What are those little bugs you sometimes find in your cereal, pasta, and rice? These are called flour bugs. They’ll find their way into a number of your dry goods. Bugs in the flour or other provisions tend to get there when the food starts to go bad. There are effective ways to get rid of pantry pests and to keep them out through pantry pest prevention.

Flour and Grains Go Bad

First, let’s understand what attracts them. Flour and other foodstuffs can go bad. Depending on the grain and level of processing, they’ll become sour or stale over time. Flour that’s fresh-milled will go bad more quickly than all-purpose flour, for instance. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t buy fresh, unprocessed flour. Just make sure you keep an eye on it and use it quicker. This is the first step in pantry pest control: monitor your grains and use them before they go bad.

Sealed Storage

Bugs in the flour can’t get there if they can’t get into the flour, so storage is also important. Containers or gallon buckets with lids are good ways to keep flour well-sealed. Furthermore, keep the flour in a cool, dry place to deter flour bugs.

Where Flour Bugs Come From

Now, flour bugs don’t just spontaneously appear. Chances are if you’ve got them, you brought them in with something you bought that was already infested. Take whatever’s infested and toss it. Then investigate all other grains where you stored it. These bugs are small enough to get into cardboard and can eat through plastic bags.

Future Pantry Pest Prevention

For effective pantry pest control, clean the area out, vacuum it out thoroughly, and sanitize the shelves. White vinegar is good for this. Store your goods in sealed containers as discussed. You’re not done yet, though.

To get rid of pantry pests for good, you need to check the area regularly. Larvae can remain and re-start the infestation. You can place some bay leaves around the pantry as a future deterrent, but this is no replacement for regular check-ins and cleaning when it comes to pantry pest prevention.

If you find pests in your pantry, cabinets or elsewhere in your kitchen, contact Slug-A-Bug for pest removal today.