Food storage is the solution to stay healthy during an emergency period. Having a well-stored pantry for a long time is a wise idea, although it comes with a risk of pest attacks. These uninvited guests invade the storage, which can contaminate your food, eventually leading to food wastage and potentially setting health issues at risk. 

Keeping the pantry pest-free is necessary to ensure that your food stays secure during this long-term storage; contact a pest control company in Clermont for permanent and professional solutions. 

Keeping food safe for long-term storage

Pests that could infest the stored products in the pantry include:

  • Pantry beetles: A variety of beetles, such as drugstore beetles and cigarette beetles, can infest dry foods and fruits, grains, and spices.
  • Flour beetles: these particular types of beetles are mainly known to infest cereals, flour, and other varieties of grain products. They can be identified as small, reddish-brown in color, and can infest a massive amount of food.  
  • Weevils: these are small beetles that could infest rice, flour, and grains. It is difficult to stop them since they can only be identified when a heavy amount of product is destroyed. 

The fact is that the very first moment when you bring stored food or a packet of flour, cereal, grains, and more, they can already infected by the bugs and pests. It can either have insect larvae or could contain live insects in the packages. When the perfect atmosphere strikes, it could be like moisture or the right temperature; these bugs and pests start to reproduce, and the process of infesting other food products in the pantry or storage starts to happen.  

Know about the most dried products that insects could infest.

Here are some products that an insect could infest: nuts, chocolate, spices, tea, cured meats, powdered milk, dried fruits, and seeds such as popcorn and cookies. Some other items that insects may infest include dry pet food, ornamental corn, dried flowers and plants, bird seeds, rodent baits, and potpourri. The pests are more likely to infest products that have been opened, but chances are that they also tend to infest unopened paper, plastic, thin cardboard, foil, or wrapped packages. They may make their way towards the packages or crawl in through seams and folds.  

Ways to prevent these pests from infesting. 

There are several ways to prevent these pests from invading your storage. Some strategies are: 

  • Proper storage

Airtight containers that are specially made of metal, glass, or heavy plastic should be used to store all the dried goods to keep them more efficiently secured. This will not only help keep pests away from food products but also help maintain food freshness.   

  • Regular checking 

The best way to prevent pests from invading is to properly check all the products before bringing them home. Some common signs that could help are webbing, holes in packaging, or small insects. Do a routine checkup of the products, and if any problem is identified, the problem can be solved. 

  • Good hygiene 

Before restocking all the products, make sure to clean all the sleeves with soapy water. And dry them properly so that no moisture is left. Always clean up any crumbs or spills immediately, as these can invite pests. Use the method ‘first in, first out’ to ensure older ones are being used before the new ones are being opened.  

  • Natural agents 

The use of bay leaves can help to prevent any type of pest. Also, any essential oils like peppermint or lavender can control pests. You can also try to freeze items that could potentially kill all the pests in the fastest way possible.

By using proper protective measures and maintaining good hygiene, all the pest problems could be ignored. If there is a massive invasion, call professionals for help.