Where Are These Moths And Beetles In My Pantry Coming From?

With winter in full swing, we don’t expect to see hoards of insects in our houses. They can certainly be a problem in the hot summer months, but they should all but disappear in winter, right? If that’s the case, then where are these moths and beetles in our pantries coming from?

How Moths and Beetles Get into Your Home

Believe it or not, some pests don’t get into your house by making their way inside from outdoors or by hitching a ride on the backs of your pets. Some pests get into your house because you bring them in. Indian meal moths and saw toothed grain beetles are two such pests.

Commonly put into the category of pantry pests, Indian meal moths and saw toothed grain beetles most often get into your home without your knowledge. A simple trip to the grocery store may be all it takes to bring them back home with you.

How Pantry Pests Get into Your Home

Pantry pests often begin their journey to your home at food processing plants. They get into common pantry foods, such as flour or cereal, and lay their eggs. Once those foods are packaged up and sent to grocery stores, you may end up putting one of the contaminated items in your grocery cart, then bring it home with you.

There’s often an uptick in pantry pest problems during the holidays. With all the extra baking that goes on during that time of year, people tend to have more baking ingredients in their houses, which increases their chances of accidentally bringing pantry pests into their homes.

However, it’s possible to bring these pests home with you over the holiday season and not notice a problem until later in the winter when their eggs hatch. At this point, you’re likely to see their larvae in your pantry goods, or you may notice the moths and beetles themselves flying and crawling around.

How to Avoid Bringing Pantry Pests Home With You

While it’s impossible to know for sure if the groceries you bring home are infested, you can do a few things to lessen your chances of a pantry pest outbreak:

• Inspect items at the store. If a bag has even a small hole, it may mean pests are inside.
• Inspect the foods themselves upon returning home. You can’t open bags and boxes at the store, but you can check through the foods when you get home.
• Store your pantry items in containers that can’t be chewed through.

What to Do if You See Pantry Pests in Your Home

If you notice Indian meal moths or saw toothed grain beetles in your home, no matter their stage of development, give Russell’s Pest Control a call. We can eliminate your pantry pest problem so you don’t have to worry about contaminated food or an increased spread of the problem from one item to another. Keep your home insect-free this winter, the way it should be! Call Russell’s for more information.