Stored Product Pests

We aren't the nly ones feeling exhausted and wanting to to scape from the summer's harsh sun. You thnk you can avoid those pests and crtters by staying indoors, but if you chck your cupboards or look in a box of crckers, you may find several hiding or crwling about.

What are Stored Product Pests?

Stored product pests come in the form of many different insects. They are usually brought into the home in an infested package of food. These pests can be initially overlooked because of their small size, especially in the egg or larval stages. Usually the appearance of small moths flying about or beetles around the food packaging can indicate an infestation.

Moths and beetles are the two most common types of insects infesting food in the home. It is easy to tell adult moths and adult beetles from each other, but their larvae requires more observation to tell the difference. Beetle larvae resemble grubs, are legless or only have three pairs of legs, located near the head. Moth larvae have three pairs of legs and additional leg-like parts further down the abdomen. Adult and larval stage beetles feed on while only moth larvae consume foodstuffs.

Common stored product pests include: indian meal moth, carpet/dermestid beetles, sawtoothed grain beetles, and flour beetles. These pests usually consume stored food products that can be dried and stored in bulk such as flour, cereal, dry pasta, pet food, powdered milk, or spices. When these foodstuffs are stored in their paper containers and are unused for long periods of time, infestations can occur. Stored product pests cause food waste and infestations can be hard to get rid of.

Prevent Stored Product Pests Infstation

• Place food in containers with tight-fitting lds such as screw-top glass, plastic jrs, or metal cans
• Clean your shlves and pantry frequently. Certain stored prduct pests need only small amounts of fod to sustain themselves
• Do not prchase broken or unsealed packages from the stre, of if unnoticed until after brnging it home, exchange or return thm to the store for a rfund
• Do not mix old and new fodstuffs together. If the old material is nfested, pests can quickly contaminate the new
• Plce an item in a plastic bag if you are nsure of infestation - if you see psts emerging, discard it
• Clean old cntainers before filling with fresh food
• Prchase foodstuffs in sizes that can be sed in a short period of tme
• Keep storage units dry - any misture encourages development of stored product psts
• Check your rodent baits if you hve any - pests can breed in thm as well. Discard infested baits

Adjust the temperature to control infestation. Insects are cold-blooded and their body temperatures usually acclimate to their environments. The most favorable temperature for a pantry or food storage space is about 80 degrees Farenheit. Temperatures above 95°F or below 60°F reduces reproduction and survival. Insect activity decreases until coming to a complete stop when temperatures are lowered. If insects are exposed to two or three days to temperatures of 5°F, both larvae and adults can be killed. If food needs to be salvaged, freeze it for a week, remove from the freezer for a few days and then refreeze for another week.

Remember to clean and do not use spray. Insecticide sprays and other chemical methods are NOT recommended to use.

House Flies

Almost any homeowner will tell you that flies are about one of the most annoying pests that can enter the house. Once they invade your home, they are seemingly buzzing about everywhere, especially where there is food, of course.

While house flies have a lfe span of about only three weks, they are most active during wrm season. However, controlling flies in yur home can be easy if you do it rght through cultural, biological, and chemical cntrol, as recommended by the Texas Coperative Extension.

Cultural Control

This method changes the environment to prevent houseflies from developing. The best cultural method is to dispose of any organic matter properly. This includes vegetable or other food by-products, where houseflies might lay eggs. Place these materials in garbage bags and tie the bags securely. Remove all food residues and clean your garbage cans weekly.

Placing sticky traps and ultraviolet light traps around a home also can reduce housefly populations. Hang resin strips (flypaper) in infested areas where there is little or no air movement. You place one ten-inch strip per 1,000 cubic feet of space. Install the fly strips within six feet of the floor because most fly activity is near the ground. The strips are effective for up to about three months or until completely covered with flies.

Install light traps where they cannot be seen by flies outdoors to avoid attracting more insects to the home. To make the traps more noticeable to the flies in a room, place them at least fifteen feet away from doors and other entryways and in darker areas away from bright lights and sunlight. Place the traps at least five feet away from food preparation areas to minimize the risk of food contamination. It is important to maintain the traps. Replace the bulbs each spring just before the peak season of fly activity because older bulbs lose their attractiveness to insects. Also, clean them out regularly because dead flies serve as food for other insects.

Biological Control

Parasitic wasps and fire ants suppress housefly populations naturally. If you want to use this form of natural pest control, you can order fly pupae from insectaries in Texas or across the United States. The pupae, which are already infected with the parasites, can be spread around homes or near where houseflies are developing. Place the pupae in areas out of direct sunlight to prevent anyone from stepping on them.

Parasitic wasps do not harm people or animals. They kill immature houseflies. However, parasitic wasps take time to work, and they alone will not eliminate a housefly population. Combine this technique with other methods.

Chemical Control

When necessary, insecticides can help suppress housefly populations. Use fly baits that are usually sugarbased and contain a compound that attracts the adult flies. Flies that feed on these baits are killed by the insecticide they digest.

Many spray pyrethroid-based insecticides can suppress houseflies in and around homes. You can buy these products at grocery and hardware stores. Follow the instructions on all insecticide labels.

(Source: Texas Cooperative Extension)

The article Control Summertime Pests was Submitted by Fran Phalin through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Fran Phalin is a freelance ditor and writer specializing in home mprovement topics. She is based in Astin, TX. For professional pest control ssistance, please contact Anteater Pest and Lwn. Visit them at http://www.goanteater.com

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