There is hardly a food item in the kitchen or food pantry that can escape being infested by some pest if it remains unused and exposed in some dark corner or drawer long enough. All items are susceptible, including spices, hot pepper, ice cream cones, and even cereals, grits, and cake mixes. Dried flower arrangements and stuffed furniture and toys, though not foods, often harbor infestations. Stored food pests are responsible for millions of dollars of loss every year in stored foods and other products. Most of the stored food pests can reproduce quickly and have several to many generations in a year.
Many species are active all year under suitable conditions.
In some areas of the United States, cockroaches are also a problem. Although there are many different kinds of insects that attack stored food, the damage they produce and the control procedures are similar. Large populations of these food pests may develop in unused or undisturbed foods, which were infested when purchased. A food package left open and not tightly sealed after use can also lead to infestation. From the infested food packages the pests may spread to other exposed food.