There is nothing worse than finding pests in your pantry. Whether it is weevils in your cake flour when you are due to make a birthday cake or cockroaches running around your bread bin, pantry pests can be annoying, embarrassing, and dangerous to your health. Find out all the different types of pests you will commonly find in your pantry, how they got into your pantry, and why Pest Managers is the company to call for pantry pest control in Cape Town.
Pantry Pests:
Pantry pests are problematic in numerous ways. Finding pantry pests can be a disgusting discovery in your pantry, especially when they have infested and your pantry products are writhing with insects.
Pantry pests can also be embarrassing if you have asked a guest to quickly grab you the bag of sugar and they open it up to find a cockroach. Your guest will then assume your kitchen is a dirty and unhygienic place, and probably come up with an excuse to leave immediately.
Besides being embarrassing and uncomfortable, pantry pests can also be dangerous as they can transfer diseases to the food you consume. To avoid this risk, you will have to discard any infested food, which can be an expense that you did not budget for.
The first best step to take when dealing with pantry pests is to know what pest you have. We have listed the most commonly found pantry pests in South African homes.
Cockroaches:
Cockroaches are one of the most uncomfortable pests to discover in your home. In Cape Town, you can find the American cockroach, the German cockroach, and the Oriental cockroach, and anyone of these types of cockroaches can end up in your pantry.
Cockroaches are an alarming pest to find in your pantry and should never be ignored. Apart from contaminating your food, cockroaches can carry diseases like dysentery and salmonella that can be transferred to the food you consume. Cockroaches have also been shown to aggravate asthma, especially in children.
Alongside all the health risks of cockroaches, they also breed exceptionally quickly. One cockroach in your pantry can turn into a full infestation of your home in a matter of weeks.
Rodents:
Rats and mice are common rodent problems in pantries. Rats and mice are known for carrying diseases and are therefore the last pest you want scampering over your pantry food. Both rats and mice also can give birth to large litters, which means you do not want them giving birth in your pantry.
Mice may be small, cute, and fluffy, but they are a hazardous pest when found in your pantry. Mice have sharp teeth which can penetrate plastic packaging, meaning that your Oreo’s and packet of biltong is easy-game for them to nibble at. Mice are also able to chew through wood, which can cause structural damage to your pantry shelving.
Both rats and mice will urinate and leave droppings all over your pantry. This will spoil your food and become a breeding ground for harmful diseases.
Weevils:
Weevils are minuscule beetles that have an oval body shape and are commonly found in grain products, flours, packets of sugar, and seeds. Their tiny size makes them an annoying pest as they often go unnoticed until you find small black specks in your morning pancakes and your breakfast is ruined. Coincidence the word “evil” is in weevil? We think not.
Ants:
When you have an ant infestation in your pantry, you will know about it. The first sign of an ant infestation is seeing a direct line of ants confidently marching into your food cupboard.
You may also find distinct piles of sand near the doorway, window, or pantry walls. You will also catch the ants red-handed squirming all over your pantry food.
Ants are most commonly attracted to sugary foods, such as the bottle of syrup, your fruit bowl, or the crumbs you left when secretly scoffing biscuits in your pantry. Ants are a risky pest to have in your home as they are known to cause structural damages.
Removing ants from your pantry is a difficult feat as simply killing the ants you see is not enough to get rid of the problem. You will need to find the ant nest and eradicate the ant queen to successfully manage this pest problem. We recommend contacting a pest control company immediately when you notice an ant infestation.
Fruit Flies:
Fruit flies, which are small, gnat-like flies that seem to bring their aunt, uncle, and distant cousins with them when they move into your pantry. Their speedy reproduction rate means that your fruit fly family will increase within days. Fruit flies, as the name suggests, are commonly attracted to fruit, but will also be attracted to rotting food and fermenting liquid spills that may be in your pantry.
Why There are Pests in Your Pantry:
Pantries are commonplace to find pests as they offer the essentials for pest survival: food, shelter, and a safe place to multiply. A pantry is a bed and breakfast for pests, as they can gorge on your favourite snacks and then find a dark, hidden place to rest their weary heads.
We can understand why the pests are in your pantry, but how did these pests find their way into your pantry in the first place? These are a few of the ways.
Packaged Pests: In certain cases, the products you bought from the store can arrive with pests already inside the packaging. If you do not open or use the products immediately, you may not realise that they were there from the start. If you find pests in your newly bought products, take the product back to the store immediately.
Entryways: Pests are opportunistic. If they find an entryway into your pantry, they will quickly make their way in and turn your pantry into their home. If you leave your pantry door or window in your pantry open, this will allow pests to enter in easily. Pests can also enter through unnoticeable entryways, such as cracks in your pantry cupboard door, window, or crevices in your ceiling.
What to Do When You Have Pantry Pests:
There is no need to run out of your pantry with your arms flailing and screaming for help when you discover a weevil in your grains or a fly on your banana that is “banana bread perfect”. We have listed some simple steps to handle pantry pests.
Remove Infested Products: If you have discovered an infested product in your pantry, you firstly need to remove the product and the pests. Discard the infested products in an outdoor bin to stop them from further infesting your home. Make sure to check your other products in your pantry. Just because there are no visible holes in a package does not mean it cannot be infested.
Remove Spoiled Food: Spoiled or rotting food in your pantry is often an attraction for pests, especially flies or moths. Remove any spoiled items from your pantry cupboard and this should remove your pest problem. Discard your spoiled items in an outdoor bin to prevent them from inviting other pests to infest your home.
Clean Your Pantry: After removing the pests and spoiled food, we recommend giving your pantry a thorough clean. This will remove any remaining pests or eggs from your pantry and reduce your risk of further infestation.
Seal Any Entryways: Find all the cracks or holes in your pantry doorway or window and seal these. This will prevent rats, mice, or cockroaches from gaining access to your pantry.
Pest Control Cape Town for Pantry Pests:
Pest Managers is a Cape Town-based pest control company. We offer effective pest control services for any pests you may find nibbling away at your pantry goods. The only pests we cannot stop from ravaging your pantry are teenagers.
We use a target-specific eradication process when it comes to our pest control Cape Town services. This means that we focus specifically on the problematic pests that you have in your home. We understand that certain insects are beneficial to your home or the surrounding area and therefore will ensure that these appreciated insects remain untouched.
Finding pests in your pantry can take a massive knock on your budget. Depending on your infestation, you may have to discard numerous packets of groceries. We offer affordable pest control services so that you can get your pantry back to a healthy state without living on baked beans for the rest of the month.
We offer you professional pest control services. The Pest Managers team is comprised of professional pest control experts who can adequately eliminate your pest problems. We have also been in the pest control business for many years, which has given us the experience to handle any pest problem you may be suffering from in your home or business.
Alongside our pest control service, we will offer you personalized advice on how to prevent any pests from making your pantry their new favorite restaurant again. When it comes to finding an all-around pest control service, Pest Managers is the best in the business.
About Pest Managers:
Pest Managers is an accredited pest control company. Our pest control services are aligned with all the regulations stipulated by the government and all other health authorities. You can trust that the pest control service that you receive from us will be of trusted quality.
At Pest Managers, we set ourselves apart from other pest control companies with our environmentally friendly pest control services. We only use pest control products that will have no negative effects on the surrounding environment. When it comes to choosing a pest control company, choose us for an effective service that does not cause any other problems for you or the environment.
We offer pest control services to Cape Town, as well as the Northern Suburbs, the Southern Suburbs, Stellenbosch, Somerset West, Strand and Blouberg. If you have a pest problem, whether it is in your pantry or any other area of your home, simply contact us and we will come to you with a solution.
Pest Managers will provide you with fast and affordable solution for pantry pests so that you can get back to cooking.