Foods That Attract Pests (But Most People Still Store Them Wrong)
Flour – The Pantry Pest Paradise
Your bag of flour might look innocent enough, but it’s actually a magnet for some of the most persistent pantry pests you’ll ever encounter. Flour bugs, or weevils, are common pests that infest grains like flour, rice, and pasta. They’re usually harmless but can make food unappealing. These pests often hatch from eggs laid during milling and can infest packaged foods. The worst part? When people open new bags of flour, they might find bugs right on top of the flour, even in bags with expiration dates of 2025. Keeping flour in sealed containers, preferably in cool, dry places or even the freezer for longer-term storage, is key. Flour will keep several years when stored in the freezer, at approximately 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rice – The Weevil’s Favorite Hideout
Rice weevils are small, reddish-brown bugs commonly found in rice, as the name suggests. They can infest packages in stores or in your pantry. These tiny invaders are particularly sneaky because they can be incredibly difficult to spot. Some people see super tiny light brown bugs that are only visible when they move, sometimes requiring a flashlight to see them clearly. Rice can be stored for up to a year in the freezer. Some people store Basmati rice in airtight bins with loose cloves, reporting they’ve never had bugs in their rice. The key is understanding that these pests don’t just appear overnight – they’re often already there when you bring the rice home.
Bread – The Rodent’s Comfort Food
Think your bread is safe on the counter? Think again. Humans are not the only ones who love bread – rats and rodents also enjoy digging their teeth into it. While rats eat almost anything, rice, flour, grain, and processed foods are their preferred meal. What attracts these scurrying pests is the high caloric charge of bread. Rats are excellent at climbing and jumping, so avoid any open cupboard. Even just a few crumbs of bread are enough to attract pests, so thoroughly clean your chopping board, the table, and the floor after every meal. With their agility to move fast, jump, and climb, it’s not impossible for rats to down-climb from the roof to target open shelves where you store bread.
Sugar – The Sweet Magnet for Every Pest
Sugar isn’t just sweet to us – it’s irresistible to practically every pest that could invade your home. Ants love sweet, sugary foods, so honey, maple syrup, and jelly are right in their sights, providing excellent nourishment as they get a burst of energy from the sugar. Pantry mites are less than 1 millimeter and translucent or light buff to brown, feeding on flour, milk powder, sugar, corn meal, semolina, macaroni and cereal products. Pour the sugar from the bag into an opaque airtight container that is moisture- and odor-proof, with glass jars with lids being ideal storage containers. These pests are attracted by warm, damp, dark places, with kitchen cupboards being ideal environments, especially in summer.
Honey – Nature’s Pest Bait
Ants love sweet, sugary foods like honey, and most kitchens have spaces where these food items get spilled, leaving an attractive meal behind for these little critters. Ants are not the only pests with a sweet tooth – some stinging insects, like wasps, are also attracted to anything sweet and would love nothing more than filling up on your honey. The sticky nature of honey makes it particularly problematic because even tiny amounts can create a pest highway. After using honey, rinse the containers before storing them. After you’ve enjoyed your meal, take out the kitchen counter spray and a cleaning cloth to wipe down the area and make sure there’s no sweet residue beckoning all of these unwelcome critters to your home. The mistake most people make is not realizing that honey containers themselves become sticky on the outside, creating an invisible trail for ants to follow.
Maple Syrup – The Wasp’s Favorite Treat
Real maple syrup might be a breakfast staple, but it’s also a five-star dining experience for wasps and other insects. Some stinging insects, like wasps, are attracted to anything sweet and would love nothing more than filling up on your maple syrup. Be sure to use pure maple syrup, as pancake syrup (aka table syrup) is essentially flavored corn or high-fructose corn syrup. The problem isn’t just the syrup itself – it’s the residue that gets left behind. Store sweets safely by keeping sweets and sugary foods in sealed containers or in the refrigerator, and avoid leaving them out on countertops or tables. After using syrup, rinse the containers before storing them. Many people don’t realize that even a microscopic film of maple syrup can attract pests from surprising distances.
Cereal – The Beetle’s Breakfast Bar
Cereal products like flour, cake mix, cornmeal, rice, spaghetti, crackers, and cookies can be infested, with pantry pests most likely to infest products that have been opened. They can also get into unopened paper, thin cardboard, and plastic, foil or cellophane-wrapped packages by chewing their way into packages or crawling in through folds and seams. Flour beetles infest dried food products, such as flour, bran, cereal products, dried fruits, nuts and chocolate. Unfortunately, this is a fairly common occurrence, as there are a whole group of bugs that absolutely love to snack on pantry essentials like cereal. These insects lay their eggs on/in grains and given the right time and conditions they hatch, eat the food and grow, become adults, mate and lay more eggs.
Nuts – The Protein Powerhouse for Pests
Nuts might be healthy for you, but they’re also incredibly appealing to a variety of pests who recognize them as a premium protein source. Sawtoothed grain beetles are found in many different food items, including dried fruit, cereals, nuts, dried meat, macaroni and seeds. Warehouse and cabinet beetles feed on grain products, seeds, dried fruits, animal by-products, skins, fur, hair, and pet food. Flour beetles infest dried food products, such as flour, bran, cereal products, dried fruits, nuts and chocolate. The oils in nuts create particularly strong scents that can attract pests from considerable distances. Beetles burrow into nuts and seeds, turning them into breeding grounds. Most people store nuts in their original packaging, which is often insufficient to keep determined pests out.
Pet Food – The All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
Pet food deserves as much protection as human food, and in areas where wildlife is common, securing pet food is crucial as the scent can attract not just insects but also larger critters. Pantry pests can infest birdseed and dry pet food, just like other dry goods. Leftover kibbles can invite ants and other insects, so ensure bowls are cleaned after each meal and that no food is left to sit out. When serving pets, try not to leave food out for prolonged periods – this is not just about cleanliness but about breaking the cycle of attraction and access for pests. Airtight containers provide an odor-proof and pest-proof solution. The mistake many pet owners make is assuming that pet food bags are pest-proof, when in reality they’re often easier to breach than human food packaging.
Dried Fruits – The Mite’s Paradise
Pantry mites feed on dried fruit, along with flour, milk powder, sugar, corn meal, semolina, macaroni and cereal products. Sawtoothed grain beetles are found in dried fruit, cereals, nuts, dried meat, macaroni and seeds. Flour beetles infest dried food products including dried fruits. Dried fruits are particularly vulnerable because they retain natural sugars in concentrated form, making them incredibly attractive to pests. Regularly check fruits and vegetables for ripeness and dispose of any that are past their prime. Overripe or rotting fruits and vegetables emit strong odors that attract cockroaches, as these foods are easier for cockroaches to digest and the decomposition process releases gases and odors that can draw cockroaches from a considerable distance.
Spices – The Unexpected Pest Haven
Your spice rack might be harboring more than just flavor enhancers. Drugstore beetles feed on dried plant products such as spices, macaroni and other grain based foods, dried flowers, tobacco products and paper products. Cigarette beetles are most commonly found in dried dog food and paprika, while drugstore beetles are often in bread, flour, meal, breakfast foods, and spices like red pepper. Cinnamon harbors a big secret – the FDA allows up to 400 insect fragments per 50 grams (or ¼ cup) of cinnamon. Herbs like bay leaves and spices such as cinnamon can be potent deterrents against pantry pests when tucked into containers of flour, rice, and pasta. The irony is that while some spices can deter pests, others actually attract them, and most people have no idea which is which.
Chocolate – The Sweet Spot for Infestations
Flour beetles infest dried food products, such as flour, bran, cereal products, dried fruits, nuts and chocolate. Many pests are attracted to foods containing carbohydrates such as cakes, cookies, and other baked goods, with rats and mice loving the higher caloric density, while candy, cupcakes, and other sugary treats also attract pests like rodents, ants, and wasps. Chocolate is particularly problematic because it combines sugar, fat, and often nuts – creating a trifecta of pest attraction. The best way to prevent these invasive critters from coming into your home is to always keep baked goods and other sweets in an airtight container and clean up after yourself. Most people store chocolate in pantries at room temperature, which creates ideal conditions for pest development. The mistake is treating chocolate like a non-perishable when it’s actually quite vulnerable to infestation.
Peanut Butter – The Roach’s Favorite Snack
Rich in protein and fat, peanut butter is an irresistible treat for German cockroaches and may very well be the cause behind your roach problem, with a study showing that peanut butter attracts more German cockroaches than any other oily human food. The smell and taste of peanut butter are also a magnet for rats and mice, who revel in the spike of energy they get from eating this high-fat food. For the best chance of success in keeping pests away, always clean the outside of the jar of any oily residue or peanut butter spills and store it in a closed cupboard. The problem with peanut butter isn’t just the contents – it’s incredibly messy and leaves residue everywhere it’s used. Rodents like mice or rats will eat anything in sight and smell, and a loaf of bread with a spread of peanut butter is an excellent menu for this kind of pest.
Pasta – The Weevil’s Dream Home
If you find tiny bugs crawling inside boxes of pasta or rice, they could be rice weevils, grain beetles, or other pantry pests that have contaminated your food. Pasta, like other cereal products, can be infested by pantry pests, with these insects most likely to infest products that have been opened. Bay leaves can be tucked into containers of pasta to deter bugs, as they despise the scent. Ensure that pasta is stored in airtight containers, as this makes it difficult for pantry pests to access the food and lay eggs. Pantry pests are primarily attracted to dried food products, including pasta. The cardboard boxes that pasta typically comes in are like open doors for pests – they can easily chew through them or find weak spots to exploit.
Cooking Oils – The Grease Trap for Pests
Cooking oils might seem like an unlikely pest attractant, but their rich fat content makes them incredibly appealing to various insects and rodents. Rich in protein and fat, foods like peanut butter are irresistible treats for German cockroaches. Ants are particularly attracted to foods rich in sugar and fats. Food scraps left in the trash or on dirty dishes can attract cockroaches, as the decomposition process releases odors that are irresistible to these pests. Cooking oil spills and residue around bottles create invisible highways for pests to follow. It’s important to sweep and mop the floor regularly so that no food particles attract pests, and wipe down and clean all kitchen surfaces with disinfectant to remove any food odors, residue, or spills. Most people don’t realize that even tiny amounts of oil can attract pests, and oil bottles often have residue on the outside that serves as a beacon for unwanted visitors.
Did you think your kitchen was pest-proof? These 15 foods prove that even the most careful homeowners can unknowingly roll out the red carpet for unwanted guests.
