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Serving Wisconsin & Minnesota Call for inquiries about service 1-800-236-8735 |
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PEST LIBRARY
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Stored Product Pests |
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• Indianmeal Moths Indianmeal Moths have become one of the most common grain-infesting insects. They infest a broad range of stored food products and whole grains, and become a problem in homes as well as businesses including warehouses, grocery & pet-food stores, seed companies, grain mills, etc., etc. Their larvae feed on a wide variety of foods such as bird seed and pet food, dried fruits, powdered milk, flour & cornmeal, raisins, prunes, nuts, chocolate, candies, pastas, spices and many others. Indianmeal moths fly mostly at night and they're attracted to lights. Tip: Purchase seldom-used foods in small quantities & check package dates to ensure freshness. |
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• Sawtoothed Grain Beetles Sawtoothed Grain Beetles, as well as (cousin) merchant grain beetles, are tiny reddish-brown beetles about ⅛ long or less. They're slender and flat with six teeth-like projections on each side of their thorax. These beetles attack almost any dry food (in opened or unopened boxes or containers). They're most often found in cereal products such as flour, cake mix, cornmeal and macaroni products, as well as other items such as bread, dried fruits, nuts, chocolate and dry pet food. Tip: Best to buy small packages of infequently used dry products or store packages in the freezer. |
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• Flour Beetles Flour Beetles are small, reddish-brown insects about ⅛ long. The Confused flour beetle is most common and abundant. Red flour beetles look very similar. These pests commonly infest flour mills, warehouses and grocery stores, as well as homes. They feed on flour, cake mix, cornmeal, crackers, dry pet food and other foods such as dried fruits, nuts and seeds (such as bird seed). Tip: Check both opened and unopened boxes or containers of potentially infested products. Vacuum out cracks & crevices, then dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag to help prevent reinfestation. |
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• Foreign Grain Beetles Foreign Grain Beetles (center pic) are often mistaken for flour beetles (left). They're attracted to lights and become a nuisance in late summer and fall as they get in through screens or cracks around windows & doors, etc. These tiny reddish-brown beetles feed on mold and fungi, rather than on grain as their name implies. Foreign grain beetles are most often found in rural areas. Tip: Foreign grain beetles aren't interested in stored food products (unless it has become moldy). |
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• Other Stored Product Pests Other stored product or "pantry pests" include rice weevils, mealworms, almond moths, black carpet beetles and various other species of beetles & weevils that can become a problem at times. Wil-Kil offers free phone consultation for homeowners that encounter pantry pest problems. We also offer free on-site surveys for commercial & instituational facilities to evaluate service needs. |
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• About Service For more information about stored product pests and our treatment programs, contact a Wil-Kil Pest Specialist at (800) 236-8735. Food Operations: Fumigation alternatives, such as heat treatment, may be available. Contact Us. |