Stored Product Pest Prevention and Sanitation

Prevention and Sanitation
Most home infestations of pantry pests maintain themselves on spills in the crevices of cupboards and drawers or in opened packages of food stored for long periods of time. Following a few general guidelines when storing food products will help you avoid many potential problems.

* Do not put exposed food on shelves. Place it in containers with tight-fitting lids (plastic bags are not adequate).
* Regularly clean shelves, bins, and all other locations where there is any possibility of flour or other food particles accumulating. Certain pests need only small amounts of food to live and breed. Soap and water is great for cleaning flat areas, and vacuuming with a crevice attachment will help clean cracks, edges, and corners.
* Do not mix old and new lots of foodstuffs. If the old material is infested, the pest will quickly invade the new.
* Clean old containers before filling them with fresh food. They may be contaminated and cause a new infestation.
* Do not purchase broken or damaged packages of food materials. They are more likely to become infested.
* Construct storage units so that they are tight and can be cleaned easily.
* Store bulk materials, such as pet foods, in containers with tight-fitting lids.
* Keep storage units dry. This is important because moisture favors the development of pantry pests; dryness discourages them. * Some pantry insects breed in the nests of rodents and insects and may migrate from these into homes. Eliminate any nests found in or near the home.
* Pantry pests can also breed in rodent baits. Be sure to frequently check and discard infested baits.

UC ANR Publication 7452