Mel Whitson, Senior Field Technical Service Manager, Zoëcon Professional Products
While the kitchen is the most common room for treating stored product pests (SPP) like Indianmeal moths (IMM), red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) and lesser grain borers (Rhyzopertha dominica), the focus tends to only be on food cabinets and pantries. It’s important to remember other areas that should be considered during treatment, including:
⦁ Cookbooks. Homeowners often keep cookbooks adjacent to pantries and cabinets where food is stored. Cookbooks can harbor pupae, and SPP populations can quickly explode as a result. Remove and treat all cookbooks, and inspect the corners of shelving.
⦁ Seating areas. Couches, chairs and other furniture where people sit and eat can be conducive to SPP. Make sure to thoroughly inspect and treat all seating areas that can catch crumbs and spillage.
⦁ Storage areas. If there’s not enough storage space in the kitchen, homeowners will often store extra cereal, pet food and other household goods in overflow storage spaces such as the garage or laundry room. It’s important to ask clients whether they store extra food (human and pet) in any locations besides the pantry.
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