BAKING SUGGESTIONS

Fall often inspires seasonal baking, but before making pumpkin spice donuts or ginger cake, inspect your ingredients.

Inspect flour carefully: original packaging may not keep pantry pests out, and an infestation can spread quickly.

Signs of pantry insects

Pantry pests include flour beetles, weevils, Indianmeal moths and grain moths. Signs include small beetles or moths, package webbing, larvae and tiny holes.

Dry goods to inspect after finding pests

Pests found in one pantry item may have spread to others.

Inspect nearby flour, rice, pasta, cereal, grains, nuts, dried fruit, pet food, spices, baking mixes and unopened packages.

Why discarding one flour bag may not work

Flour can be infested without visible damage. Eggs or larvae may already be present at purchase, and a batch may be contaminated during manufacturing.

After finding an issue, switch brands for about a month to avoid the same potentially affected batch.

Storage and cleaning habits that deter pests

Recommendations are airtight plastic or glass containers, regular shelf cleaning, prompt crumb and spill removal, rotating older products forward and keeping new goods separate from opened packages.

If pests are found, discard affected items, then vacuum and wipe the pantry before restocking.