Bugs in the pantry

[Chris (SilverUnicorn)]

Okay, I thought I had this taken care of but apparently not :(

We have these bugs. You know, the ones that are little worm like things that turn into moths? They like grains and stuff. Well, I don't know how, but we have them. Bad. Again

Thre first time, we cleaned out the whole pantry, checked everything (or at least thought we did) and washed the walls with water / bleach. It was good for a month or 2, and now they are back. We are at our wit's end now.

Any ideas on how the hell to get rid of these once and for all? I really can't firebomb them, as much as I'd like to, LOL

Wondering if anyone has had a similar issue. We're not dirty people, and this makes me feel like we are :(

Thanks in advance, Chris

[Ed Pawlowski]

Some of the bugs are in the grains. They hatch after a time in the warm pantry. The eggs are in the grain when processed and has nothing to do with your habits. Put your flour and such in the fridge or freezer and see if that eliminates them.

[Dean Hoffman]

Bug bombs? Maybe store your stuff in old coffee cans or something similar?

[aemeijers]

Store everything in gasketed glass or metal containers. (The large size canning jars are good.) Cardboard boxes and plastic bags don't even slow them down. I even keep my bread and cereal in the refrigerator. Any factory container, once the seal is broken, I use it immediately, decant into a sealed container, or store in fridge.

[jw]

I've had these for years. Every year when the outdoor temparature warms up, they start flying around the house. I've tossed food, put it in plastic bags, and tried all sorts of things. I wont spray insecticide on food though. The moths are less harmful then the spray. I've just sort of come to the conclusion that they will always be here no matter what I do. I smack the moths with a fly swatter and always carefully look at food before I cook it, and if I see worms or cob-like things in the boxes, I toss the box of food. Food is too costly to throw it all away over and over when I know I'll just bring home another box of food from the store that has them. And if I open every box to look for them, then they'll get into all the boxes of food. They're annoying, but harmless. I can think of a lot worse bugs and worse yet, rodents to have in a house.

On the other hand, I read somewhere to put all boxed food in the microwave for about 30 seconds to kill them. But I tend to wonder if that wont screw up the food, so I never did it. I bet if I was to take a guess, that at least 50% of people have this problem in their house.

[Chris (SilverUnicorn)]

Thanks for the replies. While it is nice to know we're not the only ones with this problem, I will start putting everything I can in sealed containers.

Thanks again, Chris

[HeyBub]

Pitch a book of matches in each container of grains and grain-source food (flour, pasta, etc.). The bugs don't like the sulfur.

[jamesgangnc]

Odds are good you didn't get them all. Throw away all contains of dry food like cereal, flour, etc. As well as dried fruit and things like that. And pet food in bags. Anything that is in cardboard or thin plastic inside cardboard. Odds are good it has moth eggs or larva in it. You wnat to eat that? When you replace it store the replacement in tight sealed containers like tupperware or glass with solid lids. Mostly they lay eggs directly in or very near food so the larva have something to eat when they hatch.

When you shop look around the the store carefully. Particularly the dried goods and pet food sections. If you see signs of these moths then shop somewhere else. Othewise you will just keep bringing them home.

[norminn]

No, the little buggers ride in with the groceries. Nuts, cereal, rice, beans, etc., if stored a longish time, will have critters in them. Solution, don't store long or store in the freezer.

[Jim Elbrecht]

I know the feeling. Problem is, once you get them, it is hard to get them all. One moth will lay a million eggs and you start all over again. I fought with them for a year once. They were even in sealed packages of food- through plastic bags. The most disgusting mess was in a sealed jar of ice cream 'crunchies' - sugar coated chopped nuts. It was solid with a web of coccoons.

1. Toss any grains you can afford to.
2. Put all the remaining grains [including nuts], cereals, etc. in the freezer for a few days. [All of them at once-- don't try to rotate them through]

Empty all those cupboards and give them a scrubbing.

Buy a couple of these-

They not only kill the critters-- they give you the satisfaction of a body count. I picked up a couple last year when I saw a single moth in the house. 2 traps picked up a 1/2 dozen moths-- and that was that.

I wish there was a similar cure for ants. I've gone through 3 dozen ant bait stations of every description-- and they just keep on coming.

Jim

[Robert Green]

I am making a video for YouTube of the ineffective Combat ant traps. There was a line of ants going across my kitchen window sill. I put traps in their path. They walked through them like they were covered promenades, apparently totally disinterested in whatever was inside and never, ever slowing down to explore it. These are the little teeny weeny black ants. I'm overrun because the previous owner thought it would be great to plant mulberry trees all around the property and that's their normal food source. Apparently they've branched out . . .

-- Bobby G.

[jamesgangnc]

I make homemade bait with karo syrup and borax. It's cheap. Reciepes all overthe internet. So far it works for them.

[Country]

If I buy a bag of grains (mostly rice or pinto beans) that will take me a long time to use up, I put the bag in the freezer for three days. That will kill any bugs that are already in there. Then thaw it for three days and then freeze it again for three days. That way you allow any eggs (the first freezing won't kill eggs) to hatch and then freeze and kill the hatch lings before they have time to mature enough to lay more eggs. Then once I open the bag, I store what's left in an air tight container.

-C-

[RogerT]

Here is a link with some additional information that may help:

[Nelly]

Okay, I thought I had this taken care of but apparently not :(

We have these bugs. You know, the ones that are little worm like things that turn into moths? They like grains and stuff. Well, I don't know how, but we have them. Bad. Again

Thre first time, we cleaned out the whole pantry, checked everything (or at least thought we did) and washed the walls with water / bleach. It was good for a month or 2, and now they are back. We are at our wit's end now.

Any ideas on how the hell to get rid of these once and for all? I really can't firebomb them, as much as I'd like to, LOL

Wondering if anyone has had a similar issue. We're not dirty people, and this makes me feel like we are :(

Thanks in advance, Chris =========

Indian meal moths. Mine persisted for almost two months before it became all-out war. And the one poster is right, avoid any store where you see these things flying around (check the bird seed aisle). Freeze for at least several days or dispose of any (dry) item not in a metal can or tightly sealed glass container. Remove everything else & wipe them down with soapy water. Vacuum the shelving, thoroughly where it meets the wall. Clean with soapy water. Then buy hard-sided, airtight canisters for everything that comes home from the grocery store from now on. (They were a good investment for me, and I like being able to keep everything fresh & see exactly how much of what I have left.)

A few tips: Do not store any potentially infested item anywhere on your property (garage, compost heap, etc) or they will find a way back in. Never donate any possibly infested items. (I worked at a food bank, and it's possible to starve more people than you feed by doing that.)

Use baited sticky traps on the flying adults. Don't let them get very full. Keep a couple new ones on the shelves after you think they've all gone. The traps are not a cure, but they're useful as indicators.

[notbob]

Ahhh.... but did you? Didja check the spices? Those "weevils" will infiltrate EVERYTHING!!. Even cayenne pepper. Look fer a web-like stringingness in powders.

I had this problem. Only one solution. TOSS IT ALL!!! Anything that's a powder or grain, including whole rice grains, and anything like it. You leave one thing behind, you'll be doing it again.

Next, buy those glass storage containers with the rubber seal and the spring/bale closures. Anything less and yer jes inviting the critters back. Put all flours, sugars, grains, etc, in them. I once bought basmati rice. Weevils!! But, because they were in this glass rubber sealed container, they all died of old age w/o contaminating the rest of my cupboards.

Expensive to do it right, but cheaper than doing it over and over again.

nb

[A. Baum]

Throw everything out and buy new. Place in Tupperware-like containers.