Discovering “insects” in your breakfast cereal may be disgusting, but it isn’t unusual because many insects like to eat what we eat. Stored foods commonly infested include flour, cereals, cracked grains, baking mixes and processed foods, crackers, macaroni, cured meats, powdered milk, dried fruits, nuts, popcorn, and spices. Insects that feed on these products may also infest other grain-based items such as pet foods, birdseed, and ornamental corn.
Several stages (egg, larva, pupa, and adult) of these insects may be present at the same time in infested products. Because we keep our houses warm, these insects may continually reproduce and many stored product infestations can be found nearly any time of the year.
The first indication of an infestation is often the presence of small brown beetles, moths or worms in cupboards or on counters. Upon closer inspection, insects may also be found in opened packages or containers of food and in the cracks and crevices of cupboards. Unopened packages may also become infested because some of these insects can readily chew into cardboard and foil packaging. Insects can be brought into the home along with infested food products. They can multiply and spread to other stored foods.
The Indian meal moth is the most common food-infesting moth found in homes, grocery stores and any place where dried pet foods are produced or stored. Food infested with these insects will have silk webbing present, especially near the food surface.
These common insects scavenge and feed on an animal matter like dried meats, dead insects, hides, and woolens. The species that feed on wool and other natural fibers or blends are called carpet beetles. Closely related species, such as the warehouse beetle, varied carpet beetle, and larder beetle, have expanded their diet and also feed on grain and grain-based products. They are especially common in flour and cereals but also are found in candy, cocoa, cookies, cornmeal, nuts, pasta, dried spices and many other dry foods.
The Sawtoothed grain beetle is another very common pantry pest. It does not feed on intact whole grains but feeds on many processed food products such as breakfast food, bran, dried fruits, nuts, sugar, chocolate, and macaroni. It is especially fond of oatmeal and birdseed. These flat beetles can even get into sealed boxes and packages of food.
Stout beetles are common in homes where they attack pet food, cereals, spices, drugs, tobacco and other packaged foods. Because they closely resemble each other, they are often confused. The heads of both beetles are tucked under the prothorax and are not visible from above. Both are brown and about the same size.
The two beetles can be distinguished by their wing covers. The wing covers of the drugstore beetle have rows of longitudinal grooves, while those of the cigarette beetle are smooth.
Drugstore beetles: The drugstore beetle will feed on bread, but it will also feed on any dried, food-based material. It will damage book bindings. It has been found to perforate tinfoil and sheet lead and easily chews through the most food packaging material.
Cigarette beetles: The cigarette beetle derives its name from its serious infestations of stored tobacco. Adult beetles are about 1/8-inch long, light brown and oval. The most common food materials include pet food, cereal, peppers, spices, raisins, and seeds.
Flour Beetles
There are a number of species of tiny beetles that infest flour, but the two most common flour beetles are the confused and red flour beetles. These beetles are scavengers in that they cannot attack whole grains but rely on other insects to damage the kernels first. In homes, they can be found feeding on flour, cracked grains, cake mixes, beans, peas, dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, spices, and tobacco.
Granary and Rice Weevils
These insects damage whole grains or seeds. They generally do not feed on flour or cereals unless it has become caked.
Adult weevils are very similar. Both are dark reddish-brown and range in size from 1/8 to 3/16-inch long. They have a long snout projecting from the head and wing covers with distinct ridges.
They feed on whole grains, these insects are more likely to be a problem in grain bins and warehouses, but it is possible to have infestations in homes. Most common sources are popcorn, birdseed, decorative Indian corn, and nuts.
Now ‘bugged’ pakoda in IRCTC meal after the dead lizard, cockroach
5 August 2017, News X
Mohammad Azad Ali, who was traveling in Sampark Kranti Express in Coach S-9 was shocked when he found a bug in the pakoda which was served to him by the train’s pantry service. The incident took place on August 2.
Incidents of dead insects, vermin being found in food served by Indian Railways are happening on the daily basis.
The quality just doesn’t seem to improve and such cases continue to happen even after the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) after their survey of food being served by Indian Railways mentioned that it was unfit for consumption.
But amidst all this when the passengers are creating hue and cry, it’s hard to say whether the concerned authorities are taking any action to curb all this.
Woman bites into insect from iced coffee in Yishun’s coffee shop
By Mandy How, June 18, 2017, Mothership
In another episode of food-invading insects, a woman has discovered a black critter in her iced coffee by sucking and biting into it, no less.
The incident occurred at 925 Chicken Rice, a coffee shop in Yishun Central 1.
In another episode of food-invading insects, a woman has discovered a black critter in her iced coffee by sucking and biting into it, no less.
The incident occurred at 925 Chicken Rice, a coffee shop in Yishun Central 1.
The above articles inform about the nuisance caused by the pests to food and the problem needs to be noticed seriously.
And for the same problem, we at C Tech Corporation have come up with a viable solution.
The conventional methods used to get rid of the pests include use insecticidal baits, glue boards, and traps. However, these solutions are temporary and do not provide an effective solution against the pest nuisance in the pantry. The use of conventional fumigants, insecticides is no longer considered to be an effective solution to get rid of the insect infestation as these insects are becoming increasingly resistant to them. Also, fumigation is a tedious, time consuming and an expensive method and is highly toxic. Exposure to such chemicals for a long time can cause damage to lungs, nervous system and even paralysis in severe cases. Therefore, we are in urgent need of an infallible plan to combat the problem of increasing number of insects.
C Tech Corporation has come up with an impeccable solution named as Termirepel™ to counteract problems caused by such insects.
Combirepel™ is a blend of smart technology and green chemistry which is developed against these insects. It is the best solution which not only reduces insect infestation in food and pantries but also reduces the colonial expansion.
Combirepel™ an anti-insect additive at C Tech Corporation product is an ideal solution for the prevention and control of insect infestation in food and pantries.
Combirepel™ is an extremely low concern, low-toxic, non-hazardous and non-mutagenic INSECT aversive.
Combirepel™ is available in many forms i.e. masterbatch, liquid concentrate, and lacquer.
Combirepel™ liquid concentrate can be mixed in paints in a pre-determined ratio and can be applied to the interior and exterior of food storage rooms, kitchens, and pantry, food warehouses etc. to keep pests out of these places.
Combirepel™ lacquer can be directly applied directly to the already installed applications like the wooden and polymeric racks and pallets, kitchen trolleys, etc. used around the areas of food.
The masterbatch can be incorporated in the polymeric applications used for storing foodstuff. The polymeric racks, pallets, food containers etc. can be manufactured using our masterbatch.
Our product works on the mechanism of repellency. It temporarily inhibits the mating cycle of the insects. The product impairs the ability of the insects to reproduce, that is the insects will not lay eggs or the laid eggs will be infertile. The product causes feeding disruption in an insect by triggering an unpleasant reaction within the insect which might try to feed on the application. The product temporarily blocks the reproduction system of the insects by hindering the release of the vital hormones for growth.
Combirepel™ is thermally stable and does not degrade on exposure to heat and sunlight. It does not kill or harm the insect but repels them. It does not volatilize and does not degrade the soil. It is RoHS, RoHS2, ISO, REACH, APVMA, NEA compliant and FIFRA exempted.
Contact us at technical.marketing@ctechcorporation.com to keep the pests away.
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