Why Do I Have Bugs In My Pantry In Oklahoma City?

While there are many bugs that can get into your pantry, there is a unique group of insects that can be found inside pantry foods. We call these creatures pantry pests or stored-product pests. They don't just feed on stored-food products, they lay their eggs in these food items. Today, we're going to discuss how they find their way into your home, and, more importantly, what you can do to prevent bugs from becoming part of your meals.

indian meal moth up close

Farm To Table

A pantry pest can enter a food product at any point in its journey. Farmers, processing plants, storage facilities, food transport vehicles, grocery stores, and other businesses work together to prevent infestation every step of the way. But it is possible for food to be infested before it gets to your pantry or food shelves.

Once inside your home, these products are still not safe from infestation. Pest can get into your home from the outside and invade your stored foods. If you want to have any hope of protecting your foods, you need to consider exterior pest control.

What Pests Are We Talking About?

While you can have ants, cockroaches, and many other pests getting into your pantry, these pests don't lay their eggs in your food. Pantry pests do. This makes them a double threat. Pests that are considered to be pantry pests are moths, beetles, weevils and mites. Some common invaders are Indian meal moths, sawtoothed grain beetles, confused flour beetles, drugstore beetles, cigarette beetles, rice weevils, granary weevils, and grain mites.

How To Prevent Hitchhikers

It is impossible to prevent these pests from hitchhiking into your home because their eggs are small and often hidden. But there are prevention methods that can reduce your chances of having an unsavory meal.

Check packaging at the store. If a food package is damaged, don't buy it.
Check due dates. Food that is past due has a stronger odor and is more likely to attract the attention of pantry pests.
When you bring items into your home, consider transferring them to sealed containers. This allows you to inspect the food items for webbing or the presence of larvae and insects. If any eggs are present, a sealed container will help to prevent the emerging pests from moving between food items.
If you don't use containers, write the due dates on your packaging with a black marker and throw items out before they go past their due dates.
Put newly purchased items to the back of shelves and old items to the front.
Always check food items before cooking.

How To Prevent Invaders

It pays to roll your sleeves up and seal entry points and pathways pests can use to get into your home and get to your foods. While pantry pests aren't known to be a disease threat, there are many pests that can make you sick when they get into your food.

Seal cracks and crevices in your foundation and exterior.
Seal gaps around anything that penetrates your exterior walls or foundation walls.
Replace old weatherstripping and damaged sweeps.
Repair any holes that develop in your window or door screens.
Address gaps around window or door screens where they attach to your frames.
Apply a complete seal around pipes that enter into your kitchen underneath your sink.
Fill in cracks and crevices in your kitchen and pantry.
Reduce exterior light at night or replace white lights with yellow lights. Many insect species are attracted to light.
Consider investing in a residential pest control plan that comes with barrier treatments. This will repel and knock down insects before they can get into your home and infest your foods.

What To Do When You Find Bugs In Your Food

If you use containers to store your food, you can dispose of the food product outside your home and clean the container. Infestation contained! If you don't use containers, the process can be arduous. You have to transfer and inspect all the items in your pantry for the presence of webbing, larvae, or insects. Some pantry pests lay eggs outside of food packaging. So, even if you dispose of all the infested food items in your pantry, you can still have pantry pests in your home. It is best to contact a licensed pest control provider to help you correct the problem.