Getting rid of Pantry Moths

[AnnaIkona]

Hi,

My house is infested with pantry moths...they're all over the place...on the walls, in shelves, EVERYWHERE! at first I thought it was just a minor case of Pantry Moths but then the amount of them increased more and more. They are laying eggs everywhere too. I have tried traps and freezing pet food to get rid of them but nothing seems to work. I collect and kill like 5 everyday but they are still there.

Any help is greatly appreciated

[AnnaIkona]

Update: they also lay eggs on the ceiling and small gross caterpillars hatch out and seem to die on the ceiling Eek

[applestar]

Yikes! I don't have the exact same experience, but intuitively, I think two things I would do is to (1) thoroughly vacuum everything including the walls and ceiling. I think you could use the attachment for cleaning the dust from sanded walls and ceiling when prepping for painting and (2) use food grade diatomaceous earth in some foods that are applicable as well as pantry shelves and floor, corners, etc.

If they are already in the pet food and freezing or dusting with DE doesn't work, I would just throw that away or remove from packaging and keep in a separate tightly lidded container -- throw out the packaging which may be infested -- and find new way to serve the food. What kind of pet? Dry dog/cat food could be served wet which will kill the moths. I don't think it's likely that the bugs would hurt them to eat.

Try different pantry moth traps from different companies, too. Not all the lure formulations are the same. Some only attract males, etc. and are only intended for "detecting" their presence. Some have inadequate sticky substance. I can't make a recommendation since I haven't had this problem except in a bag of wild birdseed, and that was only INSIDE the tightly closed plastic bag and I simply put the bag outside in a metal trashcan in the freezing winter cold and continued to put the seeds out for the birds. I think they ate the moths, etc. ...anyway, I was researching lured traps for something else and noticed that they are different. You might be able to find sombody's comparison review online.

[tomc]

Somewhere in your pantry is a pack of ramien with a hole in it, or a can of oatmeal that is the nesting place.

its probably time to clear out old dry-goods.

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, unfortunately it is going to be a lot of work . But with a major infestation like that , it is what it will take . Besides the vacuuming Applestar mentioned , you will need to take every single thing out of every kitchen cupboard . If you have shelf paper down , take it up. Then wipe down the cupboards with a mild solution of bleach or vinegar or lemon .

Put down new shelf paper , then ONLY put back things that are completely sealed , mainly unopened cans and jars. Throw everything else out .

This is a time to call all your best friends to help, because you want to do this pretty much all at once .

Best wishes !

[Susan W]

Here's my 2 moths worth. For most of us who like to use whole grains and 'healthy' flours, the evil weevils can be a real problem. When you see a few, or some, try to notice area of concentration. If you go to use some cornmeal, oats, flour, whatever, and see moths and other signs chuck it. Of course can be spread out and turned into your compost. One sign of an infestation in a bag of flour or meal is sticky clumps. Ick! Another food source which took me off guard is dried pepper flakes, dried chile peppers etc. Go figure!

The eggs are sometimes already in the grains when we buy, especially good stone ground type. Cornmeal is a fave. Just keep these items refrigerated. I've put good cornmeal in a pretty jar with top on the counter. In time the whole jar is wiggling with all the activity in it. Ick!

Once I open a bag of rice, grain, whatever, keep in frig. The larger 4# bag(s) flour in a tupper ware type tub, and it is used in due time. I do check the container of course for the signs.

A good vacuum and shelf paper change may be good for a thorough cleaning, but more important get to the food source.

[imafan26]

With such a bad infestation you have to clean up. Freeze wheat products and noodles if you can. I used to freeze rice for a month to kill the eggs in the rice.

After the pantry is cleaned up you can spreade bay leaves and boric acid on the shelves to keep bugs away. I do this in my spice shelf and under my dishes. Food cannot directly touch it so you have to have it all wrapped up or in containers. Hang lavender in the closet, it is a moth deterrent. You probably need to clean out your pantry more often. I used to do that every 3 months just to get rid of the old and expired stuff.

[Susan W]

The moth lays her eggs on food the baby larva can eat. This could be as much as some crumbs or grain back in shelves or counter.

There is another pesky moth that looks like the pantry moth, but eats wool, commonly called the clothes moth. You see the adult flit about, like the grain one, but centered more towards the stash of wool yarn, clothing etc. Again, adult lays her eggs on larva food source, mostly wool but can be other animal fibers.

[imafan26]

Most of the bugs that were in my pantry drilled themselves out of the boxes so the eggs were actually in the wheat, corn or other grain product. Rice will have worms crawling in them if it is kept too long, so I usually keep most of the noodles, baking mix, flour, corn meal, rice, oatmeal and powdered milk in the freezer along with the nuts. I have bay leaves in my rice bin and I wash the bucket out after every bag of rice. Something I just learned. I used to buy pepper flakes in the schilling bottle but it would get oily and dark in a couple of months so I started buying them in smaller packages but still had the same problem. Then someone who makes his own chili powder told me if I kept it in the freezer that wouldn't happen. Now, if I can only find room in the freezer. I like to grow chilies but I give or sell most of them. I like things only a little bit hot and that is mainly because I have to reduce my salt intake and so I just use more pepper.