Opening up a package of food from your pantry and finding bugs is a nauseating experience. Some bugs eat the same foods that we do, and they can end up in the food you have stored in the pantry. Pantry bugs can be in your opened food as well as in unopened packages.
Beetles
There are a few varieties of beetles commonly found in food products. Beetles consume dried meat products, grains, dried fruits, sugar, chocolate, spices, pet food and seeds. The beetles found in food products can be in any stage of life. Beetles can chew through unopened items that include foil bags and packages. Some varieties of beetles, such as the dermestid beetle, are usually only found in food in the larvae stage. The adult beetles search for pollen after the larvae stage and leave the pantry. Other varieties of beetles found in pantries and food products include the cigarette beetle, the drugstore beetle, the sawtoothed grain beetle and flour beetles.
Moths
The Indian meal moth is a common bug found in pantries and food products. The larvae and adult moths consume flour, dried fruits, pet food, cereals and spices. The larvae can be brought into the home from food warehouses that are infested with the moths. Any warehouse or retail store that carries pet foods and birdseed is a common infestation site for the Indian moth.
Weevils
Grain and rice weevils consume whole grains, but they are not usually found in cereals and flour. The weevils may be found in popcorn or birdseed that is stored in the pantry. Bean weevils consume stored beans and peas in a pantry or warehouse. They can also infest beans and peas in the garden and be brought into the home this way.
Grain Mites
Grain mites may infest cereal, corn, cheese, dried vegetables and fruits. An infestation of these mites causes the foods to have a brown growth appearance, but it is actually the color of the bug's legs.
