Do you have a pantry where you store most of your non-perishable food? If so, you need to guard against pantry pests. These pests are not just an inconvenience — without treatment, they can contaminate your entire food supply. Ensure you know when pantry pests might have invaded your food with these key signs.

Larvae

One of the main reasons for a pantry pest infestation is breeding and nesting. When you find larvae in your pantry, you likely have an active infestation. But since so many different types of pantry pests could infest your home, what do larvae look like?

One example is the larvae of beetles. These larvae often look like worms. The larvae are both smooth and long, but they often have legs and a head. Beetle larvae colors can range from light brown to tan. Maggots, which are fly larvae, also look like worms but without legs. Finally, if you have Indian meal moth larvae, you might see caterpillars with multiple sets of legs.

Larvae will often be in the contaminated food, but they also might be in dark parts of the pantry or even on the walls themselves.

Webs

You might think that only spiders spin webs, but some pantry pests can as well. For example, the Indian meal moth can spin webs that contain everything from fecal matter to shed skin. They do this right on the surface of the contaminated food.

Packaging Holes

Holes in packaging might be one of the first signs you see, especially if you frequent your pantry. While beetles are some of the most common pantry pests to do this, other pests can as well. The packaging materials the pests can get through include cardboard, plastic, wax, and paper.

Attractants

Some pantry pests are photo sensitive (attracted to light) and will go to bright light sources and could be around lamps and window sills near the kitchen or wherever the infestation is.

Pests Themselves

Some pantry pests are not easy to spot if they prefer dark corners of the pantry. However, you can still find many pantry pests, especially if you have a large infestation. Pests can be in or on the infested food or throughout the pantry, often on the walls, shelves, or floor. For prevention once products are opened, keep in sealed see through containers.  It is also important to check not only human food, but your pet food and animal feed as well.

If you think you have pantry pests, do not let them get away with ruining your food. Instead, contact Guardian Pest Control for effective pantry pest control. We will thoroughly look over your pantry, determine what pests you have, and treat for them so you can have a safe, pest-free pantry once again. As always, please let us know what questions and concerns you have, and we will be happy to answer them.