Log Pantry Pest Sightings Until the Pattern Justifies a Call — Free
One moth in the flour is a coincidence; eleven sightings in eighteen days across three shelves is a colony. The difference is a dated list, and it is the difference between spraying everything and cleaning one cupboard properly.
The proof surface
Free path: the tool computes locally in this browser with no key and no account. Where an AI step helps, any free chat assistant works — free tiers exist (Google AI Studio, Groq), but plans and limits change, so check the provider's own page. No third-party service is claimed here as verified: UNCONFIRMED — model has no browsing access this session.
Why the flat version breaks
Memory compresses a bad month into 'we have a moth problem' and cannot say whether it is getting worse. A dated log with a threshold you set yourself turns the same observations into a count, a trend by week, and a decision about whether to spend money.
How to use the pantry sighting board in four passes
Dates alone hide the difference between an evening cluster and a steady trickle. The time column takes five seconds and is what makes the count believable if you ever have to show it to a landlord or an insurer.
Pick the number of sightings in the window that means a professional call or a full clear-out. Writing it down first stops the decision from drifting as the sightings become normal.
The board reports entries in the last thirty days and the most recent week separately. A total of eleven over a year is a nuisance; eleven in eighteen days is a breeding site.
The board tells you where and how often, not what to buy. Empty and clean the shelf with the sighting plus one above and one below, since larvae travel before they show, and log the treatment date on the context line.
SAMPLE DATA, NOT A VERIFIED CLAIM: the starter record is seven pantry sightings over eleven days with a treatment date and a threshold of six. Replace these values with your own source before you rely on anything.
What breaks first
Spraying everything the first time a moth appears
Broad treatment without knowing the source makes the log meaningless and pushes the problem into the next cupboard. Find the source shelf with the log first, then treat the small area properly.
Throwing away food without logging it
Discarding a bag is useful evidence about where the colony is living. Note what was binned and where it was stored; two opened bags on the same shelf points at the source.
Assuming the count is proof for a landlord or insurer
Your log records what you observed, nothing more. Photograph what you can, keep messages, and check the tenancy or policy wording for what evidence they actually require.
What you pay otherwise
| The usual route | What it leaves out | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| An emergency pest visit | Call-out and treatment on a problem you could have scoped first | $120–$380 a visit |
| A contract pest plan | Monthly fee for a seasonal treatment on a sealed pantry shelf | $30–$80 a month |
| Replacing everything at once | A full pantry dump before the source shelf has been identified | a month of groceries |
| This page + the free pantry sighting board | Computed in your tab, result on screen before you type anything | $0 |
Try the free pantry sighting board right here
Load the starter log and raise the threshold to 12 to see the board stop flagging the week.
FIRST-LOAD · sample record filed
Take it into the free pantry sighting board
The companion app runs the same logic with a numbered intake, three starter records, a stateful share link, the one-time printable layer, and the local history shelf.
Open the free pantry sighting board →Keep the work if you will use it again
The full board: every sighting dated, the rolling-window count, the per-week breakdown and the threshold flag, unlimited re-runs.
The on-screen result is free and complete. The one-time layer adds a tangible file you keep and the saved history that comes with it.
Boundary: This counts observations you record; it does not identify insects, recommend pesticides or certify an infestation. Food safety and tenancy obligations have their own rules — check with your local authority and a licensed pest controller before treating, and never use pesticides near food packaging.