With the holiday season upon us, the last thing you have time to deal with is a pest infestation. Unfortunately, this is the time of year when people discover pantry pest infestations as they start to pull out their baking ingredients. Pantry pests include any number of pests that are known to raid pantries and infest dried goods.

Stored product pests target flour, sugar, cake mixes, grains, and more, making them a real threat to anyone that doesn’t properly store their food. To avoid the gross discovery of an infestation, keep reading for Heron’s top tips on how to prevent pantry pests.

Everything You Need to Know about Pantry Pests

Also occasionally known as stored product pests, pantry pests include beetles, moths, ants, earwigs, pillbugs, and more. The most common pantry pests are confused flour beetles and Indianmeal moths. While it’s possible for pantry pests to get inside your home through cracks or crevices, pantry pest infestations often originate from food processing plants, storage facilities, retail stores, or delivery vehicles. They can infest an area very quickly, making it important to know how to save yourself the frustration of dealing with them.

How to Prevent Pantry Pest Problems

Because pantry pests can be a pain to deal with, it’s best to learn how you can prevent them in the first place.

The 5 ways you can prevent pantry pests in your home are:

1. Store your goods in airtight containers. Properly sealing and storing your dried goods and open packaged can keep items fresh and pest-free*.
2. Thoroughly inspect grocery items. At the grocery store and before bringing them indoors, check your purchased goods for any signs of damage or use.
3. Toss out expired items. Routinely inspect your pantry for old items and toss out anything that is expired or appears beyond use.
4. Place bay leaves inside containers. The smell of bay leaves may help repel pests. Placing a leaf in your canisters can keep them away!
5. Clean through your pantry. On a regular basis, it’s important to empty out your pantry, inspect items, and clean the shelves to help avoid pests.

Getting Rid of Pantry Pests

If you’ve done all you can to prevent pantry pests and are still dealing with them, it’s time to call the professionals at Heron Home & Outdoor. In addition to removing the infestation from your central Florida home, we can help you learn how to prevent pantry pest infestations in the future!