NEWARK, Del. - Homeowners
m ay be disconcerted to discover
beetle grubs in their grits or moth
larvae in the cat’s kibble, but these
unsavory “pantry pests” usually
come from warehouses rather than
home or supermarket shelves.
“Pantry pests usually enter the
home in products purchased from
the supermarket, so people tend to
blame the retail stores,” says
Mark Graustein, University of
Delaware extension specialist in
entomology. “But most of the egg
laying occurs when the un
packaged product is stored in bulk
m a warehouse.”
Graustein says that since the
insects are in the egg or early
larval stages when the product is
packaged, there is no evidence of
the pests. Once packaged,
however, the insects continue their
development, the population in
creases and real damage occurs to
the food product.
“After they are fully grown and
finished feeding, the larvae can
bore their way out of the package,”
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OPTION n -Free Finance To July 1,1987 (Hay
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Purge Penhy Shelves Of Umnfed Pests
Graustein says. The holes may
make it appear that the infestation
started in the homeowner’s pantry.
Only the most unsanitary con
ditions with lengthy storage would
allow the spread of insects in a
supermarket, Graustein says,
because once packaged, stored
foods are reasonably well
protected from insect pests.
The most prevalent pantry pests
in Delaware, based on telephone
calls to county extension offices,
are the Indian meal moth, the saw
toothed grain beetle and the flour
beetle. They can infest any stored
food but seem to prefer dried
fruits, candy, moist and dry pet
foods, cookies, flours, crackers
and processed baking products.
Graustein says that cigarette
and drugstore beetles also appear
in Delaware and feed on spices,
tobacco products and dried beans
and peas. Other pests in this
general category can infest such
unlikely items as dried flower
arrangements, ornamental
gourds, book bindings and card
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board boxes.
“We’ve even found certain of
these pests in insulation - the kind
with a vapor barrier glued to the
fiberglass,” the specialist says.
Less common to the area, he adds,
is the pharoah ant, which can enter
the smallest of places and crawl
under a snugly tightened lid.
The first step in controlling
pantry pests is to toss out all ob
viously infested items. “Iden
tifying* these items is difficult
because it’s hard to tell if eggs
have been deposited in apparently
‘clean’ products,” the specialist
says. “In general, any food item
that could have been entered by an
adult insect should be considered
suspect.”
When looking for pantry pests,
don’t overlook ornamental items
such as spice wreaths or floral
arrangements. These can be
heated in the oven for at least 30
minutes at 130 degrees to kill in
sects or eggs. Large items require
time to heat through completely.
To avoid excessive moisture loss
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while heating, place several layers
of moistened newspaper on the
shelf below the item. If the product
cannot be heated, it can be placed
in a freezer set at 0 degrees for at
least seven days.
Once infested materials are
removed, a thorough vacuuming
and cleaning of the storage area
with detergent or disinfectant
should be all that is necessary for
control.
“If a problem persists, some
residual insecticide may be ap
plied,” says Graustein. To prepare
for this, empty and clean the
cabinet shelves. When the shelves
are dry, spray upper and lower
comer surfaces to force the in
secticide into seams, cracks and
w
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r './^ ttauw^
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 3,1987-817
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t
~ei
FORAGE
HARVESTERS
Pull-Type Only
crevices. Do not spray food, dishes
or utensils, and cover the shelves
with shelf paper before replacing
food and dishes.
The insecticide used should list
one of the above mentioned pantry
pests on its label and should in
clude one of the following active
ingredients: diazinon, propoxur
(Baygon), chlorpyrifos (Dursban)
or resmethrin (SBP-1382).
Graustein has one final
suggestion. “Don’t stock up on
stored food products for at least a
month after treating. If indeed you
are bringing pantry pests home
from your favorite supermarket,
you will have less food to throw
away and nearby items are less
likely to become infested.”
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