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What are these pests/bugs seen in food containers/boxes

ktr

By ktr
in Kitchen Consumer

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ktr

ktr

Posted
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Lately, we have seen that some of the cereals containers have these pests/bugs. Upon looking further, we see this on lot of containers kept in the cabinets. And everyday for last couple of days, we are trying to find where all these are spread, and we can see lot of these on kitchen floor around wood corners in addition to the food containers.

 

For now, we went ahead threw all the food that were stored in the containers with bugs/pests. I would really appreciate if someone can point to what these bugs/pests are, and how to get rid of them. I've attached a pic. I've also captured a short video, and placed it in YouTube with the link:

 

IMG_20180402_190748.jpg

Edited by ktr (log)
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Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

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After watching the video a few more times, it looks sort of like a grain beetle.

Noting your general location may help.

 

 

Edited by DiggingDogFarm (log)

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
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How long is the bug?

 

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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ktr

ktr

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Posted
10 minutes ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

How long is the bug?

 

Very small. Difficult to see unless you closely look at. The video I captured was zoomed, and when bug moves, unless you are real close, you wouldn't even be able to tell its moving.

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Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

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3 minutes ago, ktr said:

Very small. Difficult to see unless you closely look at. The video I captured was zoomed, and when bug moves, unless you are real close, you wouldn't even be able to tell its moving.

 

Yeah, that's consistent with a sawtoothed grain beetle.

They're no more than an 1/8th of an inch long.

http://www.controlling-pests.com/grain-beetle.html

Edited by DiggingDogFarm (log)

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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ktr

ktr

Posted
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Posted
Just now, DiggingDogFarm said:

 

Yeah, that's consistent with a sawtooth grain beetle.

They're no more than an 1/8th of an inch long.

Know of any remedies for controlling/eliminating these ? Does it spread pretty fast ?

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Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

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Posted
Just now, ktr said:

Know of any remedies for controlling/eliminating these ? Does it spread pretty fast ?

 

I honestly don't know, I've only seen them in barns, not at home.

Contact Texas A&M AgriLife Extension or their entomology department to confirm that they're sawtoothed grain beetles.

They'll have suggestions for control.

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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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Dogchef

Dogchef

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Posted

Can't see the pic very well on my browser.

We've had infestations of little tiny dark brown long/oval beetles ~2-3 mm long x 1-2mm wide.

GF brought bags of dried chilis back from TX (we live in Canada)..a few months later the pantry had beetles everywhere.

They ate through any/every plastic bag..even thin plastic jars

Thought we got rid of them but they were back a few months later.

Dumped everything, sprayed / dusted with Permethrin (only need ~0.5-0.25%)

All spices/grains/foods now in mason jars..so far so good for years!

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ClarenceGilbert

ClarenceGilbert

Posted
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How is your situation now? Hope so the problem must have been resolved. How did you deal with it? When we shifted to our new home, we encountered that we have a roaches infestation all over our kitchen shelves and they have also entered in our food containers. We sprinkled some boric powder, sealed our drains and cleaned all over. The containers were also replaced with airtight boxes. But after a few days, when we again witnessed those creepy crawlers in our kitchen, we decided to call exterminator NJ for the help. They fixed all the entry points and also sprayed the area. The situation is much better after that. It's a happy and healthy home again!

Edited by ClarenceGilbert (log)
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