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I know how frustrating it is to open the pantry door and find some bugs in your food. But this is a very common thing in our daily life. Most of our pantry is some flour, rice, or some snacks. These happen to be the things pests love most. Although this will not affect our physical health, most of these bugs will not pose any harm to our health, but they will cause us to no longer be able to eat them and need to throw them away. I understand this is wasteful, but don’t worry too much, just take some simple methods to prevent your food from being infested by bugs. If you don’t know how to do it, keep reading.
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There are many reasons for pest infestation in storage rooms. Poor storage methods and external factors can cause pests to multiply. If you leave food out for too long without eating it as soon as possible, bacteria will grow in the food when it becomes damp, increasing the chance of pests infesting the food. It is necessary to check the shelf life of food regularly and dispose of food as soon as possible. Do not store too much food at one time. Things purchased outside may also carry some bug germs, so it’s a good idea to disinfect and inspect the outer packaging before putting things in the storage room.
How to tell if food is contaminated by pests?
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- Some small pests are always difficult to detect, so you need to always pay attention to identify them and avoid eating food contaminated by pests. We provide you with a centralized identification method:
- The most obvious sign is that some reptiles will crawl inside the food. Generally, after one appears, they will reproduce quickly, so they are easy to find. I know this looks uncomfortable.
- If you see some webs in the packaging bag, it may be spiders causing trouble. Although spiders are not pests, for your own health, it is best not to keep these foods.
- Food clumps. Do not think that food clumps is affected by moisture. It is best not to eat food that has become damp, but in most cases it may be the secretions of pests that cause the food to clump, so it cannot be kept.
- The food has an obvious pungent smell. The pungent smell of food may be caused by the food spoiling after its shelf life. At this time, various bacteria will breed in it. In this environment, it is most likely to attract pests.
- The packaging bag has obvious damage. The damage to the packaging bag may be caused by insects, so even if there are no obvious signs of pests inside the food, it is best not to keep it.
How to get rid of it?
In fact, proper storage is more effective than using pesticides. If the situation isn’t particularly bad, I don’t think pesticides are necessary. I’m not a big fan of the chemicals in pesticides and since the pantry is full of food, I rarely use them.
Check your pantry daily, throw away expired food, and dispose of old food as soon as possible. If you notice signs of bugs and need to throw out the food, don’t hesitate.
When storing, it is best to remove the packaging bag of the food and put it in a sealed storage jar specially designed for food. Food packaging bags cannot ensure the airtightness and visibility of the space. Even if you use a sealing clip, it cannot guarantee its airtightness, which will cause the food to oxidize and become damp, which will attract insects. Food storage jars can avoid this problem very well. The sealing lid will also prevent the entry of pests, and the fully transparent packaging can observe the status of the food at any time.
Use insect traps and place them around the storage room. Its unique smell can attract pests and attract pests in the house. The non-toxic ingredients also won’t cause allergies in your family, which is also a good idea.
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- After a complete cleanup, maintenance is also important to avoid further infestation of pests in your pantry.
- When buying food, don’t buy too much. Long-term storage will increase the chance of pests reproduction.
- Disinfect and inspect the outer packaging before placing food in the storage room, and check whether there are signs of pests chewing on the packaging bags.
- It is best to store food in food storage tanks, which can increase the storage time and avoid pests.
- Use insect traps and place them around food to easily kill pests without using chemical pesticides.