When it comes to creating a gorgeous interior space, your home will only be as beautiful as your family allows it to be. If your children don't respect the space, your home will quickly fall back into disrepair, which is why I started focusing more and more on home and garden a few years ago. I was committed to creating a great space that was just as clean and gorgeous as it was functional, and I was really surprised to see how much of a difference my efforts made. Within a few short years, my place really seemed a lot more open, airy, and inviting. Check out this blog for great ideas on making a family-oriented home.
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If you find small brown bugs inside the boxes and bags of your pantry items, you may wonder if you have a serious problem on your hands. Those pesky little bugs are called merchant grain beetles. Unlike other types of beetles that feed on fabrics, merchant grain beetles infest stored food. The pests can invade bakery mixes, bags of rice, and even your favorite chocolate bars.
Here's more information about merchant grain beetles and what you can do to get them out of your pantry for good.
What Makes Your Pantry So Attractive to Merchant Grain Beetles?
You might wonder why merchant grain beetles chose your pantry to invade instead of other places in your kitchen. Pantries generally store the items merchant grain beetles love to eat the most. The pests typically seek out items made with high fat content, such as cake mixes and cereal. The beetles' mouth pieces can't pierce corn kernels and other hard shelled items unless they break open. However, your tasty pantry items make ideal choices for the pests.
In addition, the beetles could've invaded your pantry through a contaminated food item. The item can pick up beetles or harbor their eggs and worm-like larvae from a manufacturing plant or store. Once you bring the item into your home, the beetles leave it and infest other things in your pantry.
Although merchant grain pests don't carry diseases, they can infest your entire food supply. You must take steps to eliminate the pests from your pantry and kitchen.
How Do You Eliminate Your Beetle Problem?
Merchant beetles can fly. Removing your food from the pantry and storing it in the main kitchen area probably won't solve your pest problem. The beetles can pick up the odors given off by their favorite meals and leave the pantry to find them.
If you can do so, remove every item in your pantry and/or kitchen that contains beetles or larvae. Place the items in sealed bags, then discard them outside the home, preferably in a trash container. For items that don't show visible signs of beetles, store them inside plastic containers and close the lids tightly.
You may not be able to spot the beetles' eggs, so monitor the sealed containers to see if larvae or beetles emerge from the food. It may take anywhere from two weeks to 46 days before you see anything. If the pests do show up, discard the contaminated food right away.
Also, clean your pantry and kitchen thoroughly with a high-powered vacuum. You may not be able to catch any beetles that manage to escape and fly about your eating quarters, but you can eliminate the pests' eggs. You can also clean the kitchen and pantry with regular household cleaner and a few rags. Make certain to clean or vacuum the cracks, niches, and other tight spaces in the kitchen and pantry that held the infested food, including shelving and cabinetry.
The adult beetles should die once you seal up the food they consume. Be sure to store your new food items in plastic or glass containers before you place them inside the pantry. It may give a chance to monitor your food as well as contain the pests if they invade your home again.
If the tips above fail to solve your pest problem, or if new beetles infest your pantry, contact a pest control service for further assistance. Pest control experts may use non-toxic treatments to eradicate the pests. Chemical sprays can be dangerous around kitchens and other food storage areas. Pest control contractors will discuss with you the best treatment options for merchant grain beetles with you before they begin.
To learn more about household pests, schedule a pest control visit with a contractor like Ace Walco & Sons Termite & Pest Control.
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