Stored product pests

Facilities that process, store, or sell grains and dried goods are at risk of infestation by stored product insects, also known as “stored product pests”. These pests can rapidly move throughout a facility to attack dried, stored foods in grocery stores, warehouses, and food processing facilities, ultimately destroying the products. They can feed on any number of products including pet food, birdseed, pasta, dried fruits, chocolate, and flour and grain products, causing contamination issues and making your facility susceptible to shutdowns and lost business.

In addition, some stored product insects create cocoons and webbing that can clog machinery and lead to costly downtime. The Indian meal moth, Cigarette beetle, Drugstore beetle, and Warehouse beetle are just a few of the most common stored product insect species that can disrupt production at your facility.

Do you have a stored product pest issue in your facility? Our experts are highly trained and ready to help find a solution. Call Rentokil at 1-855-633-6260 to schedule a free inspection of your property or contact us online.

Stored food pests

Signs of stored product pests

It is important to be able to identify the earliest signs of a problem to enable a quick solution and a guaranteed control measure that prevents re-infestation. Common signs of food insects may include:

• Damaged stored products
• Adult insects (small moths or beetles)
• Larvae, pupae or silk webbing on food storage bins on shelves
• Holes on the outside of packets and bags

Click here for more common signs of stored product pests in your business.

Stored product pest prevention

Denying stored product pests access to your premises should be the first line of defense.

• Temperature control - If possible maintain storage facilities at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity at 30% or less.
• High standards of hygiene, sanitation and housekeeping practices - Clean up all excess food material such as spillages and dust accumulation near machinery, equipment, storage or transport vehicles.
• Store all stock/food material off the floor and away from walls - This helps prevent contamination and makes cleaning and inspections easier.
• Keep raw materials in strong packaging - Sufficiently robust and or airtight packaging can prevent infestation in all food facilities, such as food processing plants, warehouses, bakeries, storage areas, grain silos, and domestic buildings.
• Install tight-fitting insect screens or screen doors - Ensure that they are maintained in good condition.
• Waste management - Ensure that all waste bags are sealed, waste bins are cleaned before delivery, and that bins are kept closed except when waste is being added. Be sure to clean external drains, sumps and pits. Waste or spillage is a food source and these areas may become a pest harborage.

Stored product pest treatment

While certain preventative measures such as proper storage of products and ideal temperature control can decrease the risk of a stored product pest infestation, there is still the possibility of infestation due to their almost microscopic size.

To combat stored product insects, Rentokil has developed in-depth protocols for a wide range of environments. Your Technician will conduct a detailed inspection, focusing on the storage areas of your facility. Then, we'll physically remove any infestations we uncover, apply residual products and insect growth regulators to provide lasting protection, and install special pheromone monitors to alert us to the potential for new activity.

In addition, our team will work with your staff to educate them on how to prevent issues from recurring, building an impenetrable defense against stored product insects at your facility.

Call us at 1-855-633-6260 or use our online contact form to set up an appointment today.

Stored product pest prevention tips

Cigarette and drugstore beetle

Indian meal moth

Warehouse beetle