, rice, and flour products and concentrated items are general staples found in most pantries. Often, your pantry may be infiltrated by some of the pests that have scurried into your home such as cockroaches, rodents, ants and so on. But because of their tiny statures, a lot of pantries are infested by the very stockpile items you purchase. Pantry pests are generally destructive and contaminate your food supply. We at A Five Star Termite & Pest Control would like to take the opportunity to pass on the basics of the basic pantry pests; weevils, moths, and beetles.
What Do Pantry Bugs Eat?
Many of these pantry pests can be found in a variety foods often stored in the pantry. Packaged food items such as cereals, chocolates, dried fruits, flour, herbs, rice, and so on, have tiny insects at various stages of their life, including eggs. Unless their population has exploded, they often go unnoticed, but the more of them there are the easier the movement can gain your attention. The moths have a tendency to be found infesting the dried fruits, chocolate products, and dry pet food. Weevils and occasionally moths will go after the wheat, cereals, flours, and other related foods. The beetles in their variety, particularly the saw-toothed grain beetles are flour, cereals, and noodles. Not as common as some other beetles, but from time to time consumers may find cigarette and drugstore beetles in the cellulose products in the pantry such as herbs and spices.
Where Do Pantry Pests Come From?
These pests do not slip through the gaps and cracks of your home and wander into your pantry, but instead infest the packaged food in processing plants, warehouses, delivery truck, and retail store storage. The longer these packaged foods sit in the various locations, the more likely these nasty little pantry pests will move in. Most pantry pests have 4 life cycles; egg, larvae, pupa, and adulthood. During their lifespan, they will often stay in the packaged food they started in. The larvae stage is the most destructive and the eggs are typically too small to be seen initially.
What Kind of Bug is in My Pantry? Beetles, Moths or Weevils?
The most frequently discovered pantry pest found in the common items in your pantry are as follows:
Beetles:
– Cigarette Beetle – Food: Dates, Dried Botanicals, Dried Flowers, Ginger, Pepper, Raisins, Seeds, and Spices.
– Confused Flour Beetle – Food: Cereals, Flour, and Meal.
– Drugstore Beetle – Food: Cereal, Dry Pet Foods, Flour, Meal, Pepper, and Spices.
– Merchant Grain Beetle – Food: Cereals, Cracked Seeds, Flour, Meal, Nuts, Pasta, and Seed Dust.
– Red Flour Beetle – Food: Cereal, Flour, and Meal.
– Saw-toothed grain beetle – Food: Cereal, Cracked Seeds, Flour, Meal, Nuts, Pasta, and Seed Dust.
Moths:
– Indian Meal Moth – Food: Candies, Cracked Corn, Crackers, Dried Fruits, Dry Pet Food, Grain, Grain Products, Meal, Noodles, Peppers, Powdered Milk, and Seeds.
Weevils:
– Granary Weevil – Food: Beans, Bird Seed, Caked Meal, Corn, Millet, Rice, Rye, and Whole Grain.
– Maize Weevil – Food: Beans, Bird Seed, Caked Meal, Corn, Millet, Rice, Rye, and Whole Grains.
– Rice Weevil – Food: Beans, Bird Seed, Caked Meal, Corn, Millet, Rice, Rye, and Whole Grains.
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If you have noticed any pantry pests in your home or business, contact A Five Star Termite & Pest Control and we will do the rest.
