The U.S.D.A. requires all grain products to be fumigated prior to packaging and shipment to stores for control of stored grain pests. Unfortunately, stored product insects can infest grain at the mill, the processor, the warehouse, the distributor, the retail store, the home, or the  trailers and railcars they are shipped in. At times,  uninfected products are stored next to infested goods, or an insect population exists in shelves or in cracks. It is therefore possible to purchase a product that is "buggy" and consequently infest your home in spite of all the restrictions and precautions taken by the government. 

    Insect damage to food (post harvest) amounts to  about 9% in the United States.  Although this figure is not staggering there are also indirect losses to manufacturers, processing plants, as well as the consumer.  If, for example, a consumer buys an infested product, he or she will most likely throw away that package and all food, infested or not that is in the pantry.  They will probably never buy that particular manufacturers product again, and tell everyone they know that it is a "buggy" product.  While this is going on, the processing plant will shut down to fumigate causing delays and loss of production.  Once cooked, insects will not hurt you, and they actually have some protein value.  However, we as Americans in general will not tolerate anything in our food that is not supposed to be there.  As a Chinese restaurant owner once told me, "I do not understand!  In China some insects are a delicacy.  Here, if a customer sees a roach on the wall they leave!!" Which of course keeps us in business.

    Once a stored grain insect has established its presence in your home, control measures must be taken to avoid the spread and destruction of other stored products.  The following are the most common stored grain products and methods of control.

Indian Meal Moth

Indian Meal Moth is one of the most common stored grain insects that plague our homes. They are found in pet foods, dried fruits, bird seed, nuts, cereal, and natural sources outside the home like seeds and nuts brought in from rodents and squirrels.

    The larvae spin webs around the food source and feed on it. The adults are moths often seen flying in kitchens and garages looking for places to mate or to lay their eggs. The adults are most often seen at night.

    Control requires finding the food source and removing it. Then open items should be stored in Tupperware.  The adults can be captured in pheromone traps placed in kitchen, garage and any other area they are seen. Trapping may take several weeks, but if all food areas are sealed and there are no dry flowers or nuts around you should be able to achieve control rather quickly.  For traps, see products.

Confused Flour Beetle/ Red Flour Beetle

The confused flour beetle is a tiny beetle capable of entering many types of containers or chewing through bags of flour, rice, cereal, etc. Once introduced into a home they are a pain to control as they hide in any tiny crack in cupboards or pantries. They are unable to feed on whole grain, and therefore often infest after rice weevils or lesser grain beetles.  Flour is their main preference, but will infest dried foods, pet foods, etc.

These pests are common in flour mills which  ship to grocery stores where you may well take them home.  They are able to breed throughout the year and live up to three years as adults.

The Red flour beetle looks almost identical except they can fly.  Actually the red flour is the more common in households.  Control is identical, so if you do not have a microscope or want to push on them to see if they fly just call it a flour beetle and get rid of it.

If you discover you have a problem, you must remove contaminated flour, treat inside cupboards with a residual insecticide, or use a pheromone trap specifically for them.

The cigarette beetle is most commonly known for infesting stored tobacco. Contrary to popular belief they are not reared by the American Cancer Society.  They are a native of Egypt and found in King Tut's tomb who apparently smoked, which explains why he died at such a young age.

Cigarette Beetles also feed on books, cotton, rice, dried flowers, furniture, and a variety of other materials.  Anywhere tobacco is stored they are bound to be a problem.  They at times become overabundant in warehouses, and the adults, who are strong fliers, will invade neighborhoods from the warehouses by the thousands.  They do not bite, but are a major annoyance and infest food supplies.

CONTROL:  Find and destroy infested food products.  Pheromone specific traps for cigarette beetles.