Preventive Commercial Pest Control Stored Product Pests
indianmeal moth
Commercial food storage businesses need to make sure that their stored products are in a suitable environment so that stored product pests do not have an ideal breeding ground.
Stored product pests can cause extensive damage and product loss by contaminating stored food products by scurrying along the products, urine and faecal matter.
Stored product pests are put into two categories, primary and secondary feeders and can reproduce in large numbers to cause an infestation of stored product pests.
There are a variety of different types of pests that can infest stored products such as the following:
- Almond moths
- Broadhorned flour beetles
- Rice weevils
- Saw tooth grain beetles
- Tobacco moths
- Granary weevils
- Maize weevils
- Merchant grain beetles
- Warehouse beetles
- Mediterranean flour moth
- Indian meal moth
- Khapra beetles
- Lesser grain beetle
- Coffee been weevils
- Confused flour beetles
- Drug store beetles
- Biscuit beetles
- Bean weevils
- Book lice
- Flat grain beetles
- Cigarette beetles
- Mites
- Australian spider beetle
Here at Redline Pest Control we go to great lengths to understand the biology and lifecycle of each pests, we investigate what their breeding conditions are like to their behaviour when infesting stored product pests. We go to great lengths to have knowledge on each and every pests. (even when a new species pops up we will make sure that we learn all about it)
Foods That Stored Product Pests Feed On
Stored product pests can easily infest any organic products, as well as dried and preserved foods, including the following:
- Nuts
- Flour
- Rice
- Cereals
- Grains
- Seeds
- Preserved meats
- Pasta
- Cheeses
- Leather
Signs That You Have a Stored Food Pest Infestation
Some of the common signs of stored product pest infestations can include the following:
- Holes in packaging for your stored food
- Cocoons in packaging or on walls
- Dead or alive pests
- Moths flying around
- Larvae crawling around
- Spoiled food
How to Prevent Stored Food Pest Infestations
Below are some steps that will help you prevent an infestation of stored product pests and by carrying out the following can help reduce an infestation of stored food product pests.
- When stored food products come into your home or business it is crucial to inspect all packaging for webbing, moths and larvae
- Any stored food products that is contaminated throw them out straight away
- Temperature plays a big role in stored food product pests, if possible, try storing your stored food products at or below 16C to avoid an infestation of stored product pests
- Food hygiene is a must as it helps reduce the infestation of stored product pests
- All stored products should be kept off the ground and away from walls
- Cleaning regime must be implemented to avoid an infestation of stored product pests
- Install monitoring devices such as traps and lures which have pheromones that attract stored product pests
- Install light traps which zap the stored product pests
- When stored products come to your home or business pop them in the freezer for a few hours, this will kill and moths, eggs, larvae
- Check shelving units and storage bins for evidence of stored product pests
- Cracks and crevices in machinery can harbour stored food product pests
Further reading:
how to get rid of Indianmeal Moth / Pantry Moths
What Could Be Eating Your Cereal? (Pantry pests prevention and treatment)
www.facebook.com/redlinepestcontrol