How to Keep Bugs out of your Cupboards (2230)

You can get rid of household insects and pests by always keeping your home clean. Do not give these "unwanted guests" a chance to come into your home. It is easier to keep them out than to try to get rid of them after they move in.

Many different insects can be classified as pantry pests. These insects live on food stored in your home. The insects infest products such as dried fruit, nutmeats, and spices. They also feed on any food made of cereal or grains such as flour, macaroni, breakfast cereals, cornmeal and oatmeal.

The immature insects look like worms; the adults are beetles or moths, depending on the species. Do you wonder where they come from? The food may have been contaminated with eggs and sealed in a package. When the eggs hatch, you see the "worms" or insects in the food container or when you pour the food out. If you leave this package in the cupboard for a long time, eggs hatch, insects escape and infest other foods. The entire cupboard becomes infested.

Uninvited pests love spilled food, dirty surfaces, garbage cans, seldom-used storage places, behind sinks and around water pipes and cracks in cupboards, walls and floors. The first step to control pantry pests is to locate the source of infestation. If all insects are confined to one package, simply destroying this package eliminates the problem. If you suspect insects have invaded other packages of food, placing these packages in a freezer for a few days will kill them.

Most pantry pests are tropical insects and are vulnerable to freezing. When you discover insects in several packages, containers or throughout the entire cupboard, more drastic action is necessary.

First, remove all food containers. If practical, store foods in their original packages in a refrigerator or freezer. Clean up all spilled foods, such as crumbs and sugar granules thoroughly. Pay attention to all corners, cracks and crevices where eggs or larvae may be hiding or developing.

Scrub areas with hot water and soap or detergent. Sanitize with a chlorine bleach solution.

Store opened foods in tightly closed containers. Keep all food containers clean and out. Clean out all containers before filling with fresh food. Keep cupboard shelves clean and dry, and check packages and containers frequently.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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