Pest Control Services
Stored Product Pest Management
Stored product pests are a huge problem for everyone who handles food. They often arrive in boxes of goods from factories as larvae, very quickly damage thousands of dollars of dried goods, and often require the disposal of others to prevent fines or closure from a third-party inspection.
The Indian meal moth
The eggs of the Indian meal moth are whitish, ovate and very small, difficult to see without a microscope. They are deposited on the grain surface singly or in groups of twelve to thirty. Newly hatched larvae are very small and difficult to see; fully grown larvae are one-half to five-eighths of an inch long with a brownish head capsule. Larvae spin a web as they mature and leave silken threads wherever they crawl. Loosely clinging webbing on the grain is characteristic of this pest.
These insects lay between 100 and 300 eggs that hatch in 2 to 14 days. Imagine the havoc if just one is in a product that is being shipped.
The damage they do
Direct damage to grain is the result of larvae feeding on the seed germ. In grain sold for human or animal consumption, feeding reduces the dry weight while water absorption can increase weight and invite mold. The biggest reduction in value comes from contamination by larvae that leave droppings and silken webs in the product. The presence of live insects and insect parts can result in dockage of the grain when sold. Other stored product pests, such as grain beetles and weevils, do similar and sometimes worse damage.
What do you do?
Call us at 212-685-0505. We will come over, give you a free inspection to determine the problem and set up a plan specific to your needs. Our supermarket and food distribution teams receive specialized training in stored product pests and compliance, and only Abalon offers a Certified 7-Point Control Program approved by the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets.