The following information comes from Balance©, a semiannual publication of Crane Pest Control for its commercial and industrial clients and special regulatory agencies.

PANTRY PESTS

Almost everybody has experienced pantry or food pests. It is frustrating to find these tiny beetles, weevils, caterpillar-like "crawlies" or fluttering moths emanating from our

pantry shelves and infesting everything from flour to pasta to cereals to spices.

Our finding them represents the final stage of a long journey which began in the very soil where the raw products were first planted. Their travels may have been circuitous, stopping off for several generations in the ships, railroad cars or trucks that transported them-or in the warehouses, food-processing plants or retail stores that dispensed them. But these are insects possessing life cycles of eggs, larva, pupa and adult that live either on, about or in food.

They are usually named for a common food or site which they infest even though their tastes are seldom specific. Examples are the rice weevil, flour beetle, drugstore beetle and Indian meal moth.

If their eggs or larval forms develop within a package, their presence is frequently not discovered until the package is opened. When the pests do invade our homes and food service facilities, there are measures to take:

1. Examine all containers, remembering that sealed containers are no guarantee against infestation. Look for insects or webbing traces in the product.

2. Throw away suspect product.

1. Thoroughly vacuum all pantry shelves and apply a cleaning solution, concentrating on corners and cracks. A light treatment with a suitable insecticide will kill residual insects hiding in crevices; however, it need not be used if the areas can be adequately cleaned.

For more information you can contact us at 1(800) 592-7777 or

You may also email us at CraneInfo@CranePestControl.com

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