Spring is a great time to clean out your pantry, before moths and weevils move into action with the warmer weather. Many insects will make it into your pantry already in your rice or grains. Freezing these for 24 hours before putting in your pantry can help to keep infestations down.
The last thing you want to do is use fly spray or other insecticides near your food, so prevention is the way to go. Take out any food which shows signs of infestation – powders in the bottom of the packet, larvae or a fine web-like substance sticking to the packet. Throw out infected food and store the good food in airtight plastic bags or containers. Make sure you wash the shelves down well with plenty of warm water to get rid of any pupae which can be hidden in corners, cracks or hard to reach places.
Rub an essential oil, such as tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender or peppermint straight onto the shelves and insides of the cupboards, or you can place it on little cotton wool balls and have those all over the place.
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