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Struggling with pests? Share your details and our experts will build a safe, effective plan for you.
Stored product pests, also known as Pantry pests, are various insects and other creatures that infest and feed on dry, processed, and stored food products commonly found in business storage areas, as well as household pantries and cupboards.
The most common stored product insects (SPI) are various beetles and moths, along with booklice. Businesses that handle any kind of cereal, grain or dried food products are at risk of infestation from stored product insects and can face serious financial loss and reputational damage as a result. Don’t put your business at risk.
Contaminated goods can lead to costly recalls and disposal
Infestations spread rapidly in food storage and production areas
Legal and regulatory penalties
Persistent insects damage packaging and stored stock
Non-compliance with food hygiene standards
Loss of consumer trust after product contamination
We understand that stored product insect (SPI) infestations are more than an inconvenience. From beetles in packaging to moth larvae in flour, SPIs can quickly ruin valuable stock and compromise your reputation.
Our proactive, sustainable, and tailored pest control solutions help food manufacturers, distributors, and retailers:
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Biscuit Beetle (Stegobium paniceum)
These tiny beetles bore into biscuits, dry basked goods as well as spices. Their larvae feed inside products, leaving powdery residue and contamination.
Cigarette Beetle (Lasioderma serricorne)
Often found in tobacco, spices, and cereals, these beetles reproduce rapidly, infesting packaged goods.
Confused Flour Beetle (Tribolium confusum)
Flour and cereal stocks are prime targets. Larvae cause visible damage and reduce product quality.
Sawtoothed Grain Beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis)
Infests flour, cereals, and dried fruits, often going unnoticed until damage is severe.
Mediterranean Flour Moth (Ephestia kuehniella)
Lays eggs in flour, meal, and grain-based products. Larvae spin silken webs that can ruin entire batches.
Indian Mealmoth (Plodia interpunctella)
Larvae feed on grains, nuts, and dried fruits, producing sticky webbing that contaminates products.
Rice Weevil (Sitophilus oryzae)
Targets stored grains like rice, corn, and wheat, reducing viability and market value.
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The food industry is at risk from the presence of stored product insects, which can contaminate food, compromise products and damage reputation. Our eco-friendly services reduce the risks to your business or home, without compromising the environment.
Dedicated insect control experts
RSPH, NPTA accredited member, ISO certifications, and adherence to UK pest control regulations
UK wide coverage
Rapid response, local pest control teams and expertise available across England, Scotland, and Wales
45+ years’ experience
Proven track record of successfully protecting businesses, facilities, and homes across the UK
Sustainable methods
Pest solutions that are both effective and compliant with safety and hygiene regulations
Tailored approach
Designed to meet your sites long-term needs
“Nurture Pest Control have provided a very seamless implementation and has served our needs perfectly. I am delighted with the communication, reporting and quality of work completed by their team and confident they will continue to provide excellent pest protection for our customers. ”
Frank Maine, Property Contracts Manager, Hyde Group
Effortless
Our technicians will fully explain the proposed treatment before starting work and arrange follow-up visits if required. After identifying the species and scale of infestation our tailored plan may include non-chemical heat treatments or space treatments using food-safe insecticides. We can also implement control methods such as cleaning, sealing entry points and recommendations on storage and ventilation that comply fully with food safety guidelines.
Inspection
We’ll attend your premises to determine the species and root cause of the problem and draw up a management plan.
Elimination
Once any housekeeping or proofing issues that have led to or exacerbated the problem have been rectified, one of our technicians will complete a thorough treatment of the area to rid you of the infestation.
Proactive control
We will arrange periodic visits to monitor pest activity and maintain traps (some of which can be monitored remotely) to give you peace of mind. And we can train your staff to spot early signs of any future infestation.
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Stored product insects are one of the most common – and most overlooked – threats in food storage and processing. A single outbreak in flour, grains, or packaged goods can quickly spread across your site, leading to wasted stock, failed audits, and reputational damage that takes years to repair.
We know the food industry inside out. From bakeries and mills to warehouses and production facilities, we’ve helped businesses tackle everything from flour beetles and rice weevils to Indian meal moths. Our technicians work strictly within UK food safety regulations, so you can be confident every treatment is safe, traceable, and audit-ready.
If you have a problem with stored product pests, give us a call on 0800 783 0011 and we will attend at a time that offers the least disruption and put together a treatment plan to resolve the infestation.
Frequently asked questions
What are the signs of a stored product insect infestation?
Look for small insects, larvae, or moths in food packages, damaged or chewed packaging, webbing or silk, unusual odours, or clumped/powdery grains and flours. Spotting these early helps prevent infestations from spreading.
Which stored product insects are the most common in commercial settings?
The most common stored product insects in commercial sites include flour and grain beetles, weevils, pantry moths, cigarette and biscuit beetles. These pests can contaminate food, damage packaging, and cause stock loss if not managed promptly.
Which businesses are most affected by stored product insects (SPI)?
Any business that produces or handles dried food products, grains or cereals is at risk of loss from stored product insects. This includes supermarkets, restaurants, and food storage warehouses, as well as food manufacturing and processing facilities.
How can you prevent SPI’s?
You can help prevent future problems and the spread of any infestations through good storage and hygiene practices.
Stop insects gaining access to the food by storing food products which come in flimsy packaging, such as cardboard or plastic bags (cereal, dry pet food etc), in tightly sealed containers.
What is a stored product pest?
A stored product pest is an insect that infests and damages stored food, raw ingredients, or packaged goods. These pests can be found in warehouses, food production facilities, retail stores, and even domestic pantries. Common examples include beetles, weevils, pantry moths, and flour pests.
Stored product insects can enter the food chain at any point, and they don’t do this just to eat the products: they make their home and breed in them too. Some species can eat their way through packaging to gain access to food.
Most stored product insects fall under either beetles or moths. These have four stages to their life cycle (egg, larva, pupa and adult) and simply eradicating the adult insects will not be enough to get rid of an infestation.
