Ugh! Bugs!

 I found bugs in the dog food....again. We had an experience with these beetles last summer. They were in a bag of dog food we had recently purchased. I called the feed and seed store and they refunded my money. Apparently the beetles were a problem at their shop, and the food may have been on their shelf too long. 

     

          Copra Beetle

    

Earlier this spring I found some in another bag of dog food. I discarded the remaining food. Now, I have a third bag with the beetles. I called Purina and chatted with a customer service representative. He was very informative. I thought the eggs of beetles are common in dog food when you buy it, and eventually hatch into larvae. He assured me that this can't happen as the food is cooked at such a high temperature, any eggs that might be in the meal are killed. The source had to be at my house. 

Larva

I finally realized that the first buggy bag of food I had was stored in a closed garbage can in the garage. At that time the garage was often warm and humid, and the bugs thrive in that environment. The bag may have sat outside the can until I finished the previous bag. That would have allowed bugs to enter the bag and begin eating and breeding. Or, it is possible that the infestation started at the pet food store that I use. 

I didn't think to wash the garbage can once I had disposed of that first buggy bag, so it would seem logical that there were eggs in the garbage can. I thoroughly scrubbed the can and I'm now storing the new bag of food in the can, in the house (until my sewing room and utility closet are complete). 

Customer service at Purina was very nice. He asked about where I bought the dog food. He asked about how I stored the food. He asked if I still had the bag and what the UPC symbol was (there was also a sell-by date in November).  When I went to get the bag to get that information I noticed the bug crawling up inside. I asked if he wanted pictures, and he enthusiastically said, "Yes". I scooped up some food and found one of the larvae and sent along that picture. He suggested the I keep the food in an air conditioned area and he offered to send me a bag of food, or send some coupons.

 I opted for the coupons. Two free bags of food, and two coupons for $1 off! I am happy with Purina's response. I guess they hope that customers don't decide to switch brands and by having coupons, one is more likely to stay with their product.