NPMA Offers Tips for Preventing Pantry Pests

Thursday, 17th November 2011

During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays each year, people bake their favorite foods and desserts to celebrate the holidays. These baked goods range from cookies to cakes to breads, and are widely enjoyed as the weather gets cooler. However, there is one thing nobody enjoys during any time of the year: pests in the home. Pantry pests, a generic term for the sorts of pests you are most likely to find in your baking cabinet, are most often noticed during the holiday season. Some examples of pantry pests are: flour beetles, Indian meal moths, saw-toothed grain beetles and granary weevils.

Recently, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) offered the following tips to prevent pantry pests in your baking supplies:

• Ensure that standing water, such as from leaking pipes and clogged drains, is eliminated from the home. These provide a water source for the pests.
• Don’t use expired baking ingredients; these are much more likely to be infested with pantry pests than fresher ingredients.
• Seal your garbage containers, and dispose of garbage on a regular basis. Keep your countertops free of crumbs and liquid.
• Don’t buy food in unsealed containers, or in containers with holes or other signs of damage.
• Add a bay leaf to containers of dry goods such as rice and flour. The herb’s smell is repellent to most pantry pests.

It is not recommended to use pesticides in areas where food is stored. As such, Connor’s recommends following the NPMA-provided tips for the prevention of pantry pests in the home.

-The Connor’s News Team

(Source can be found here.)

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