During the course of the year many different insects will wander into and out of the kitchen, dining or food storage areas of your home. There are several that adapt readily to these environs and will set up housekeeping (if you let them). Three of the most common species in Michigan are the:

• Indian meal moth
• Confused flour beetle
• Sawtoothed grain beetle

Damage

We refer to the whole group collectively as pantry pests. These insects have an appetite for stored food products in your home such as:

• Flour
• Rice
• Cereal
• Pancake mixes
• Dry pasta
• Cake mixes
• Dry pet food
• Dried flowers
• Powdered milk
• Corn starch
• Crackers
• Spices
• Breads
• Bird seed
• Dried nuts
• Fruit

Pantry pests can become more of a problem when these types of food are stored in paper containers and don’t get used for extended periods of time. The presence of these pests can cause food waste and if favorable conditions (for the insect) are not changed an infestation can persist for a lengthy period of time.

The damage caused by these insects can be termed contamination damage. The contaminants might include living caterpillars, cocoons or webbing, caterpillar feces, or dead insect carcasses.

A prolonged infestation might lead to other insects or spiders seeking to prey on the pantry pests, bacteria decay on dead pantry pests, or rodents attracted due to damaged packaging material.

The larvae and adults of both beetle species actively feed on stored food products. The Indian meal moth adult (caterpillar is the feeding stage) does not feed or cause damage.

Identification

Indian meal moth. If they are present you’re most likely to see the adult flying around your house, cottage, condo or apartment. With a wingspan of only ½”, they are a rather small moth. Their best identification feature is their copper-reddish brown wing tips. The larval stage is a caterpillar which is also about ½” long, off-white in color and might show greenish or pinkish hues.

Confused flour beetle. The adults are very small (less than 1/8” in length), beetle-like in appearance, and reddish brown in color. Looking at the head of the beetle you will see two small antennae projecting out away from either side of the head. The antennae of the confused flour beetle gradually widens from base to tip. Another pantry pest, the red flour beetle, is very similar in appearance to the confused flour beetle. However, the red four beetle is uncommon in Michigan.

Sawtoothed grain beetle. Of the two beetles discussed here the adult sawtoothed grain beetle is the easiest to identify. It gets its name from the “sawtoothed” appearance of its thorax (mid region). Each side of the thorax will appear jagged. There are six small teeth-like projections on each side of the thorax.

Control – Prevention and Sanitation

If you have not observed kitchen and pantry pests, you are either practicing good preventative maintenance or haven’t discovered the insects. Preventative maintenance includes watching for pests, sanitation, and proper storage of food products. Routinely check all stored products, especially those that go extended periods of time between use. Check for the presence of life forms in the foodstuffs and condition of the storage container.

Keep areas where food is prepared, eaten, and stored cleaned regularly. Food particles on the floor and in cupboards help to perpetuate long term chronic infestations of many household pests. Take special care to clean those areas hidden from view such as behind the stove and refrigerator, between appliances, the hard-to-see portions of cupboards, and other crooks and crannies in the kitchen, dining room, living room, and areas where food products are stored.

Whenever possible, store all of your dry food products in tightly sealed glass, metal, or plastic containers. If you deny entry to the food containers and keep the area clean the invaders will either die or leave the building.

Elimination

We do not recommend using pesticides in your pantry to eliminate these pests. Perimeter pest control treatments can be done on the outside of your house to stop most of these pests from coming in. Learn more about perimeter pest control by visiting
http://owentree.com/perimeter_pest_control.php

Dispose of the contents of contaminated storage containers, and replace them with tight seal containers. There might be instances when you have these pests in tightly sealed glass, plastic or metal containers. It is possible that some life form of these pests were in the food when you brought it home form the store. If you think this is the case, discard the material, wash the container thoroughly and reuse the container.