Get Rid Of Pantry Beetle Infestations

The insects that infest our foods, are callled stored product pests. Some are in a moth form and some are in a beetle or weevil form. Pantry Beetles are unknowingly brought in the home and not detected until you see these beetles near a food source. If it were a pantry moth, you would see a moth like insect flying. It is easy to identify the difference between the two adults, but the larvae is a little more difficult to identify.

Difference Between Pantry Beetles and Pantry Moths

There are a huge variety of stored product pests known as pantry beetles or pantry weevils. We go into some detail on some of the most common, The Confused Flour Beetle, Red Flour Beetle, Cigarette Beetle, Drugstore Beetle, Sawtooth Beetle, and Merchant Grain Beetle. These beetles feed on a wide range of food products, including pet foods, cereals, cookies, candy, nuts, dried legumes, pastas, spices, potato chips, crakers, dead insects and even dead animals. The lesser grain borere, the bean weevil , the granary weevil and the rice weevils feed mostly on whole grains and seeds. The weevils are less likely to feed on cereals and grains, unless it has become caked and hardened.The control and management would be similar for both pantry beetles or the pantry weevils.

There are also a variety of beetles of fabric pests that are not to be confused with pantry pest. These pests include black carpet beetle, furniture carpet beetle, and varied carpet beetles.

Inspect for Pantry Beetles of Pantry Weevils

• As with the Pantry moths, follow the same procedure of inspection. First check for open packages and old packages, then move on to th e newer packages in your pantry. Leave nothing untouched, as far as a complete inspection. Even after the inspection, clean up and any pest control management, continue to inspect. These pantry bugs may live several weeks without a food source.

  Visit How To Inspect for Pantry Moths for futher tips

• Remove Infested Foodstuffs & Clean

  These pantry beetles feed on a wide range of food products, including pet foods, cereals, cookies, candy, nuts, dried legumes, pastas, spices, potato chips, crakers, dead insects and even dead animals. The lesser grain borer, the bean weevil , the granary weevil and the rice weevils feed mostly on whole grains and seeds. These pantry weevils are less likely to feed on cereals and grains, unless it has become caked and hardened. If you are not sure if a product is infested or not, quarantine it in a glass jar or Ziploc plastic bag (make sure it is secure) for a month. If you find signs of infestation afterwards, discard it. The control and management would be similar for both pantry beetles or the pantry weevils. You must remove the source of infestation in order to be successful. Afterwards, vacuum and clean inside the cabinets, wall edges, and shelving.

  Visit Prevention and Sanitation of Pantry Pests

• Pantry Pest Control- Beetle Pheromone Traps

  These pheromone traps will catch both the pantry beetles and pantry moths. The are in liquid forms and the pantry pests get caught either on an addtional glue board (with the pheromone placed on the glue, or inside a pitfall trap. We recommend the InVite Multi-Insect Lure or the Pantry Patrol Pheromone Traps. Our number one recommendation is InVite Multi-Insect Lure with Trapper Monitors

Pantry Pest Traps - Invite Multi-Insect Lure and Pantry Patrol

• Insectide Aerosols for Pantry Beetles

  Insecticide Aerosols

  Using aerosols is an useful option. After the infestation has been removed and shelving has been vacuummed and cleaned, spray the recommended aerosols, Alpine PT, Phantom, or Microcare. The Phantom aerosol has a very broad label and does a very good job killing ants as well. The Alpine PT is a reduced risk insecticided and the Microcare is a simple contact kill insecticide with pyrethrin. Pyrethrin is considered a natural product, but will leave no residual.

  All of these aerosols have a crack and crevice tip(looks like a drinking straw) that can be used to reach cracks and crevice or void areas.

  We recommend Phantom or Alpine aerosols because of their residual effects, helping to prevent further pantry pest infestations.