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What
is food for us is also food for kitchen and pantry pests. This month,
I've asked my co-worker and entomologist, Barb Ogg, PhD, to write
an article on dealing with kitchen and pantry pests.
This
information can be used for educational purposes. Please credit
Barb Ogg and the University of Nebraska and e-mail her at bogg1@unl.edu
to let her know how this information is being used.
~
Alice Henneman, MS, RD, Extension Educator
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Our
kitchens are warm, have food and water sources. They are natural places
for some pests to thrive. Kitchen pests include cockroaches, and a number
of tiny beetles and moths that infest stored food in our pantry. Most
of us will encounter stored product pests from time to time.
Cockroaches
The biggest
pest problem in a kitchen is a cockroach infestation. Many people
mistakenly believe that only "dirty" kitchens get cockroaches,
but this is a myth. Every home or commercial kitchen has the potential
to have a cockroach problem
Once a cockroach
infestation gets started, its severity is usually determined by the resources
available for cockroach survival -- food, water and harborage (i.e., hiding
places) -- factors we often control. The biggest cockroach problems are
often in homes where there is a clutter problem because, the more stuff
people have, especially
in the kitchen, the more hiding places for roaches. But, clean, neat and
tidy kitchens can still have roaches. For example, cockroaches can hide
underneath the labels of canned goods and eat the paste off the labels.
Because
cockroaches tend to frequent garbage cans, sewers and other disease-laden
locations, germs attach to cockroaches' bodies and can transfer to food
contact surfaces (utensils, plates) during the normal course of roach
activities. These include disease-causing bacteria: Campylobacter,
Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, Streptococcus (pneumonia),
Yersinia pestis (bubonic plague), Mycobacterium leprae (leprosy),
several helminths (hookwoorm, pinworms, tapeworms), and even viruses (poliomyelitis).
If this hasn't convinced you they are bad to live with, cockroaches also
produce a powerful allergen that causes allergies and asthma.
The biggest
problem in U.S. kitchens is the German cockroach, Blattella germanica.
It is a small cockroach, with two distinctive longitudinal stripes just
behind its head. The German cockroach requires moisture regularly, has
a high reproductive rate and is small enough to live in small cracks and
crevices. It is commonly found in multi-family dwellings.
Cockroach Control
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The
standard method of treating for cockroaches has been to spray insecticides
on baseboards and in cupboards, with the hope that cockroaches will
crawl across the band of dried insecticide and the residue left from
the application will kill them. We now know this type of treatment
is not very effective. Reasons why include:
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Cockroaches
do not live behind baseboards, but live in dark, damp locations near
food and water sources. Efforts to locate and treat these hiding places
are much more effective.
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Insecticides
are not 100 percent effective and, unless efforts are made to reduce
food, water and harborage, populations of the prolific German cockroach
are likely to rebound.
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Cockroaches
species, including the German cockroach, have developed insecticidal
resistance to the many insecticides.
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Most
insecticidal sprays, especially aerosol treatments, don't have much
residual activity.
Tools and Tips for
Success
It is possible
to eradicate cockroaches, but effort and persistence must be greater than
their reproductive rate. To be successful, a multi-tactic approach must
be used. This means not relying on a single strategy (like sprays), but
using several types of control tactics.
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Sanitation
efforts alone (eliminating food, water, harborage) may not be enough
to eliminate a cockroach problem, but will reduce the population and
make other control efforts work better. Getting rid of clutter is
extremely important. Eliminating water and food will make roaches
move farther to obtain them and come into contact with baits and other
control tactics.
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Cleaning
cupboards and under/around appliances is important. Keep a vacuum
cleaner handy. Vacuuming roaches is an easy way to make a dent in
the population. Just be sure to take the vacuum cleaner bag outside
afterwards.
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Because
roaches usually travel pretty close to where they hide, use sticky
traps (glue boards) to see where roaches are hiding. Replace them
when the surface is covered with roaches. Over time, glue boards will
indicate how well controls are working and identify new infestations.
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The
biggest improvement in controlling cockroaches in recent years is
the availability of effective bait products. They are available in
small plastic containers (bait stations) or as a dispensable gel.
Baits use fipronil, hydamethylnon, boric acid or abamectin as their
active ingredient. Use gel baits (best) or bait stations in areas
where roaches are caught on sticky traps. Bait areas where roach specks
are found—these are locations where roaches spend a lot of time.
Other low
toxic approaches include:
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Use
boric acid dusts in wall voids or under appliances. Boric acid, used
alone, isn't terribly effective, but a good supplementary treatment.
When roaches walk through it, it sticks to their body. They ingest
it as they groom themselves and it is a slow-acting stomach poison.
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Dusts
of silica dioxide or diatomaceous earth kill roaches by abrading their
waxy cuticle and desiccating them. Use these in wall voids.
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Use
cold or hot temperatures to kill roaches. If roaches get into electronic
appliances, bag them and put them in the freezer overnight.
Controlling
cockroaches takes persistence. Some people may want to hire a pest-management
professional. If pesticides are needed, professionals are trained to apply
them safely; but they can still use low toxic methods, like bait. Make
sure you clearly discuss treatments before they get started.
By following
these tips and others found in a Cockroach Control Manual written
to help the general public deal with cockroaches, eradication is really
possible. More information can be found on the website: http://pested.unl.edu/cocktoc.htm
Stored
Product Insect Pests
There are
many insects -- particularly moths and beetles -- that feed on and contaminate
cereals, grains, nuts, dried fruits, spices and processed foods.
Where do
these infestations come from? Some products might already be infested
when we buy them. For example, an all-too-easy way to start an Indian
meal moth infestation is to purchase bird seed and bring it home. It is
often infested when we buy it -- just wander through the pet store and
notice the little moths flying in the bird seed aisle. The extra protein
won't hurt birds, but, once inside the home, it is very easy for the infestation
to spread to other stored foods in the pantry. Another scenario is for
insects to enter through window screens and find their way into the pantry.
Some of
the most common stored product pests include:
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Indian
Meal Moth.
The infesting stage is a small, light-colored worm that produces dirty
webbing that contaminates the surface of the food. After feeding,
mature worms (about 1/2-inch long) often leave the food and spin a
small silken cocoon in cracks and secluded places. They emerge from
their cocoon as adult moths that will lay eggs and reinfest food.
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Dermestid
Beetles. These beetles are the most common unknown insect
in the pantry. Some people call these insects "weevils",
but this is a misnomer. The infesting stage is a tiny hairy, cigar-shaped
larva that feeds on spices, grain-based foods and is often found in
flour. Adults are small oval beetles that are not usually found in
food, but may be found in window sills or light fixtures because they
are attracted to light. Dermestid beetles also are called carpet beetles
and chew tiny holes in natural fabrics, like wool and silk.
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Cigarette
and Drugstore Beetles.
These are small robust beetles that infest a wide range of processed
foods, including dry pet food, cereals, spices, drugs and other packages
foods. They also attack tobacco. They can chew through tin foil and
penetrate most food packaging materials.
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Sawtoothed
Grain Beetle. This is a small, flattened beetle about 1/10-inch
long. It has six saw-like teeth on each side of the prothorax, but
a hand-lens might be needed to see this characteristic. Its varied
food preferences make it one of the most common kitchen pests. It
prefers processed grains, oats, pet food and seeds, but also feeds
on rice, cereals, dried fruits, breakfast foods, grain meals, sugar,
chocolate and pastas.
Check out
pictures of pantry pests at: http://lancaster.unl.edu/enviro/pest/factsheets/304.htm
Control Tips
Finding
and throwing away infested stored products is the best approach for controlling
beetle and moth infestations. The use of insecticidal sprays in pantry
areas is not recommended. Other helpful tips include:
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Store
grain-based products and nuts in pest-proof containers such as glass
or plastic containers with tight fitting lids to help protect food.
Small beetles can chew their way through cardboard or plastic, so
unopened packages aren't pest proof.
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Put
foods in the freezer to protect them from getting infested and kill
insects that are already in stored foods. Refrigeration will also
protect non-infested food, but may not kill insects if the food is
already infested.
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Heat
infested food in the oven to 140 degrees F for an hour to destroy
insect infestations.
- Use
pheromone traps for problem Indian meal moth infestations. Pheromones
are emitted by female insects to attract males for mating. These pheromones
have been synthesized by scientists and incorporated into traps. Only
male insects are attracted to these traps, but it is a way to monitor
infestations and passively reduce much of the population. Locating the
infestation is still needed to solve the problem.
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