Have you noticed undesirable bugs in your dog’s food? Many aspects can affect these types of problems, such as seasonal changes. If you have seen them, you better pay attention and attack the problem as soon as possible to avoid a worse infestation.
Your dog’s food has many vitamins, nutrients, proteins, and carbohydrates that can attract many pests such as flies, weevils, ants, and beetles. All of these pests eat and lay their eggs in wet and dry dog food.
You should always store your dog’s food correctly to keep it safe and avoid these pests. Here’s how you can get rid of these bugs and keep them away from your dog’s food.
What Are The Bugs In Your Dog’s Food?
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Many different bugs can enter and eat dog food. Everything will depend on the area and the spices that are native to that place. You can see that different bugs can change depending on the temperature and the season.
You may find the most common pests in your dog’s food are worms, flies, beetles, ants, and weevils.
Common Bugs Found In Dog Food
Warehouse beetle
This is one of the most common mistakes you will find in dog food and treats. As its name implies, this type of beetle can be anywhere dry food is stored, such as basements, cabinets, warehouse, garage, etc.
They are surviving pests, as they are scavengers, they are used to being in bad conditions. Although all pests can be a problem, this type of beetle can give you more problems than you think. Its life cycle can be from 30 to 40 days.
The female can lay up to 100 eggs in a single food source, and they hatch in approximately six days. That is why these bugs can spread quickly, so you must detect them as soon as possible.
Worms in dog food
These are the larval form of moths; these bugs can come from various pets and even come from the factory. The weevils are worms when they are larvae, and turn a cocoon, and from there, the moths emerge.
If you see worms in your food, you may also have moths. The most common types are flour weevils and grain weevils, also called sawtooth. Weevils are bugs capable of eating an entire bag of dog food quickly.
Ants
These are pests that, although they are not harmful, are very annoying and can be relentless. When they have the way to enter, you will see that they will continue to arrive without stopping. Many people have dealt with these bugs at some point in life because they enter homes through any hole.
If you see ants in your dog’s food on your plate, don’t worry and stay calm. Like other bugs, ants are attracted to food but do not tunnel like beetles.
They do not break bags or enter closed containers; they will take advantage of an open food bag.
How To Eliminate Bugs In Dog Food?
To get rid of pests in your dog’s food, you must disinfect cabinets, shelves, or spaces with contaminated products. You should remove all products and clean thoroughly with a strong liquid solution like vinegar with water.
The vinegar will allow you to clean and disinfect the area; this solution will not be harmful or toxic to your pets or food. Check the corners, crevices, edges, and all places where these bugs can hide.
There are thousands of pest repellants that you can use to eliminate these bugs from your home. But if it is in your dog’s food, you should use products that are not harmful to your dog’s health. Among the products you can use to get rid of bugs safely are:
- Diatomaceous earth
- White vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- Bay leaves
- Peppermint oil
You can use these products and place them around your home, in cabinets or pantries. You should avoid putting peppermint oil or bay leaf directly in your dog’s food. The vinegar will need to be diluted 1:10 before your dog can ingest it.
You should prevent your pet from ingesting deterrent foods; these are one option to prevent insect infestations from affecting their food. Clean the area frequently to prevent any eggs or beetles from hiding around.
How to Keep Bugs Away From Dog Food?
If you have already managed to get rid of the bugs from your dog food, you should do an excellent job of preventing them from coming back:
Check your pet’s food when you bring it home.
Even if you do not plan to use the food immediately, you must open it and check it; in this way, you can check if there is evidence of bugs that come from the store.
Keep dog food in cold places.
You should not place the dog food in the sun or very hot places. If there is a poorly ventilated area or very hot, you should avoid storing food there. Experts recommend that you keep your dog’s food at a temperature below 26ºC.
Use airtight storage
Use food containers that are airtight so you can store food properly. This way, you can keep food fresh, and pests will be away.
You should avoid plastic containers that are cheap or normal food. Containers that have a rubber seal around the lid are great for holding dog food.
You can also use the pressurized clips that snap into the bottle to prevent any pests from entering. Stainless steel or glass containers are useful because they will prevent bacteria from growing.
Don’t hoard your pets’ food.
You should not buy large amounts of dog food to prevent them from suffering from an infestation. Store only the limited amount of dog food; you can place a part of the food bag in an airtight container.
The rest of the food left in the bag should be stored properly. Fold the rest of the bag to squeeze out the air and roll up the bag’s top and close it securely.
Freeze unused portions
Another useful trick is to freeze portions that you don’t want to use for too long. You must store them correctly so that they are preserved; this will only affect the texture and depend on how long they remain frozen.
Sanitize your closets or storage containers regularly
Clean all areas where dog food is stored to prevent them from carrying insect infestations.
