Flour Beetle Control

Most Effective Products

Pyrid Insecticide Aerosol
Aerosol
As low as $27.99
Flex 10-10 Insecticide
Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC)
As low as $54.99
Pro-Pest Pantry Moth & Beetle Traps
Glue Trap
As low as $7.21
Keith's Pro Tips

"For the best possible results in removing Flour Beetles, we suggest tossing out everything in your pantry, even unopened new containers. Completing this preliminary step properly and being thorough in your approach is half the battle. Don't leave anything to chance."

Flour Beetle Control: How To Get Rid of Flour Beetles

This page is a general is a Flour Beetle control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you will get control of Flour Beetles. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Flour Beetles.

It can be quite alarming to go into your pantry to pull out your flour only to realize that it is crawling with Flour Beetles. Flour beetles are a pantry pest that is becoming a more common problem in households, grocery stores, and commercial food packing facilities.

Since Flour Beetles are known to infest mills and food processing and packaging facilities, many times they are mistakenly packaged and taken home by homeowners in infested packages. From there the Flour Beetle can infest the package and food to other food items in the pantry.

Large infestations of Flour Beetles can potentially cause hundreds of dollars of food damage. This is why if you have Flour Beetles crawling around in your pantry, action must be taken quickly to prevent the risk of significant damage and contamination.

In this DIY guide, we will share with you everything you need to control Flour Beetles so you can eliminate this pest properly. Follow along to learn the best product to use and techniques to carry out to get rid of Flour Beetles from your pantry effectively.

Identification

In order to perform the right treatment strategy, you need to make sure you’re dealing with Flour Beetles and not some other pest. Misidentification can lead to using incorrect treatment methods, which will cost you time and money. Keep an eye out for the traits shared below to help you in identifying Flour Beetles:

flour beetle identification how to get rid of red flour beetles

  • Flour Beetle is a catch-all term used to describe two main types of Flour Beetle species—the Confused Flour Beetle and the Red Flour Beetle.
  • Adult Flour beetles measure 1/8th of an inch long and appear reddish-brown in color. Flour beetles don’t like to eat or lay eggs in grain, but will readily eat and drop eggs in flour and cereal products.
  • Both of these Flour Beetle species look nearly identical and in fact, that is why one is named the “Confused” Flour Beetle because of how often they can be mistaken with the red flour beetle.
  • The way to best tell these two Flour Beetle species apart is by looking at their antennae (with a magnifying glass). The Red Flour Beetle antennae stops abruptly in a distinct, three-segmented club while the Confused Flour Beetle's antennae gets gradually larger towards the tip and ends with a four-segmented club.
  • While the red flour beetle adults are exceptional fliers, the confused flour beetle doesn’t fly at all. Both flour beetle species have shiny, reddish-brown colored bodies and are about the same size and shape.

Use the description and image above to help you to properly identify Flour Beetles in your home. If you need help with identification, reach out to a University Extension Service or call us for assistance.

Inspection

Once you have properly identified that you have Flour Beetles, you need to know the areas where they are infesting. During the inspection, you will focus on finding these problem "hotspots" where Flour Beetles are commonly found.

red flour beetle identification how to get rid of flour beetles

Where To Inspect

Since most infestations occur in pantry food products you should start inspection in the pantry. Inspect your cabinets and shelves well. Search inside the food packaging of grains, flour, cereals, pasta, starches, spices, herbs, and pet food.

What To Look For

You’re looking for the contaminated item that started the infestation. Inspect all the areas where the food goods are stored and the places mentioned above. Search every package until you find adult Flour Beetles or Larvae crawling inside the products. You should also look for cracks and crevices in your pantry for possible hiding areas. Once you have found Flour Beetle larvae or adults, this is where you will apply the treatment.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Flour Beetle activity, it is time to begin treatment. Remember to read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

To get rid of Flour Beetle infestations, you will need to empty out your entire pantry and throw away all of your stored products and conduct a detailed vacuuming and wipe down of all the shelves. Once that is complete you will then apply Pyrid Aerosol and Flex 10-10 to kill adult Flour Beetles and halt the development of eggs and larvae. Finally, you should place Pro-Pest Pantry Moth and Beetle Traps to capture any Grain Beetles lingering around after treatment.

Step 1 - Preliminary Cleanup and Vacuuming

Vacuuming empty pantry shelves

Eliminating a Flour Beetle infestation starts with a thorough cleanup of your pantry. Begin by throwing away all the food items in your pantry. This may sound excessive, but odds are if you found one infested item there’s a good chance that more than one item is infested. It is best to take no chances and throw away everything and start restocking your pantry from scratch after treatment.

Use a vacuum to clean inside the areas where food goods are stored. Vacuum the corners, sides, top, and bottom of pantries, shelves, cabinets, and the areas where food goods are stored. Next, take a cloth soaked in soapy water and wash the inside of the cabinets, shelves, and pantries. When vacuuming is complete, toss out the bag or clean the canister with warm soapy water.

Use a toothpick to clear out and clean the pegs where the screws are located, these areas are notorious for holding eggs. Next, if needed, use caulking to seal and close off any crack and crevices inside these areas to prevent the infestation from spreading.

Make sure all the cabinets, pantries, and shelves are completely empty and there are no food items inside before applying our professional products. 

Step 2 - Treat Cracks and Crevices with Pyrid Aerosol

Pyrid application in pantry crack

Pyrid Aerosol is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide that is used as a flushing agent and is effective as a crack and crevice treatment inside pantries. Flour Beetles are known crawl in small spaces and lay eggs, so applying this will flush them out and kills them with contact.

Pyrid comes with a crack-and-crevice applicator to allow the product to more precisely treat your cracks and crevices. To use, remove the white applicator from the top of the can and replace it with the red straw tip applicator.

Shake the can and then spray along the length of crack and crevices of your pantry shelving in quick bursts usually at about 1 second of spray per foot. Pyrid will flush pests out of these areas. It will not leave behind a residual but will provide an immediate knockdown after flushing invading Flour beetles out.

Step 3 - Apply Flex 10-10

Spraying Flex 10-10 Along Crevice in Pantry

After applying Pyrid to your cracks and crevices, apply Flex 10-10. Flex 10-10 is a pyrethroid insecticide that has a residual effect of up to 30 days that will kill Flour Beetles long after application. 

Use Flex 10-10 as a general surface spray to spot treat the pantry shelves. First you would need to dilute the appropriate amount of Flex 10-10 into a pump sprayer. Calculate the square footage of your pantry (length x width = square footage) and based on your calculations mix the Flex 10-10 at a rate of 3.2 fl. oz. per gallon to treat 750 sq. ft. of surface area. For heavy infestations, use 6.4 fl. oz. per gallon. Fill the sprayer with a half-gallon of water, add the appropriate amount of Flex 10-10, then fill the rest of the way with water and shake the sprayer.

Apply the Flex 10-10 as a low-pressure fan spray along the back and side edges of the pantry shelving where the shelf meets the wall. Keep all people and pets away from the treated area until dry. Once the product has dried completely, you can stock your pantry again.

Step 3: Pro-Pest Pantry Moth and Beetle Traps

Pro-Pest Traps on a Pantry Shelf

Pro-Pest Pantry Moth and Beetle Traps are pantry insect traps that carry pheromones impregnated in the glue that will lure the pests to the trap. They can be set on shelves or hung to capture many different crawling or flying insects.

To use, simply peel off the wax paper and fold the trap into a tent shape to target any remaining Flour Beetles following the Novacide spraying. Place the trap on the sides of shelving where it will not get smashed and is out of the reach of children and pets. These traps will stay effective for at least 3 months and will cover 300 sq. ft. of monitored area.

Prevention

After clearing out the Flour Beetle infestation, you will need to carry out preventative measures to ensure they don't make a return.

Prevent Flour Beetles by sealing food in hard plastic containers.

Here are the following measures we suggest taking:

  • Make sure to check your food packaging before buying dried boxed food items, like checking for holes, tears, and rips which might indicate that the food item is already infested.
  • Also, start transferring your food goods (cereals, grains, flours) from their original packaging into air-tight plastic or metal containers to prevent an infestation or to isolate an existing one.
  • Get in the habit of buying only a week’s worth of food goods rather than an excessive amount, this will prevent you from having stored foods for long periods of time (months and years) which can open the possibility of creating an infestation.
  • Keep up with regular pesticide applications of Flex 10-10 every 30 days and check Pro-Pest Pantry Traps regularly to monitor pests every 3 months.

Key Takeaways

What are Flour Beetles?

  • Flour Beetles are a pantry pest known for creating large infestations and contaminating flour and other pantry items. 

How To Get Rid of Flour Beetles

  • To kill and remove Flour Beetles, we recommend thoroughly emptying out and cleaning your pantry before applying Pyrid Aerosol, Flex 10-10 Insecticide and placing Pro-Pest Pantry and Beetle Traps to control Flour Beetle infestations.

Preventing Flour Beetle Reinfestation

  • Prevent future infestations of Flour Beetles by reducing clutter in your pantry, checking your dried food groceries before putting them away, and storing food in hard plastic containers.
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