Pantry Pest Control in West Palm Beach, FL

How can I prevent pantry pests?

• Immediately dispose of any containers pantry pests are found inside before they spread

• Store food in Tupperware-type containers with secure lids.

• Add a bay leaf to canisters of dry goods. This herb’s pungent scent repels many pantry pests.

• Make it a habit while grocery shopping to carefully inspect food products in cardboard packages for signs of damage prior to placing it in the cart. Only purchase items that show no sign of damage.

• Check expiration dates on baking ingredients before use.

• Keep kitchen counters, floors, and sinks clean because crumbs and spills quickly attract pests.

• Dispose of garbage regularly in sealed receptacles.

• Seal cracks or holes around the stovepipes and water pipes.

• Eliminate all moisture sites, including leaking pipes and clogged drains.

• Hire a local exterminator for ongoing preventative pest control.

What time of year are pantry pests most common in West Palm Beach?

Pantry pest season peaks in West Palm Beach during warm summer months (between June and August). But due to the area's warm and humid climate, you can find pantry pests in your home throughout the year.

What types of pantry pests are in West Palm Beach?

The most common pantry pest is the Indian meal moth. Other common pantry pests are the saw-toothed grain beetle, cigarette beetles, and drugstore beetles, rice weevils, merchant grain beetles, granary weevils and flour beetles.

• Indian meal moth: Indian meal moths are reddish-brown and a little over ½ of an inch long.

• Saw-toothed grain beetle: Saw-toothed grain beetles are dark brown, ? inch long critters. They get their name from the small, saw-like sides.

• Cigarette beetle: Cigarette beetles are circular, reddish-brown beetles that are only 1/10 an inch long.

• Drugstore beetles: Drugstore beetles are cylindrical, reddish-brown pests that are about ? an inch long.

• Rice weevils: Like many of the pantry pests on this list, rice weevils are reddish-brown, but these pests are only about 3mm long.

• Merchant grain beetles: Merchant grain beetles are dark brown, ? inch long critters. They look very similar to saw-toothed beetles, with the only main difference being merchant grain beetles have more triangular heads.

• Granary weevils: Granary weevils are ? to ¼ of an inch long and are reddish-brown in color. 

• Flour beetles: Flour beetles are reddish-brown and about ? of an inch long.

Do I need to prepare my home for pantry pest control services?

No, we do not require any sort of preparation for pantry pest control services.

Do pantry pests bite?

Pantry pests do not bite or sting, but an infestation in your cupboard could contaminate your food.

How do I get rid of pantry pests in my home?

The key control method is ALWAYS finding the source of the pantry beetles in your home and throwing it away outside of the home.

No amount of spraying will resolve this issue if you cannot locate the source that they are feeding on and breeding within.

Since many pantry pests can fly, you may think the source couldn’t possibly be in your pantry since you see so many in a different area of your home. It is important to go through every stored food product as well as pet foods to find where the activity is coming from.

Once the source is removed, the remaining pests in your home will be the adult pantry pests that will be busy looking for a food source to deposit their eggs at.

So that they do not re-infest other food products in your home, make sure all food items are in air-tight, hard plastic containers or jars. Even unopened items may be infested so be sure to check everything.

The remaining pantry pests in your home can actually be removed via vacuum and do not require the use of pesticides to control them. Make sure to also do a deep-cleaning of the cracks and crevices in your home and underneath furniture and appliances as best as possible to remove any potential food particles they may be used to deposit eggs in.

Be sure to dispose of the vacuumed contents outside of the home when you are done.