When you find tiny brown critters crawling in the flour you meant to use to bake chocolate muffins for Uncle Mark’s birthday, your first reaction might be to call a pest control company. However, we do not recommend the use of pesticides around food storage and preparation areas. Fortunately, bugs that feed on flour don’t carry diseases and isolated cases are fairly easy to handle. Here are some steps that you can take to eliminate these pesky bugs from your home for good:
- Make sure that the flour is the only product that is contaminated by inspecting the pantry, kitchen cupboards and all stored food packages for signs of infestation. Do not overlook unopened packages as the bugs can chew through cardboard and foil.
- Throw all the infested food in the trash. If you are unsure about a stored product, throw it away anyway. There is no point in risking the reappearance of the bugs.
- Transfer all food products that appear to be free from infestation into glass, plastic or metal containers with tight-fitting lids. This will keep the food safe from future contamination.
- Conduct a thorough cleaning of the pantry. First, vacuum the pantry completely and pay special attention to nooks and crannies where flour or other grain based products might have accumulated. Next, wipe down all the surfaces with soap and water. Alternatively, hire a professional to take care of it for you. Instantly book a deep cleaning service on ServiceMarket from a list of reliable cleaning companies today.
- Examine all newly purchased food for possible contamination. Most products that become infested with bugs already contain a minor infestation when you buy them from the market. This is because female bugs lay eggs in crop kernels which sometimes survive the milling process.
- Store any grain based products that you buy in the future in the freezer for about a week, before storing it properly. The cold will kill any bugs that might be living in it.
- Buy food in small quantities that you can use within two to three months. Stored products that can be found gathering dust at the back of cabinets are usually a good source of infestation.
- Refrain from mixing new food products with the old. This will keep any infestation that may be present confined to the original source.
- Clean up any food spills in your home immediately. You can also hire a regular maid to make sure that everything is always kept spotless and sanitized. This will ensure that there is no food source for any bugs that you might have missed.
After applying these steps, regular inspection and cleaning will keep your home bug free. If the bugs reappear in the pantry, the cleaning you did may have been inadequate. Hire a cleaning company to ensure that all the cracks and corners are free of flour dust or food grains. There is also a chance that you might be dealing with something other than a typical flour bug and so you should consider reaching out to a on ServiceMarket.
