After a long day at the office, you want to go home, kick back, and enjoy a meal. Imagine getting into your comfy clothes, leisurely walking into the kitchen, opening the pantry, and being greeted by beetles! The last thing you want to see crawling around on your stored food items are bugs!
If you have beetles scurrying around in your pantry, it is time to get the Los Angeles pest control team from A Step Above Pest Control & Termite. We will stop beetles from bugging you when all you want to do is fix a meal and relax.
Three Types Of Flour Beetles
There are almost 350,000 beetle species worldwide, ranging from the luminous firefly to the Titanus giganteus beetle, one of the heaviest beetles known. Among the hundreds of thousands of beetle species are the flour beetles.
The three types of beetles that enjoy grain-based foods are:
- Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum)
- Confused flour beetle (Tribolium confusum)
- Destructive flour beetle (Tribolium destructor)
Except for the antennae, the red flour beetle and the confused flour beetle are almost identical in size (1/16 of an inch) and body shape (flat). The red flour beetle has a three-segmented antenna, whereas the confused flour beetle's antenna has four segments. Both beetle species live for over a year, and the females may lay up to 1,000 eggs each.
The destructive flour beetle, also known as the dark flour beetle, has a brown, flat body with a slightly indented antenna. This beetle species lives less than a year.
Flour Beetles Can Be Attracted To Flour, Grains, And Other Stored Foods
Flour beetles feed on the dust and residuals of processed grains such as cake mix, cornmeal, flour, noodles, crackers, and dry pet food. They also eat nuts, chocolate, seeds, and spices. Flour beetles do not spread disease but lay eggs and ruin the food for use.
Flour beetles are small and not always visible in the food product, but the following are evidence of infestation:
- Cast skins
- Dead beetles
- Fecal pellets
- Intense odor
Although they have mouths, they do not bite people; however, the red flour beetle has triggered allergic reactions in some people.
Six Natural Ways To Prevent Pantry Beetles
To get rid of beetles in your Los Angeles pantry, you need consistent, good sanitation practices. Because you do not want to use potentially harmful chemicals around your food, here are six natural ways to stop beetles from infesting your pantry:
- Store grains in air-tight containers.
- Vacuum the pantry paying attention to cracks and crevices.
- Wipe down pantry shelves and remove dust from grain products.
- Store pet food in air-tight containers.
- Inspect unopened food boxes for beetles.
- Remove expired food and discard it in a sealed garbage can.
Because flour beetles feed on nuts, seeds, spices, and more, beetle control in Los Angeles go beyond the pantry to the kitchen cabinets. Be sure to vacuum the kitchen area regularly and wipe the countertop surfaces after use. When you vacuum, deposit the contents in a sealed bag and discard them into an outdoor garbage container.
Residential Pest Control Made Easy For Los Angeles Residents
Because beetles reproduce quickly, eradication is difficult. Furthermore, beetles can fly and relocate to new areas restarting reproduction. To eliminate beetles from your Los Angeles home, you need our pest control experts in eradicating beetles; A Step Above Pest Control & Termite. We know where beetles live and how to eliminate them and destroy their eggs. Contact us today and let us solve your beetle problem, so you have no more surprises in the pantry!