Tips to treat store product pests quickly

Greg Pettis

Some of craziest store product pest (SPP)-infested materials I’ve encountered as a pest management professional include a random cereal box on a garage shelf, cat food under the fridge, bagel flour buildup under bakery ovens, a Christmas wreath inside a hope chest in the living room, and my favorite: a decorative loaf of shellacked bread on a kitchen shelf. I am sure you have your favorites, too!

You know that finding the source for the moths, mites and maggots (oh my!), as well as beetles and other SPP is the key to shutting them down.

In most cases, these situations also require using an appropriately labeled adulticide to get control.

My recommendation is to choose a labeled aerosol or concentrate that controls insects quickly, so surfaces can be wiped without worry of unwanted residue. Customers also appreciate formulations that are exempt from the U.S. Environmental Product Agency’s Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) 25(b).