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This publication describes common fabric pests, their habits, and what to do if you find an infestation of these pests and how to prevent damage.
Grain products and other foodstuffs kept in kitchen cabinets, pantries, or storage areas can arrive infested or become infested with insects and other arthropods. These food thieves are colloquially referred to as “pantry pests'' since they invade foods that are frequently stored in the pantry. Most human food products, and even pet or wild animal foods, are susceptible to damage by stored product pests. Beetles (Order: Coleoptera) and moths (Order: Lepidoptera) are the most important insect groups responsible for contamination of foodstuffs in the United States, so we will focus on these groups for this fact sheet.