What insect should you use cotton gloves to treat?

Using cotton gloves to treat stored product pests is appropriate due to a few key reasons. Stored product pests, such as certain beetles, weevils, and moths, are typically found in food items or packaging. When handling these pests, it’s crucial to maintain cleanliness to avoid contaminating food sources and to prevent transferring oils or other substances from your skin that could affect the treatment process or the pests themselves.

Cotton gloves provide a non-reactive barrier that helps in safely managing the pests without directly exposing them to harmful chemicals or materials that could impair their treatment. Moreover, the gloves help prevent the spread of pests or residues to other areas, ensuring that control measures are effective and localized.

In contrast, other pests listed, such as termites, fruit flies, and ants, may not require the specificity of cotton gloves for effective treatment. For example, the direct application of treatments on structural wood for termites or trap-based methods for fruit flies can often be conducted without the same concerns regarding contamination that apply when dealing with food-related pests. Therefore, the use of cotton gloves is especially warranted when treating stored product pests to maintain hygiene and effective pest management practices.