Know Your Pantry Pests
“Pantry pests” are insects that tend to gather around (and in) food stored in pantries and cabinets, such as flour, cereal, rice and crackers, according to the National Pest Management Association. Icky, yes, but it’s not necessarily your fault since some of these pests often hitch a ride home from the grocery store—right in your food—and don’t care if your kitchen’s clean or not.
Here’s the lowdown on the most common pantry pests and how to get rid of bugs in your pantry that bug you.
Ants
Ants are one of the most common kitchen nuisances, perhaps because they live in large groups and enter through doors and windows. If you spot an ant don’t be surprised if you do need to call an exterminator, according to Terminix, infestations happen fast and are difficult to control, and the way to get rid of ants depends on the species, and while you know ants by sight, you don’t necessarily know the species (there are around 700).
How to keep them out: Keep your home sealed properly and try non-toxic deterrents like talcum powder, bay leaves and salt and pepper at suspected entry points.
Indian Meal Moths
The Indian meal moth (IMM) is one of the most commonly reported pests of stored grains in the United States, scientists at Penn State report. This is probably because their favorite foods include exactly the sort of things you store in your pantry: grains, grain products, dried fruits, nuts, cereals, and a variety of processed food products. You’ll recognize these critters by their forewings, which are reddish brown with a copper luster.
How to keep them out: Like most pantry pests, IMMs are tiny enough to burrow through mesh and to slide through tiny gaps in bags. Store your most-enticing products in airtight containers, like these.