Grain mites are some of the most destructive insects to grains after weevils. When these insects invade your granary and kitchen, they are capable of causing serious damages that can translate to losses in the long run. This is why you need to act fast enough anytime you notice grain mites encroaching in your kitchen. If not, it will only be a matter of time before you start counting your losses like the other people have.
Unfortunately, there are no precise and known ways of dealing with grain mites at the moment. Fighting off these insects requires you to be creative and go above and beyond in search of lasting solution to the problem. There are a number of demonstrated methods you can use to deal with grain mites when they infest your granary, here are some of them for your own consideration.
Start by Earmarking the Period of Time Where Grain Mites are Most Notorious
Grains mites are very seasonal. They do not always come around at any other time of the year; they have specific periods of time they come around. These times are often in the winter period when the air is mostly dry and less humid. It is during this time that grain mites attack most homes and granaries together with kitchens. If you want to deal with these tiny insects you need to concentrate a lot of your efforts around this time.
Clean your kitchen properly especially in areas where you store flour and grains to ensure that they are completely free of grain mites. If possible clean all your grain storage areas to make them less appealing to grain mites. Doing so will make a valued contribution to your efforts to prevent grain mites from accessing your kitchen and infesting it.
Reduce Excessive Heat in Your Kitchen
The reason why there are grain mites in your kitchen is probably because your kitchen is very hot. These insects prefer to stay in hot and humid areas and thrive in warm conditions compared to cold conditions. Considering that kitchens are predominantly hot provides grain mites with an opportunity to breed and grow in number.
To deal with this issue, make the bold move of reducing the temperatures in your kitchen to make it a bit colder than it usually is. This way, the grain mites will find it a bit hard to thrive in such an environment ultimately leaving in the end.
Work With Light
In many cases, grain mites prefer to stay in dark areas. Allowing light and in this case bright light to penetrate these areas will cause a huge disturbance to these insects forcing them to leave right away. For instance, you can increase the number of lights in your kitchen or increase their brightness and see if that helps with these insects.
Spray the Grain Mites with Poison
There are some powders that target grain mites alone. These sprays can come in handy if you are facing a serious menace of grain mites. Spray these powder and solutions in locations where these mites are and you will eliminate them effectively. However, you need to know that these sprays have environmental footprint which makes them less ideal for use for this purpose.
Conclusion
Getting rid of grain mites is not as easy as it might seem. Grain mites have evolved over time and become aware and resistant to some pesticides. Dealing with these insects requires you to be smart, innovative and clever and come up with a unique solution to this problem.