Beware of These Common Pantry Bugs in Florida

Mornings are a rough time for many people, but there are a few things that make them just a bit easier to deal with. Delicious cereals and coffee are just a few items that can make one’s early rising more bearable. But, what if they were ruined? What if a favorite box of cereal was opened to reveal a swarm of creepy-crawlies munching on a beloved breakfast? With the help of Anti-Pesto Bug Killers, these top five pantry bugs can be banished from the kitchen and kept from ruining your day.

Common Kitchen and Pantry Bugs in Florida

1. Sawtoothed Grain Beetles: A beetle commonly found in the kitchen, especially in food storage areas and pantries, is the Sawtoothed Grain Beetle. They are typically 2.5 to 3 mm long, cannot fly, and are not attracted to light. Their name comes from the six saw-like protrusions that are found along the sides of their flat, brown bodies. This beetle feeds on cereals, flour, nuts, spices, and pet food, but cannot digest whole grains. Alongside a thorough pantry cleaning, a professional pesticide application will rid the kitchen of these pests.
2. Flour Beetles: The two most common types of beetles found in the everyday pantry are the Red Flour Beetle and the Confused Beetle. They both have very similar physical traits; they are about 3 to 4 mm long with red-brown coloring. The easiest way to distinguish the difference in the two is the antennae, and the fact that the Red Flour Beetle can fly, while the Confused Beetle cannot. Both of these beetles are flour and cereal lovers, but cannot eat whole grains; they wait for other insects to break down the whole grains for them. After a pantry is carefully cleaned, pesticides will eradicate these beetles.
3. Cigarette Beetles: The Cigarette Beetle does enjoy munching on tobacco, cigars, and cigarettes, as their name suggests, but do not let it deceive you. These beetles will feed on many things in your pantry, such as dried herbs, nuts, seeds, spices, and cereals. They are light brown in color with wings that allow their 2 to 3 mm bodies to fly. The Cigarette Beetle also has a defense mechanism of playing dead upon feeling threatened. Much like other pantry inhabiting beetles, a carefully cleaned kitchen and pesticide treatment will rid these pests from your home.
4. Indianmeal Moth: Indianmeal Moths are lovers of cereal, but will also feed on seeds, dried fruits, dry pet food, nuts, and other grains. Their larvae look like worms with an off-white color and brown head, but look completely different from their adult form. Adults range in color from brown to red, and are typically around 9 mm long. Indianmeal Moths can be easily wiped out with pesticides, or when exposed to boiling or freezing temperatures.
5. Rice Weevils: You cannot spell “weevil” without “evil,” and that is exactly what these pesky pests are. Being incredibly sneaky, the Rice Weevil shows no signs of infestation, and instead grows inside a nut or grain, then emerges as an adult. They have slender, 2 to 3 mm, hard-shelled bodies that appear to have tiny holes in the surface and reddish-brown color. The Rice Weevil’s favorite food is whole grains, but will eat rice, nuts, popcorn, and other grains.

There are many ways to keep all of these pesky pests out of the kitchen and to keep food safe. Using glass and sealed plastic containers are the best option for keeping pests out, instead of just using the bags food came from the store in. If an infestation is discovered, all infested food should be thrown out, followed by a comprehensive cleaning of the area. The best step to make sure these pests do not become a bother again is to call Anti-Pesto Bug Killers for pesticide application, and allow them to give you a worry-free breakfast time.