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Pantry Pests
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Insects that infest a variety of food products -
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Summary:
Certain moths and beetles specialize in
living off our stored food products like dried meat,
grain, flour, cereal, dry fruit, nuts, dry pet food,
and spices. When these insects are found in homes
they are called pantry pests. The most
common insects in this group are meal moths,
carpet beetles, cigarette and drugstore
beetles, and grain or flour beetles.
Jack
DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext.
Entomologist (ret.)
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There are a number of
insects that infest stored food. Collectively they
are called the pantry pests, warehouse pests, or
stored product pests. Some of these insects,
for example grain beetles, only attack whole kernels
of grain such as corn and wheat, while others infest
a wider variety of foods and sometimes dried skins.
Pantry pests are quite mobile so you often
find individual insects some distance away from the
source of the infestation. The first step to control
pantry pests, therefore, is to find the actual
source of the infestation. Once found you can
generally eliminate the infestation with sanitation.
Insecticides are almost never needed in homes. In
some cases pheromone traps can be used to find the
infestation while in other cases you'll need to do
careful searches of food storage areas.
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Indian
meal moth larva feeding on raisin;
note dark amber colored head capsule (top,
center of photo).
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Important pantry pests
Dermestid beetles are small
beetles that infest dried skins, natural hair-based
fabrics, dried meats, dried plant-based material and
stored grains -- virtually anything that contains of
even a small amount of protein. The larvae of
dermestid beetles are somewhat "fuzzy" and they
often leave characteristic shed skins behind in
drawers and cabinets (see What
are Dermestid Beetles?).
Meal moths infest stored foods
such as nuts, cereals, seeds, dried fruits, dried pet
food, crackers, and so forth. The larvae often produce
a silken webbing on the surface of infested products
under which the larvae feed (see What
are Meal Moths?).
Cigarette beetles and drugstore
beetles are small beetles that infest a wide
variety of natural products and are closely related to
some of the wood boring anobiid powderpost beetles
(see What
are Cigarette/Drugstore Beetles?).
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Grain and flour beetles
Grain beetles can be divided into two groups,
those that feed internally in whole, intact grains
of corn, wheat, rice, legumes, and so forth, and those
that are a bit less particular. Some grain and flour
beetles feed on broken kernals and some will develop
on flour and even processed grain such as pasta. These
insects are more typically pests in warehouses and
grain storage silos rather than kitchens and
pantries.
Low-Toxicity
Insecticides For Use Indoors
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