Identify pantry pests
Indian meal moths
Small moths with coppery wing tips. Their larvae spin silky webbing in grains, cereals, dried fruit, and pet food.
Sawtoothed grain beetles
Slender and flat, with saw-like ridges on the sides of the thorax. They can chew into packaging.
Flour beetles
Reddish-brown and a little smaller than a grain of rice. They infest flour, baking mixes, and dry pet food.
Signs you have pantry pests
- Webbing or clumps in a bag of flour or cereal
- Small moths flying around the kitchen in the evening
- Tiny beetles crawling inside the pantry shelf
- Larvae crawling on the walls near the pantry
Why they come inside
Infested products come home from the store or warehouse. Once a package is open, the pests move to neighboring boxes and into cabinet cracks.
How Go Go treats them
The first job is finding the infested food, so we inspect the pantry and the surrounding areas. Throw out infested items, clean the shelves, and store dry goods in sealed containers. We then treat any remaining harborage.
Covered by a protection plan?
Yes. Pantry pests are on the plan, so an inspection can catch a spreading problem early. See how plans work →
FAQ
Pantry Pests: common questions
Is it safe to eat food that had moths in it?
It is best to throw it out. The webbing and larvae mean the product is contaminated.
How do I find the source?
Check opened packages of grain, cereal, pasta, dried fruit, birdseed, and pet food, and look for webbing, larvae, or beetles.
Will freezing the food kill them?
Freezing a new package for several days can kill eggs and larvae, but once you see an infestation, discarding is more reliable.