Years ago, Termite Terry received a call from a professor at Chapman University. She said she was having a problem with beetles getting into all of her food at her home and asked if he could stop by for an inspection.
Termite Terry arrived at her home later that day and started by looking inside of her kitchen cabinets. Sure enough, he saw many of these beetles in various food items and flying around the kitchen.
After examining one of these pests, he determined that they were “Drugstore beetles.” He explained to her that Drugstore beetles feed on flour, breakfast cereals, dog food and almost any food they can find.
The first thing he said they would have to do is find all of the food items that were infested with these pests and dispose of them. One by one, they went through the items. Boxes were opened and packages were all carefully examined. Those foods in factory sealed glass containers and metal cans were not a concern because there was no way that one of these beetles could infest any of those. Terry filled up several large trash bags with infested food and he took them outside to his truck so he could haul them away.
Some of the items looked to be free of these pests and he told her to put those items in sealed plastic containers or to place them into the refrigerator or freezer for their protection.
After all of this work, they both thought they had solved the problem and Termite Terry went on his way to another appointment.
Several days later, she called back and said that the beetles were still flying all around her kitchen and living room. Termite Terry suggested they may have over looked something and he went back to her home.
What she said was true; the Drugstore beetles were flying all over the place. They inspected all the remaining food items but could find no evidence of anything being infested. By this time, she was becoming really frustrated with the situation and she decided it was time to throw all of her food away. They bagged up all of these remaining items and he took them outside to his truck.
Termite Terry was concerned that maybe she had some other food items stored in other areas of her home. They carefully went through all the other rooms, checking all of the cabinets, closets and drawers. A few other items were located but there were no signs of infestation. She was fed up with the situation and told him to throw them away, regardless of whether or not they saw any signs of pests.
They both agreed they had thrown everything away that could pose a problem and that there was nothing left for these pests to eat. Termite Terry told her to let him know if she had any further problems and went on his way.
Termite Terry was convinced he had solved this case and filed all of her paperwork away. But, a few days later, she called him at the office, only to tell him that the bugs were still there.
Oh, you should have seen the look on Termite Terry’s face when he heard her say that! Another appointment was set and he went back to her home.
When he got there, the Drugstore beetles were still flying around as if nothing had ever been done. She had another class to teach at the university, so she left him there to find the problem.
Termite Terry started another investigation and went through every single cabinet, closet and drawer in every room of the house to find the answer. He came up empty handed.
By this time, Termite Terry was completely mystified. In complete frustration, he sat down on her couch and was almost ready to start crying. All that was left for him to do was to say a prayer to God and ask him for an answer.
Termite Terry started thinking the case through, again. There was no doubt in his mind that these were Drugstore beetles. He knew what they liked to eat and where they lived. Where could these pests be? Was he going to have to start opening up the walls and take all the beds and couch apart?
While sitting there, he looked around the room, trying to decide where to start. He reached over to turn on the table lamp next to him.
When he turned on the light, he noticed that the lamp had a large base made of green glass. The lamp base looked rather odd – you don’t usually see items like this in a home. After closer examination, he noticed that the lamp base was filled with something. He got out his flashlight to take a closer look and he couldn’t believe what he saw – the lamp was filled with dried beans! He looked even closer and there was the answer. The dried beans were infested with Drugstore beetles! His prayer had been answered!
Termite Terry couldn’t wait any longer and he quickly called the professor to tell her what he had found. She didn’t even want to see it and told him to throw the lamp away. The case of the “mysterious beetles” was solved and he could finally close the books on this one.
Fortunately, not all pantry pest problems are this difficult to solve. If there is one lesson to learn from this story, it is that there is no substation for thorough inspections.
Do you have a problem with pantry pests in your home? Call us at (949) 631-7348 and we’ll be happy to investigate your case.
