These truly can be a "pest" and are collectively named as a group of pantry pests.

• Pantry pests have an appetite for stored food products (people and pet foods) such as: flour, cereal, dry pasta, dry pet food, powdered milk, corn starch, crackers, spices, breads, bird seed, dried nuts and fruit.
• When foodstuffs are stored in paper containers and go unused for long periods of time, pantry pests become a problem. Infestations can be persistent and is vitally important to eradicate these pests.
• Pantry pests are brought into homes in packaged foods, although they may enter from outside sources. The presence of pantry pests in the home does not necessarily reflect on the cleaniness of the housekeeper.
• Beetles or moths are the main pests. They are easily dedtected in their adult stage as they often leave the infested material behind when they go searching for locations, or are attracted to lights.
• Caterpillars or grubs represent he larval or immature stages of pantry pests spending most of their life in the infested material. They are usually similar in color to the food that they are living in.
• The eggs are quite small and usually go unnoticed. Corners or cracks in the cupboards or packaging will harbor the pupal stage.
• Depending on temperature, relative humidity, and the quality of the food supply will determine the length of their life cycle.
• Pantry pests can complete several generations in one year and can also breed continuously as they usually exist in favorable conditions. Stored product pests are usually brought into the home in an infested package of food.
• Infestations are very easy to overlook because of their small size especially the egg and larval stages.
• The first indication of the infestation is the appearance of small moths flying about or the presence of beetles in or near the food packaging.

TIPS + PREVENTION MEASURES

• Ensure exposed food is placed in containers with tight-fitting lids .
• Regular cleaning of the shelves helps to prevent infestation of stored food products by pantry pests.
• Certain pantry pests need only small amounts of food to live and breed.
• Origination of pantry peats can come from food-processing plants or warehouses.
• Broken packages should not be purchased under any circumstances. If a broken seal is discovered it should immediately exchanged, for the chance of these being infested is greater than for perfectly sealed ones.
• Do not mix together old and new lots of foodstuffs. If old material is infested, the pest will quickly invade the new.
• If you are in doubt about material being infested, place it in a plastic bag where you will be able to catch anything that emerges. Somethimes it takes at least a month for the adults to emerge. 
• Packages that have been opened for the removal of a portion of the contents and then left unsealed for long periods will most likely cause infestions.
• Some of the pests may find their way into other food packages. Pantry pests found in a single package may become so numerous that large numbers may find their way into every suitable material in the home. They will  eventually crawl over floors, climb up walls, and around windows.
• Ensure old containers are cleaned before filling them with fresh food as they may be contaminated and cause a new infestation.
• Make sure that cabinets and storage units are tight and can be cleaned easily reguarly.
• Store bulk materials, such as pet foods, in storage containers with tight-fitting lids.
• Keep storage units dry as moisture favors the development of pantry pests; dryness discourages them.
• Some pantry insects breed in the nests of rodents and insects. They may migrate from these into homes therefore eliminate any nests found in or near the home.
• Pantry pests can also breed in rodent baits so frequently check and discard infested baits.
• Low or high temperatures can be used to control infestateion when packages of food are found to be infested with moths or beetles. Due to insects being cold-blooded, their body temperatures closely follow that of their environment.
• Pantry pests favourable temperature is about 80°F. Above 95°F or below 60°F, reproduction and survival is greatly reduced.
• When temperatures are lowered, insect activity decreases until all activity stops. The quicker the temperature is lowered, the quicker the kill.
• Although pantry pests will be killed, their bodies will remain in the food unless sieved out.
• Temperatures of 5°F or lower and exposure for 2-3 days kills the more susceptible stages (larvae and adults), but eggs require longer to kill (3 weeks).

Fabric pests are a pest nuisance due to their ability to digest and utilize keratin as an energy source. This rare ability to digest keratin along with our widespread use of wool and other animal hair is the basis of fabric pest problems in our societies.

• A thorough inspection of infested premises to find all sources of infestation is the first thing to be done.
• Insects of the remaining groups, crickets, silverfish and cockroaches usually feed on substances other than fabrics. However, these insects will feed on fabrics, especially when the fabric has food or perspiration stains on it.

After damage to fabric is discovered, the insect pest is usually no longer present when the damage is found. 

• Investigation is required. Look for live or dead insects. Live insects may be harder to find as they avoid the light, hiding in the folds of the fabric or in the cracks and crevices of closets. A tip to find dermestid larvae is to shake the damaged fabric over the middle of a white sheet spread out on the floor. Live adult carpet beetles and clothes moths are rarely found as they do not feed on fabric. Check on the window sills as Carpet beetles can be found dead. Clothes moth adults do not feed.
• Look for cast skins of larvae, insect fragments and products often found with damaged fabric or fur.  Clothes moths will often leave silken webbing, cases, pupae or frass in the damaged fabrics and will help identify the pest.
• Carpet beetles and clothes moths can digest keratin, a component of animal hair, which includes wool, fur and feathers. Fabric made of wool blends may also be damaged along with silk items.The other fabric pests tend to damage fabrics only if the fabrics are stained with food or perspiration.

Fabric insects cause significant damage in commercial and residential areas. Fabrics destroyed include woollens, furs, hairs, leathers and feathers. 

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