Clean Start

Many of us have a habit of storing food to help save up on grocery expenses and to avoid unnecessary trips to the grocers just to purchase an item and end up buying ten more items as well. Storing dried food can sometimes be a problem because they can also be infested by insects commonly known as pantry pests. These pests can contaminate food more than what they can actually consume. Though they do not bite or sting people and pets, or damage a structure, these pests can still be a nuisance considering the fact that they can damage food, thus wasting them and even costing us hard earned money. Taking action against pantry pests is a necessity if you want to save your stored food and money spent.

Food Varieties Pantry Pests Feed On

Though these food products may be initially infested at the processing plant, warehouse or retailer, they are often infested once stored at home. When they are left untouched for long on shelves, these products stand a greater chance of being infested by pantry pests. These pests also have the ability to penetrate through unopened foil, cardboard, paper, plastic or cellophane wrapped packages. They can also chew their way into these packages through the seams and folds. Once they begin to breed in an unopened package of food, they can spread out to other food items and infest the entire stock of stored food.

• Cereal
• Crackers
• Cookies
• Cornmeal
• Flour
• Cake Mix
• Rice
• Pasta
• Nuts
• Chocolates
• Dried Beans
• Popcorn
• Spices
• Raisins
• Dried Fruits
• Cured Meat
• Powdered Milk

Aside from food varieties, pantry pests can also infest other items such as dry pet food, bird seed, ornamental seed and corn, dried plants and flower displays, rodent baits and garden seeds.

Prevent Your Food From Going To Waste

To prevent your stored food from going to waste, you must practice detection and prevention measures.

1. Only purchase small quantities of food that are to be consumed in a short period of time.
2. Always inspect the packages or containers of food you are buying and check the freshness date. Do not purchase damaged packages of food and those with broken seals.
3. ‘First In, First Out’ policy must be practiced. This means consuming the oldest products first before the newly bought ones, as well as already opened packages before the sealed ones.
4. Store the highly susceptible food in the fridge or freezer.
5. Make it a point to clean storage areas and clean up any spilled food or crumbs. Unused old products must be disposed off.
6. Always check the condition of your stored food.

Eliminate Pantry Pests Today

The presence of pantry pests must never be tolerated. Once you detect them, inspect all your stored food products and throw away those that have been contaminated. Then thoroughly clean all the cabinets and shelves without missing any crack or corner to ensure that you catch every insect there is. Have all the saved food products stored in heavy duty containers or glass jars while having a pest control professional treat your home. Over the counter insecticides will be useless if you are not familiar with how pantry pests thrive and hide. This is why a professional is a better solution; especially since they will use eco-friendly means to control pest infestations in homes.

Citations:

• Photographed by earl53.

Attached Images:

•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://mrg.bz/5HKZeE

Valerie Williams is a freelance writer specializing in natural forms of pest control as well as the effects pests have on people and food. She regularly contributes articles to http://www.preventivepestcontrol.com/ and other websites where reliable pest control professionals can be consulted.