Indestructible meal worms and moths

Help! We've been having a meal worm problem for YEARS! We just can't seem to get rid of them. We've cleaned out the pantry many times-- throwing away everything that's not in a can or sealed in a plastic or glass container-- but they just keep coming back. Do the eggs live in the cracks in the wood? Anyone know how to deal with this in a non-toxic way? Totally grossed out

I would also be cautious about buying grains etc. from bulk bins in quantities larger than you are planning to use right away. I think that is where the infestations we had originated several times over.

Good luck! Finally rid of those pantry moths

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7452.html

I know it seems gross, but many cultures have been sustained by insect protein. In fact, I read a story about vegans who became ill when they came to this country and started eating grains without insects.

Good luck! anon

Moths/black bugs/wiggly worms in food cupboard

about 4 or 5 years after the ex moved out, i discovered she had stashed some bird seed in the cupboard and it was now old and kind of moldy or something. there were all these little moths clustered in and around it (and flying out into the house every time i opened the cupboard), which triggered me to look and find the bird seed. of course i immediately threw out the offending bag and cleaned the cupboard as thoroughly as i could.

now a couple of years later, we (my daughter and i) no longer see many moths (we think the few we do see fly in from outside). but there are these teeny little black bugs in the cupboard. they are smaller than ants and move very slowly and nowhere near as many of them as there are when ants invade, but of course we would prefer not to share our space w/ them. the odd part about them is that for the most part they stay away from our fresh food in there; sometimes we don't even see them for months. of course i keep all grain things in there in sealed plastic bags, but despite leaving the fresh food mostly alone, what seems to bring them back out is food that has gotten stale. they are very aggressive about food that has been there awhile and even manage to find their way into the sealed bags, if the food isn't recently purchased.

in addition, when something has been there long enough to really attract a crowd of them (i do try to not let that happen, but it does on occasion), there is the occasional very small white wiggly worm (or two or three) mixed into the frenzy as well.

does anyone have experience w/ such a phenomenon and if so, are the moths, bugs, and worms related or part of the same life cycle? and in any case, most important, any recommendations for the best (non-toxic, hopefully) way to get rid of these critters and get our cabinet back once and for all?

i have tried emptying the cupboard of all food (storing it in the fridge instead for a while), but no matter how long i've tried this (several months), when i try to put the food back in the cupboard, they eventually return.

thanks for any education, help or advice offered.

moderator note: see UC Davis Pest page: www.ipm.ucdavis.edu

One thing I noted from your posting is that you use plastic bags. Plastic bags are not thick or sturdy enough to keep out the insects. If I were you, I'd get a bunch of tupperware or rubbermaed-like containers and put all the dry goods I buy in those. We use those for our flour and sugar and other grains that we keep around for a while. This has made a huge difference it keeping bugs at bay. Also, make sure you wash out the containers before you fill them with a new batch of the product. Mom

I think that finally everything has hatched and been killed. I can now keep the stray item in a plastic bag in the cupboard...but I try not to do that. The container store is another great place to get tupperware containers you can use to organize the stuff in your cupboard and prevent bugs from getting into it. Finally bug free (crossing my fingers)

If I've had some weevils invade, I'll get rid of the infested food, empty the whole cabinet and scrub it down thoroughly with soap. They are sneaky and can hide out for a long time so it's important to evict then thoroughly.

I think weevils come into the home via grains/flours that contain some eggs. It's impossible to know if you've invited in some weevils until they hatch and start moseying around your cupboards.

The white worms and moths are probably the same creature in different forms. I'd use the same remedy as for the weevils. The source of flour moths is usually eggs in the flour you buy. Enemy of Weevils

Moths in our food

Help! We are innundated in moths! Our cereals and grains are full of little worms. We've had this problem for two years now and it is out of control. Several times I've thrown away all of our food after finding dozens of little worms crawling out of cereal boxes, jars I thought were sealed, doubled up plastic bags, etc. We had a worm migrations from out cabinet. I cleaned everything out, sterilized, washed, threw everything out, moved our cereals and grains to a shelf. On the advice of a friend all bulk grains and cereals go into the freezer for a few days before being put on the shelf. Still, now again, we have a moth cloud coming out of the shelf. Right now we are innundated in moths. I vaccum them off the ceiling, the walls, they are in our closets. I don't know where they are coming from. No doubt they are laying their eggs everywhere. Repeated cleaning has not helped. Must I stop buying bulk food at Berkeley Bowl? Please, any advice? By the way, we have no wool (I'm allergic to it) in our closets and don't seem to have a problem with our clothes, just the food. Mothindated

1. Remove all grains and foods that they've gotten into. It's not enough to put them in the freezer and then back on the shelf. You have to throw all of it out!

2. Store all new grains and foods in the refrigerator or freezer, or in ceramic or glass air-tight jars. Even hard plastic will not keep them out! We now keep all our cereal boxes and pasta in the fridge, and yeah, it's crowded, but better than the swatting every night.

3. Buy some phermone boxes for pantry moths at Ace hardware. Place them around your kitchen. These are not effective simply on their own - you have to do the other things listed. The fairmones will only get about 1 in 5 male moths, but they do help keep the population under control.

We have occasionally seen new moths appear, so we go back into our cabinets and find that one of us has placed unprotected food in the cabinet. That's really the trick. You can't have any food available for them. Use the fridge or tightly sealed jars.

Good luck. moth free now

Horrible moth infestation in our kitchen

Hi, We have a horrible moth infestation in our kitchen. We have gone through all of our cupboards and thrown away all open food containers and scrubbed down everything, but still the moths are reproducing and getting into other rooms. Does anyone have a non-toxic sure fire way of getting rid of these pests (we have a newborn baby and want to stay away from chemicals)~ or perhaps suggestions of someone we could hire to take care of the problem? Thanks for your advice! Laura

Throw away all food packaged... openned or closed. Sometimes they are already in the food when you buy it. They can worm their way into packages through boxes or plastic bags. It is better to start over clean! Did you take the shelves out of your cupboard? The first time we only removed the ''things that were in the cupboard, but they kept growing.

Then we removed the shelves (they were hatching in the cracks between the shelves and walls). That wasn't the end though... guess where else they were hiding.... in the tracks underneath the lazy susan spice rack... we threw it away because we couldn't get them out by scrubbing. I think that was when we got the last of them... but by then the exterminator was on the way.

Overall it was one of the most horrifying and disgusting experiences in my life to find the worms in my cabinets... I can only imagie how much worse roaches would be. Fortunately the moths can be gotten rid of... good luck. moth-eaten

Help! Moths/Worms in Dry Food

I'm wondering if anyone can help me with a solution for moths/worms that get into our dry pasta, flour, sugar, oatmeal, etc. unless they are sealed hermetically. I've thrown everything out of our cupboards numerous times, scrubbed and bleached and after awhile they are back. I now keep opened items in the fridge, but these pests are still getting into things. Any solutions? The challenge is not to use some type of poison since it's all food items. Thanks! Julie

Q: I have a problem with pantry moths. We cleaned out the pantry of all the dry goods and I have just purchased this new product from Safer Inc. The product is called the Pantry Pest Trap.

I installed the two traps in the pantry a couple of days ago but I have only trapped one moth. I still see a few moths on the wall and I haven't figured out the source of the moths. Would you have some comments or suggestions for me in dealing with this pest?

A: The problem is that you put out too many traps. One trap is sufficient in any room. If you put out two or more traps, the pheromones in the air will confuse the moths and they will not be able to find the traps. It is kind of like walking into a bakery blindfolded. You know there are goodies in there as the smell of cookies and cupcakes permeate the air, but you wouldn't be able to find them just from the smell.

Take one trap down and I am sure you will start catching moths in the remaining trap.

(Source of quote: http://www.redding.com/columnist/rfagerlund/past/20030426colrf014.shtml)

Also, try storing things in glass jars with tight screw-on lids, and avoid bulk bins. R.K.

What finally worked for me was mixing boric acid into cornmeal at about a 1:3 ratio and putting little jar tops of of it around in the cupboards and pantries. You can do this up high if you have small children. It takes some time because you will have hatchings until all the adult moths have gotten into it, but it does work.

I keep my rice in the freezer.

There are also traps you can buy that have pherhormones(ph) that attract the moths, and are non-poisonous. I found these did not work as well, but maybe I didn't use enough. You can get them from ImprovementsCatalog.com. A fellow sufferer.

1. Throw out all grain based food you have currently. Also stuff like nuts, raisins, and dried chili peppers (yes, really). If you can't bear to throw it out, freeze it for at least 4 days.

2. Invest in airtight containers for all of this type of food that will be kept in the cupboard. And make sure they are really airtight (lots of things that claim to be are not). Put water in the container and see if any drips come out. Tupperware works well...

3. Freeze all grain-based food you buy for at least 4 days before using. Then store in airtight containers. Also, never buy food from bulk containers. They almost always contain pests.

4. You can use ''pantry pest traps'' (available at Target, some Longs...) in your cupboard as they are not poison based. They will catch the moths, at least. You have to stay vigilant, and pretty much use this new routine for ever. Every time we slack off, the critters come back. Karen

Moths in the Cupboard

We have a severe problem with cupboard moths, and I'd like to know how to get rid of them. I'd really rather not call in an exterminator; we have a 14 month old baby, and I don't want to use poisonous chemicals. I've put all of the food they could possibly eat in plastic containers with rubber ring sealers. Well, today I found a large number of moths INSIDE one of these containers with the rice! I've heard that you should freeze all of the food they could live in, but I cook a lot, and my freezer isn't big enough for 3 kinds of rice, 3 kinds of flour, oatmeal, polenta, cereal... plus all of the normal things one keeps in a freezer. Any suggestions? Karen

They certainly seem to be working, although I'm not expecting instant results because 1 live male can produce many moths. However, they have definitely made a difference.

The bug man freom the Chronicle said these pantry moths lay eggs in cracks etc. so your other option is to clean your entire pantry, throw out all existing food, and maybe even paint it before replenishing. Mary Ann

Protecting sweaters from moths

Non-toxic solution to pervasive moths?

Does anyone out there have a good non-toxic way of getting rid of moths. Too many holes in too many sweaters forces us to act. We have tried vacuuming everywhere, moved all the furniture, took all the woolens out of the closets and shook them etc etc, but the little buggers keep showing up again. Any help gratefully received. Thanks. Brian

First, you must clean again the woolens you already have -- dry cleaning or washing, depending on which you can do to what.

Next, buy the plastic containers that seal airtight and slide under your bed -- sweater boxes, some places call them, or the zippered plastic bags for bedlinens will work, but you MUST NOT put your clothes into these without the following additional protection:

1) The most effective moth chaser that is available in many herb shops is a bean, dark brown and about 1.5 - 2" in length, called a Tonka Bean. These are available for from 50 cents apiece to 25.00/lb in bulk on the web. A couple of Tonka beans in a white cotton bag (like the muslin teabags they sell various places, also very cheap) can, if fairly fresh, permeate the entire sweater box with their nice aroma, and keep moths away from your clothes. Add lavendar or cedar for additional nice smells and moth-repellant properties. Shaved cedar gives you the "instant gratification" of extreme aromatic qualities, but does not hold up well over years. A small cedar block (such as are sold in boxes of 15 or so in some housewares stores -- check Lechters in any mall that has one) can be sanded whenever it starts to go neutral, and that will expose enough new wood to renew the aroma, provided the air in your home is not utterly bone-dry all year round.

2) For REALLY long-term storage of woolens that do NOT have moth eggs or larvae in them, you can use the same storage compartments, but also wrap the clean, fully dry woolen with the muslin-bagged Tonka beans in one of the silver-colored Hefty (I think they are Hefty) lawn bags. They are extremely tough. Press to expel the air before sealing. We have kept woolens pest-free and sweet-smelling in tropical storage for five years or more with that method.

Of course, this isn't much good if you can't stand the smell of Tonka beans or cedar... Finally, and here is the bad part, kill every moth you see in the house, but most especially the small, fluttery, silvery ones. Tell them they have to live outdoors, or not live. They will also go for your rugs anywhere they are protected by furniture from light and traffic, and for throw pillows, etc, wherever they are relatively undisturbed. We moved a big old desk in my mom's apartment and the moths had eaten paths in her oriental rug under that desk, which had been there for years. We had to throw the rug out -- it was a large "cheesecloth" hole and quite central. This made us very suspicious of any of her woolens -- everything that was kept went to the dry cleaners first.

Good luck! Heather

Sources I found on moth control mentioned some ways to kill the larvae: 1- heat (low oven - we didn't try this and I don't remember the time/temp) 2- freezing (freezer for 2-3 days) 3- brushing/shaking (the larvae are easily killed by crushing - pay special attention to folds like under collars, pocket flaps, etc.)

Ways to repell moths: Light, cedar, and a physical barrier (ie sealed container)

Here is what we did. 2 years later, not only have we not seen any moths or moth damage (knock on wood), but we also have gotten rid of the toxic mothballs that weren't working anyway!

1- Froze garments in ziplock bags, hung larger garments/blankets out in hot sun and shook/brushed them vigorously. This hanging out treatment should be repeated annually. The idea was to kill any lurking larvae.

2- Stored garments in large plastic tubs that kinda seal, and others in a cedar chest. Layered both containers with paper that had a bit of cedar oil (sold with essential oils) on them to increase the cedar smell. This is to discourage new moths from invading.

3- Checked every 6 months or so for any activity.

I also read that if you DO decide to use moth balls, they should be used in a sealed container (to make them more effective- this is probably why ours didn't work). Also, this container should not be stored somewhere you breathe a lot (gargage or basement might be better).

More info from an Integrated Pest Management perspective:

Here's another site with moth info:

The parent website to the UC Davis one has sections on lots of other hosuehold pests, too:

Good luck! Charis

This method is pesticide free and easy, but maybe it will not be as easy to convince your friend with a chest freezer that you want to put your 'buggy sweaters' in their freezer! Sweaters may be sealed in a plastic/paper bag or box beforehand, but then need to be kept a little longer in the freezer to be sure everything gets down below freezing for the full 24-48 hours. I hope you don't have any old and valuable rugs or tapestries. There are not very many options for such things.

Good luck! Jim