Baking is a tradition in many homes, more so as the holiday’s approach. Nothing can ruin a fun baking experience faster than discovery of pests in your storable foods. There are several types of pests that thrive in the storable foods, and these types of insects can quickly become a pain and expensive hassle for any homeowner.

Below we’ve outlined some steps homeowners can take to remove a pantry pest infestation, and keep these pests out in the future.

Understanding the pests that are in your storable foods

Storable foods pests, often referred to as pantry pests infest common baking ingredients such as: flour, dried fruits and nuts, cereals, pre-made mixes such as pancake and biscuit mixes, and much more. Pantry pests, such as: ants, beetles, earwigs, weevils, pillbugs, and even cockroaches thrive in pantries where food is plentiful, and natural predators are rare. Often homeowners are not aware that they have a pantry pest infestation until they open baking ingredients such as flour, cake mixes, and others.
Removing a pantry pest infestation, and preventing it from happening again in the future is not as hard as it may seem. Below we’ve outlined a few helpful steps to get control of your food storage area back, and keep it free from these pests in the future.

Removing pests and insects from your food storage area(s)

First, it’s important to understand that the reason the insects are there is because they have easy access to food. The goal when removing a pantry pest infestation is to remove easy access to the food they want, and not give them a reason to come back.
Conduct a thorough inspection of all food in your pantry. Pay particular attention to food stored in boxes, bags, and plastic packaging. These types of food containers make easy targets for pantry pests as they can easily chew their way into them.

Remove any contaminated food, making sure to dispose of it in an outside garbage can well away from your home. Once the contaminated food has been removed, conduct a thorough cleaning of your food storage area. Vacuum up any food particles and other debris, and clean all surfaces with a good cleaning agent/solution.
Invest in food storage containers. Reusable food storage containers are available at just about every supermarket. These containers will help keep pests out, and your food fresher. Reusable plastic or glass containers work well, just make sure the lids seal well.
Use these food storage containers for items like: flour, sugar, baking mixes, dried fruit, cereals, and other potential food sources for insects. For food items like chips and bread that don’t have a long shelf life, make sure to seal these bags between uses.
Check expiration dates regularly. Check expiration dates on your storable foods regularly. Make sure to discard anything past date. Getting into the habit of checking food storage can also help alert you to any problems in your food storage area before they get out of hand.
Clean your food storage area. Cleaning up spills will help to not invite pantry pests back into the area. Crumbs and spills in cupboards, floors, and food preparation areas can and will be easily detected by foraging insects such as ants and cockroaches.

With a little bit of work, and developing good habits when storing your family’s food, pantry pests can be a thing of the past. There are times when a pest infestation requires the expertise of an experienced pest control company, if you’re facing a pest issue that has you at wits end, consult with a licensed pest control professional to get expert advice and treatment options.