Stored Product Pests in Commercial Facilities

Quality control is essential for every food-based industry. Your inventory should be free from outside stains, splatters, contaminants, and holes. In many cases, these concerns have a common denominator: pests. Specifically, stored product pests have a knack for invading food items and staying undetected until it’s too late.

Stored product pests aren’t the most destructive or disease-ridden pests out there, but they definitely cause their fair share of issues. Let’s take a closer look at the facts of these tiny pests before we give our best tips for preventing these hidden pests.

The Facts on Stored Product Pests

Stored product pests, or pantry pests, are maybe the most appropriately named pest group. They invade stored food products that they contaminate by completing their entire life cycle inside the container. Food items in boxes and plastic are the most vulnerable.

These infestations are especially annoying because you can’t really see the eggs and larvae with the naked eye. Between their tiny sizes and their hiding abilities, stored product pests are nearly impossible to catch until the infestation is in full swing.

Stored product pests don’t generally carry any diseases, which is the one bright spot of their existence. That said, they still contaminate everything they invade. Their eggs, droppings, and bodies are considered contaminants in any food item.

A stored product pest invasion is bad news for a facility’s operations, audits, and inventory. If you don’t catch a contaminated batch before it goes out, your brand’s reputation could take a huge hit. That’s why awareness of these pests and their habits is essential. Businesses that handle food products can benefit from ongoing commercial pest control services that focus on prevention, monitoring, and detailed service documentation.

Infestation Causes

Stored product pests are drawn to businesses with large quantities of food, like food processing facilities, warehouses, and grocery stores. These facilities need to uphold their prevention protocols to ensure their products are safe, but more on that later.

For now, these are the 5 leading causes of a stored product pest infestation:

Flimsy Containers: Soft containers, like worn cardboard or plastic bags, easily develop gaps. If products are in these containers, they need additional protection.

Vulnerable Items: Boxes and bags of food must be packed in secure containers. These pests often take advantage of the idle periods while items are in transport.

Unprotected Storage: The shelves and bins within the facility should be kept away from conditions that invite pest activity, like plumbing fixtures and overhead doors.

Poor Sanitation: A clean environment limits pest attractants. Keep floors and workstations clean, empty full garbage receptacles, and fix leaks ASAP.

Forgotten Products: When products sit idle for a long time, they’re more appealing to these pests. Practice FIFO, or first in, first out, to avoid this issue.

Of course, any number of conditions can result in an invasion. These pests take advantage of the slightest gap to invade their designated items, which is why it’s important to know what you’re looking for when you inspect the products.

Common Stored Product Pests

There are numerous insects grouped into the category of stored product pests. They fall under two general camps, moths and beetles, but each pest has its own appearance and habits.

The most common stored product pests in commercial settings include:

Indian Meal Moths: The most common pantry pest in the U.S., Indian meal moths are 1/4 of an inch and brown or dark gray. Adults only live up to 2 weeks, but the larvae eat plant-based foods like rice, pasta, cereal, and bread.

Cigarette Beetles: These oval-shaped pests are 1/8 of an inch and red-brown. They live 2 to 4 weeks and lay eggs in tobacco and food products. They eat rice, spices, tobacco, and dried plants.

Weevils: There are many types of weevils, but the general group is about 1/8 of an inch and brown or black. Weevils live about 8 months, so they have time to reproduce. They have long snouts and eat rice, flour, wheat, and oats.

Sawtoothed Grain Beetles: These beetles are named for the sawtoothed edges on their thorax. They’re 1/10 of an inch and live up to 3 years. The adults are mobile and spread to nearby products. They eat oats, dried fruits, rice, and milled grain items.

Flour Beetles: Their life cycle takes 7 weeks, but flour beetle adults live about one year. They are 1/8 of an inch and red-brown. They’re drawn to the light and invade items that are well-lit. Flour beetles eat flour and milled grain products.

Larder Beetles: Larder beetles love cured meats, but they also eat cheese, pet food, and tobacco. They’re oval-shaped, 3/8 of an inch, and brown or black with a yellow band. Their life cycle takes 60 to 70 days, and the larvae eat for 3 weeks.

Stored product pests develop faster in warm conditions, so spring and summer are their busiest seasons. Their targets are usually dry, non-perishable food products. If your facility produces or stores these items, you’ll want to implement quality prevention practices. For additional facility-focused prevention guidance, you can also explore BioTech’s pest control blog resources.

Our Efficient Prevention Tips

The key to pest prevention is awareness. When you’re aware of the pests that threaten your business and the ways to prevent them, you lower the risk of running into these issues later. Remember: the goal is always long-term prevention, not temporary solutions.

We recommend implementing these prevention tips:

Ensure that all materials and products are stored in protective containers. Milled grains, sweets, nuts, cereals, beans, and spices are most appealing to these pests.

Maintain strong sanitation and maintenance practices throughout the facility. All spills, crumbs, grime, and dust should be cleaned up immediately.

Organize packaged food items away from the wall and off the ground. Pantry pests can slip in undetected when the items rest against a solid surface.

Inspect all items before placing them in storage or on transport. Make sure there aren’t any holes, webbing, droppings, skins, and live or dead insects.

Check every door and window seal in the facility to ensure they’re tight-fitting. If you find one that’s loose or cracked, replace it with a new one.

Practice good trash management. Empty the bins when they’re full and throw out food waste ASAP. Never let the trash overflow onto the floor or workstations.

Uncontrolled pests will spread to nearby products for further contamination. Keeping pests out of your facility not only protects your inventory, but also your brand reputation. It’s hard to trust a food company if you find weevils in your snacks!

Luckily, professional pest control is always available for early detection and prevention. Facilities that need support beyond commercial spaces can also review BioTech’s broader pest control services for prevention-focused solutions.

Protect Your Product with BioTech

In addition to our prevention tips, the most effective way to protect your staff, operations, and products from invasive species is professional services. The licensed experts at BioTech Commercial Services provide customized treatment plans and preventative measures for a variety of commercial facilities.

We also provide comprehensive documentation and trend reports to ensure your establishment is compliant. To partner with our experienced team for lasting pest solutions, contact BioTech for a free quote today!