Getting Rid of Bugs from Your Spice Rack

Thanksgiving is technically done, but your holiday cooking responsibilities may not be. Some of you may have brought your own side dish to a Thanksgiving gathering and shared it with your family over the turkey supper. That means you'll likely have to cook yet another meal for Christmas dinner if this is your family's customary practice. Even if you enjoy cooking, you probably had to scour every nook and cranny of your kitchen for the herbs and spices you hadn't seen since the holidays a year ago. For your Christmas dinner preparation, you may want to check to see if the old spices are free of any insects. You may have to call an insect exterminator right away!

Insects on Your Spice Rack Is Not New

Believe it or not, your spices are the most likely to contain pests out of all the food items in your kitchen. Spices are a good example of nutrient-deficient foods that insect pests can eat because they have a symbiotic relationship with gut bacteria. Tobacco beetles and drugstore beetles are the most common insects discovered infesting spices because they have the stomach bacteria necessary for absorbing nutrition from low-nutrient foods. So, cigarette beetles get their name because they eat tobacco, which is devoid of any vital nutrition. Cigarette beetles can turn tobacco into nutrition with the help of the bacteria in their gut, making it a natural insect repellent. Spices are a great food source for pharmacy beetles and cigarette beetles.

Don't be fooled by the name. In addition to tobacco goods, cigarette beetles are attracted to cereals, nuts and pet food. In fact, they've been found in dried herbs and spices, including paprika. These beetles have a humpback form and are light brown in color. Openings in windows, crevices in entrances and foundation cracks are common entry points for them, but they can also enter through infested items brought into your home. None can beat these except exterminators.

What Steps to be taken?

It is not uncommon for spices to be infested with insect pests before they are acquired by the consumer. For one thing, most spices offered in America are imported, and it's not uncommon for them to be infested with insects. Although it may seem impossible, the Food and Drug Administration believes that up to 12 percent of all imported spices contain insect body parts or complete insects. So, the next time you reach for your paprika, keep that in mind.

Make an insect-free spice rack by calling for insect exterminator in OKC from Mother Nature’s Pest & Lawn.