The Most Effective Ways to Get Rid of Pantry Pests for Good

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Stop bugs from getting into your food with these expert-backed tips
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When pantry pests get into your food, quickly getting rid of them will help stop them from spreading. Luckily, infestations are easy to take care of on your own with a few standard household products. Whether you’re dealing with beetles, moths, weevils, or other insects, you’ll use the same cleaning and preventative methods for each one. Keep reading, and we’ll help you identify what pantry bugs you’re dealing with and how to get rid of them once and for all.

Things You Should Know

  • Throw out any food that’s open or has signs of bug infestation and take your trash outside.
  • Empty your pantry and vacuum the shelves. Wipe the shelves with soapy water and then a 50/50 vinegar and hot water solution to clean them.
  • Store your food in airtight containers and clean up spills right away to prevent future infestations.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Removing Pantry Pest Infestations

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  1. Check the oldest food near the back of your pantry first since they’re the most susceptible to infestation. Pay special attention to packages of flour, rice, and other grain-derived products since that’s what many bugs eat. If you find any food infested in your pantry, just throw it away along with any other open packages in your pantry. Even if you don’t see bugs in open packages, they’ve likely laid eggs in your food. [1]
    • If you really don’t want to throw away all of your open packages of pantry goods, try freezing the ones that you didn’t see bugs in for 3-4 days to kill any eggs or larvae. [2]
    • Bugs can reach food in plastic bags or cardboard boxes since these pantry pests can squeeze through very small spaces to get at your food.
    • If you have a hard time seeing bugs, try pouring the food onto a baking sheet and using a flashlight to search for them.
  2. Use the hose attachment on your vacuum cleaner to get into all the shelves, corners, and crevices of your pantry. Suck up any bugs you see, as well as any crumbs or spilled food left on the pantry shelves. [3]
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  3. Mix some dish soap in hot water and use a microfiber cloth to wipe your pantry down. Clean up any remaining crumbs, dust, and bugs that you missed with the vacuum. Focus more on corners, crevices, and cracks where crumbs could collect and be an easy food source for bugs. [4]
    • Wash any food storage containers with soap and water before returning them to the pantry.
  4. Combine equal parts water and distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle. Mist the solution on your pantry shelves and wipe it in with a microfiber cloth. Vinegar kills any pantry bugs that may still be hiding in your cupboards and deters them from coming back. [5]
    • Do not use pesticides, bleach, or ammonia to wipe down the pantry. These chemicals will prevent infestations, but can be dangerous if they touch any of your food. [6]
  5. Tie up any bags of trash where you threw out contaminated food items and take them out of the house. If you leave the garbage in the kitchen, the bugs could get out and re-infest your pantry. [7]
    • Wash out your kitchen trash can with soap and water as well. Then, wipe it with your water and vinegar solution to disinfect it.
    • Take the trash out of your kitchen at least once a week to lower the likelihood of attracting pests.
    • If you dumped any infested food into your garbage disposal, run the garbage disposal under hot water for 1 minute to kill any bugs stuck in the drain.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Preventing Pantry Bugs

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  1. Always keep your kitchen and pantry as clean as possible. If you accidentally spill something on your pantry shelves, counters, or floor, wipe up the mess immediately. The longer spills or crumbs stay out, the more likely pantry pests are to come looking for a snack. [8]
    • Clean up after spills with a cloth or sponge soaked in soapy water.
  2. Whenever you buy packages of dried goods in the store, look for signs of a broken seal before taking them home. Even a small hole or tear means that pantry pests could already have infested the package. If the package is transparent, shake the bag and look inside for any signs of bugs. [9]
    • Try to buy amounts of flour, rice, and other grains that you’ll use up in 2-4 months. The longer something sits in your pantry, the more likely it is to get infested. [10]
  3. in your pantry in airtight storage containers . Purchase some good-quality plastic, glass, or metal storage containers and pour your grains and other pantry goods inside. Label the containers so you remember what’s in each one. Make sure the container has an airtight seal so that pests can’t get into your food. [11]
    • Mason jars are a great airtight option for storing grains and other food, and also look great for organizing your pantry!
    • If you have room in your fridge, keep some of your pantry foods inside. Since your fridge is airtight, bugs can’t get inside and into your food.
  4. Put bay leaves in your pantry to repel insects. Sprinkle bay leaves on the shelves of your pantry, or keep some in an open container on your shelf. Put 1 or 2 in open packages or containers of rice, flour, and other grains to deter bugs from coming inside. [12]
    • Bay leaves are aromatic and have a strong odor that pantry bugs avoid.
  5. Clean your pantry every 3–6 months. Even if you don’t have an infestation, take everything out of your pantry and throw away any old or expired food items that could attract pests. Wash the shelves with warm water and soap, and finish up by wiping them down with a 50/50 water and vinegar solution. [13]
    • If pantry pests keep coming back, call in a professional pest control expert to help you control the issue.
    • Try putting natural pheromone traps in your pantry to help limit future pest problems. Since they don’t use chemicals and pests get stuck inside, they’re safe to use around your food. [14]
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Identifying Pantry Bugs

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  1. Indian meal moths, or pantry moths, grow about 3 ⁄ 4 inch (1.9 cm) long and have orange and black stripes on their wings. You’ll usually notice them flying around your pantry or kitchen. If you notice web-like silk strands or cocoons in your food or on your shelves, then it’s a sure sign of moths. [15]
    • Check any flour, rice, or grain products for small larvae with black heads and bodies up to 5 ⁄ 8 inch (1.6 cm) long.
    • Getting rid of moths is as easy as throwing away all your open food and thoroughly cleaning your pantry.
  2. Most pantry beetles are around 1 ⁄ 8 inch (3.2 mm) long and have either a reddish-brown or black color. Check products like flour, cereal, nuts, dried fruits, cookies, and candies in your pantry for bugs or holes in the packaging. The most common pantry beetles are:
    • Saw-toothed grain beetle : Rice-shaped, and most commonly on cereal, nuts, dried fruit, and cookies
    • Cigarette beetle : Oval-shaped, and often near spices like paprika, seasonings, or cereal
    • Confused flour beetle : Rice-shaped with club-like antenna, and normally in flour and cereal
    • Red flour beetle : Rice-shaped with 3-segmented antennae, and feeds on flour and cereal
    • Spider beetle : Similar in appearance to a spider, and found on any grain products [16]
  3. Weevils are similar to pantry beetles, but only grow to 1 ⁄ 5 inch (5.1 mm) and have a long distinguishing snout on their head. Weevils usually have light- to dark-brown colors, so they’re easy to notice against light-colored rice and grains. Common types of weevils include: [17]
    • Rice weevil : Rice-shaped body with some orange or red spots
    • Maize weevil : Rice-shaped body with ridged markings on its wing covers
    • Bean weevil : Egg-shaped body with a small, triangular head
  4. Check for any lines of ants coming into your pantry from cracks in the walls or entry points in your home. Any type of ant will go where it finds food, but the most common types are pharaoh ants and rover ants . Place ant bait traps along the ant trails to help get rid of the colony and prevent them from coming back. [18]
    • Double-check any sweets, like open chocolate, sugar, or cookies in your pantry for signs of ants.
    • Avoid spraying the ants with pesticides since they could split into separate colonies.
  5. If you notice bugs scurrying away really quickly when you turn on the light in your pantry, then you may be dealing with cockroaches. If you see oval-shaped bugs that are reddish-brown with long antennae, then take care of the roaches by putting out some roach bait traps and throwing away any food sources. [19]
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      Tips

      • Pantry bugs aren’t toxic and don’t cause foodborne illness, so it’s okay if you accidentally ate one before you noticed they were in your food. [20]
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      References

      1. ↑ Scott McCombe. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 19 November 2019.
      2. ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/pantry-pests/
      3. ↑ https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/insect-pests-of-home-stored-foods-5-501/
      4. ↑ https://www.beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/documents/infoservices/pesticidesandyou/Summer%2003/pantry_moths.pdf
      5. ↑ https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/docs/home-family/Homemade%20Cleaners.pdf
      6. ↑ https://ipm.ucanr.edu/QT/pantrypestscard.html
      7. ↑ https://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/pantrypests304.shtml
      8. ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/pantry-pests/
      9. ↑ https://www.beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/documents/infoservices/pesticidesandyou/Summer%2003/pantry_moths.pdf
      1. ↑ https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2020/08/11/what-to-do-if-you-have-bugs-in-your-pantry/
      2. ↑ Scott McCombe. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 19 November 2019.
      3. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7152419/
      4. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-defense-for-keeping-bugs-and-rodents-out-of-your-pantry-244767
      5. ↑ Scott McCombe. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 19 November 2019.
      6. ↑ https://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/pantrypests304.shtml
      7. ↑ https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/insect-pests-of-home-stored-foods-5-501/
      8. ↑ https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2020/08/11/what-to-do-if-you-have-bugs-in-your-pantry/
      9. ↑ https://schoolipm.tamu.edu/2011/08/26/got-ants-in-your-pantry-tiny-ants-can-be-big-bother-to-many-south-central-texas-homeowners/
      10. ↑ https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7467.html
      11. ↑ https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/control_pantry_pests

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To get rid of pantry bugs, start by inspecting all of the food packages in your pantry for tiny black or brown bugs. Pay special attention to any flour, rice, and grain packages, which pantry bugs like to eat. If you find any infested food packages, throw away all open foods in your pantry, in case the bugs have laid eggs in them. Once you’ve gotten rid of any open or infested packages, remove everything from your pantry and vacuum the shelves to clean up any remaining bugs or cocoons. After you’ve vacuumed, wash the shelves with warm soapy water or equal parts water and white vinegar to get rid of any bacteria. As soon as you’ve finished cleaning, take your trash out to prevent the bugs you caught from re-infesting your pantry. For more tips, including how to prevent future infestations of pantry bugs, read on!

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      • Genevieve Ott

        Jul 15, 2019

        "Hopefully they are gone. Now all of my shelves have cinnamon everyplace. When I cleaned my large pantry, it took me ..." more
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