When you buy a box of cereal at the store, you have certain expectations of what is going to be inside. For one, you expect there to be cereal and only cereal. You do not expect to find little bugs crawling around inside the package. This is what it is like to discover an infestation of grain beetles in your home. These small pests love to invade stored food items and are a huge nuisance. To help you fight back against grain beetles inside your Manhattan home, here are some things to consider today.
HOW TO SPOT SIGNS OF GRAIN BEETLES IN YOUR MANHATTAN CUPBOARDS
Grain beetles are small destructive insects that infest and munch on boxes of stored food. Identify one of these pests by its two to three millimeter long, reddish-brown or black, elongated oval body, and the two, ball-segmented antennae that protrude from its head. To find these pests, start by thoroughly examining boxes of dried foods in your pantry for adult beetles. Make sure not to forget about pet food. While checking boxes of food, keep an eye out for larvae and eggs as well. After you checkboxes, thoroughly examine pantry shelves for any wandering grain beetles because they like to move between food sources to mate and lay eggs.
ARE GRAIN BEETLES IN MANHATTAN DANGEROUS?
Grain beetles are not dangerous pests. They are fairly clean, do not spread any diseases, and cannot bite or sting. Interestingly enough, these pests are edible. However—there are not many people who would eat a bowl of cereal if they saw these pests wriggling around inside of it! In short, grain beetles contaminate food sources and make them inedible. If an infestation breaks out in your pantry, you may need to throw away hundreds of dollars worth of food.
GRAIN BEETLE & WEEVIL PREVENTION TIPS FOR MANHATTAN HOMES
Most grain beetle infestations start with you or one of your family members bringing a box of infested food into your home. Although grain beetles can invade by crawling through exterior gaps, cracks, or openings around a home, they are more likely to crawl into a box of food at a packaging facility or supermarket. Keeping this in mind, here are some prevention tips to help you avoid these pests.
- Use a caulking gun or some liquid cement to fill in holes, gaps, and cracks in your home’s exterior foundation.
- Make sure your home’s weatherstripping is installed properly and in good condition.
- Install door sweeps under exterior doors that do not already have them.
- Repair or replace damaged window/door screens.
- Thoroughly checkboxes of dried food for damage before purchasing them at the store.
- When you get home from shopping, pour out dried foods into sealable plastic, metal, or glass containers. This will prevent an infestation from spreading if grain beetles find their way indoors.
THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO GET RID OF GRAIN BEETLES IN MANHATTAN
When grain beetles invade a home, they do not just stay inside boxes of food. They travel around and occasionally check pantries when they are looking to mate and lay eggs. For this reason, handling an infestation can be difficult. To get these pests out of your home quickly, trust the professionals at Broadway Pest Services. We offer detailed options to eliminate grain beetles and other pantry pests. We also offer general pest control plans to make sure these pests aren’t crawling or flying into your home.
Call us now to schedule your Manhattan home for a service visit.