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pantry moths #864772

Asked April 16, 2024, 3:51 PM EDT

I have tried everything to get rid of the pantry moth infestation at my house--rmotued everything 2x, thrown away so much, sprayed everything with vinegar, tried bay leaves, but can't get rid of them. Can professional exterminators do it. I feel like getting rid of all my whole grains (all in supposedly air tight containers and living off of processed foods I am so discouraged. Is there anything we can do?

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

The larvae of the pantry moth (Indian Meal Moth, usually) feed on stored grains, but also can utilize dried spices, bird and pet food (wild bird or pet bird, plus dog kibble, etc.), dried flowers, and similar items. More details can be found in that linked page, plus the additional two resources it links to at the bottom. It's best to have food stored in airtight containers, as you mentioned, but perhaps the infestation is in another location at this point, even if it might have come in originally in a grains container.

Successful eradication relies mostly on sanitation (no need to use bay leaves or vinegar), and while a treatment by a pest control professional might work as a temporary measure, it often isn't necessary. Putting out pheromone traps, which capture male moths looking for a mate and let you know if the adults are still around, can help indicate where the moths be concentrated, and will kill at least a few of the moths. (By itself, the traps are not a solution since they won't capture all moths, and the females are the ones laying eggs for future generations.)

Miri
I have pheromone traps all over the place but still can't get rid of them.  The shelves are held up with those metal rods that have wholes in them.  I'm wondering if the eggs are being laid in those.  Everything is sealed that they seem to attack.  The tea is in sealed packets and they are not interested in the sugar it seems. Plus I've washed down everything so it's very clean. So sanitation isn't working.  I'm thinking of removing those metal rods and holding the shelves up with wood and disposing of the rods.

It's very discouraging because I'm trying to follow a Mediterranean diet with whole grains and lentils and they are infesting a lot of them. Delighted in my supposedly air tight container of lentils.  Had to throw that out container and all the lentils.

Joyce 
The Question Asker Replied April 18, 2024, 12:04 PM EDT
Nooks and crannies might shelter adult moths but generally their eggs are laid directly onto the items the caterpillars consume, not other objects (though it is possible). Even if eggs were laid in the metal shelving holes, if the food items they would be consuming are in airtight containers, the caterpillars won't be able to get into them and will starve, ending the reproductive cycle. If pantry items and any pet foot is secure and well-sealed, then we would not suspect the shelving itself is contributing to an ongoing infestation.

If larvae are being found in containers with the dried grains, either they came infested with the insects when they were purchased or the containers they are kept in at home are not as airtight as they could be. It sounds like you have checked and the containers are secure, so that puts our suspicion on the supplier or store itself as the source of ongoing contamination. Sturdy plastic containers (like the type with pop-top seals or clamps) should not be something the caterpillars or adult moths can get into, and as such they should not need to be discarded.

If you can't figure out where they are coming from (which is understandable, given their habits), perhaps hiring an experienced pest control professional (someone who has dealt with pantry moths before) will help find the source of ongoing infestation. We assume you have confirmed they are pantry moths (Indian Meal Moths) and not clothes moths, since they can superficially look alike. (If the pheromone traps you're using are made for the meal moths specifically and it's working to attract them, then that ID must be right since clothes moths would have to have their own pheromone trap.)

Miri

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