Stored Product Pest Extermination in Chicago, IL

Stored Product Pests, also known as pantry pests, include Cigarette Beetles, Drugstore Beetles, Grain Beetles (Confused Flour, Foreign, Merchant, Red Flour, and Sawtooth), Angoumois Grain Moths, and Indian Meal Moths.

Stored Product Pests are normally imported into your home or business through the food you purchase either for yourself or a family pet.  In multiple family dwellings (condominiums, apartments, and townhomes) or office or mall locations, these pests rarely invade only a single unit; most of the time, they travel through conjoining elements such as plumbing or common areas, making the entire property vulnerable to infestation.  In most instances, the secretive nature of these pests allows them to reproduce in considerable numbers and invade a variety of other materials and locations before they are discovered.  As a result, there is usually no certain way to determine the original source of the issue.

Fortunately, these pests can be eradicated fairly quickly when the client and pest control provider work together.In general the basic steps for stored product pest elimination are: Identify the pest so that specific application techniques can be employed and the source/vulnerable materials can be identified.

A successful stored product pest elimination program must include and address all areas of dry food storage (including pet food). In some instances, these creatures infest materials that may seem undesirable. As an example, the Cigarette Beetle can live very happily in your pasta and in your dried flower arrangements. Because of this, an examination of the property and proper pest identification are needed to effectively eliminate these pests.  If even one source is left unaddressed, the population will rebound very quickly.

All potentially contaminated products must be removed and disposed of to prevent reinfestation from occurring. The client needs to clean the areas needing treatment before the treatment

Chemical treatments are needed to eliminate both the insects and the eggs that they will have produced while at your home or place of business (presently there are no “bait” products available for this group of pests). Sanitation and disposal alone will not eliminate this type of pest problem because the eggs laid by these pests will be unaffected by cleaning chemicals; ultimately, these eggs will be a ticking time bomb. The next generation is usually sitting there, unbeknownst to the client, waiting to re-infest the area. Normally, the average client will not discover or report a stored product pest problem until the pests have fully matured. This means that if preventative measures are not taken, the eggs of these adults will soon hatch, and the same problem will reappear in a matter of weeks or months depending on the species.

Although an important part of the process, chemical treatments alone will not eliminate the problem at hand.  To effectively prevent this issue from reoccurring, it is necessary for clients to follow the recommendations of the pest control provider.  For instance, if potentially infested materials are returned to the treated areas, the insects that are inside the packaging will be unaffected by the treatment. After the residual effect of the pesticide wears away, about 30 days after application, the insects will be undeterred by control efforts and their population will continue to expand.

Here again, cooperation between the client and the pest control provider is one of the cornerstones of successful elimination of the problem. The client cannot perform all of the needed steps alone, and neither can the pest control provider.

The client should monitor the results of the treatment and be confident that the issue has been solved before totally restocking items. There are a number of options for monitoring, depending on the wishes and budget of the client.

Unfortunately, not completing all steps will most certainly result in reinfestation.

If you need help determining if you have a stored product pest issue or if you need help in eliminating a stored product pest issue please contact our office to be connected to our specialists who will listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and devise a strategy to eliminate the issue.  On behalf of A-Alert, we look forward to hearing from you and working with you.