If you’ve ever dealt with pantry pests before, you know how important pantry pest control is for keeping your kitchen safe and clean. Specifically, today’s article is about one type of pantry pest – grain beetles. These tiny beetles can easily infest your cabinets and lead to significant amounts of food waste, but we’ll have more details on that later.
Up front, all you need to know is that grain beetles are a serious concern for the home, and you can take steps to have them removed and to prevent future infestations. All this and more will be covered in today’s article, so join us for a quick and easy guide to grain beetle control and prevention.
Types Of Grain Beetles: Identifying The Culprits
Grain beetles are one of the most common pantry pests, and being able to identify them is a fundamental step to getting rid of these pests.
Many people tend to think of beetles as having a round shape, but grain beetles, at least, are longer in their shape. Also, in terms of overall size, grain beetles are very small, measuring just 2 or 3mm long. That’s small but not invisible. You will definitely be able to see these beetles crawling around inside your cabinet or inside packages of dry goods.
There are also different types of grain beetles, but most are brown in color and around the same size. If you’re ever unsure of whether or not the pests inside your cupboard are really grain beetles, try to take a photo so you can compare it to online resources like this one.
Grain Beetles And Food Waste: A Costly Consequence
How do you get pantry pests in the first place, and what kinds of problems can they cause for your kitchen?
In the case of grain beetles, it’s common for these pests to enter the home by hiding inside pre-packaged goods. For example, if a warehouse of dry goods is experiencing an infestation, it’s possible that the bugs will be shipped off along with the products.
Once they’re in your home and in your cabinets, grain beetles can have a serious impact on your food supplies. Food waste is the most common problem caused by grain beetles and other pantry pests.
Considering that grain beetles prefer to invade dry-stored foods like rice, flour, and other grains, an infestation could mean that you’ll need to throw away large amounts of food – a costly problem. If you discover grain beetles in your home, it’s best to have them completely removed before purchasing replacement goods.
Preventing Grain Beetle Infestations: Key Steps To Take
If you’re asking yourself, “What can I use to prevent pantry pests?” We have some tips that will be perfect for you.
- Keep your cupboards closed when you’re not using them.
- Regularly clean and disinfect cupboards and other areas where you store food.
- Try to buy cereal, rice, and flour in small amounts to avoid having these foods sitting unused in your cupboards.
- If your dry foods exceed their expiration date, dispose of them immediately.
- When buying grains in larger quantities, inspect the contents right away to make sure no grain beetles are present.
These tips don’t require much effort, but they can have a huge impact when it comes to keeping your kitchen free of grain beetles and other pantry pests.
Effective Grain Beetle Control: Call Us For Total Elimination
If you’re wondering how to get rid of pantry pests and, specifically, grain beetles, you should seriously consider working with pest control professionals.
A pest control service can get to the root of the problem and address it quickly and efficiently. Meanwhile, you can sit back and relax, and soon enough, you’ll be enjoying a safe and clean kitchen once again.
For home pest control in your area, contact Big Blue Bug Solutions right away.