Comments on: Attacking the Pantry Moths

By: Diana Spencer

Diana Spencer — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:08:02 +0000

For pantry moths definitely get some pheromone traps - sticky boxes made especially for this kind of moth. They really work. You can get them at Vermont Country Store (http://tinyurl.com/m6dmdn) or other places on the web.

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:22:50 +0000

Good Luck! The bad news is that by the time you see moths the first time, they’ve likely had a few cycles of breeding so they can persist well after the clean up. The only pesticides that work are growth inhibitors which seem too shady to really consider using in a place where you eat and breathe.

We endured a heavy infestation of these. Lessons learned: pheremone traps mentioned above are for monitoring and interrupting life cycle by trapping/confusing males (helpful, but not the answer); sticky fly strips also help; ALL grains, especially bulk, organic, and infrequently used packages, go into the freezer until infestation subsides; if you don’t have room in the freezer, microwave/bake suspect grains and keep in ziplocs INSIDE tupperware (it’s hard to keep ziplocs clean enough); don’t forget homebrew grains, decorative (amaranth/native corn) grains, bird feed, and pet food - bird feed is often the initial source, and pet food can sustain an established infestation; vacuum kitchen/pantry frequently. When it’s been 3 months since you’ve seen a moth, you’re almost out of the woods! Three more and you’ve done it!

A cold beer and a shopvac were my best tools throughout the ordeal. Again, good luck!

By: Zil

Zil — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:24:06 +0000

That happened to me when I bought a super-cheap bag of rice from my local supermarket. Fortunately the critters weren’t able to penetrate my Tupperware or jars. Anything with an open or paper box was ruined. And I buy rice from a proper specialty grocery now.

By: June

June — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:43:39 +0000

BTDT. It’s a bugger (er, no pun intended). I double-up storage now - first put flour in a bag and then put the bag in a sealed food storage bin. Have yet to have a level II containment breach since the original infestation (knock on wood), but the best advice is to not buy food in bulk. Savings be damned, you won’t get the bang for the buck if you find yourself throwing everything away.

By: Melissa from Boston

Melissa from Boston — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:59:08 +0000

I’m reading this as I eat my lunch, so hopefully I don’t throw up…

Anyway. I had this problem off and on for about a year. I did what you did and had at least 5 bags of trash. The last step you might want to take is, go buy some Pantry Moth Pest traps at your local hardward store. They’ll ferret out any more moths that are hiding and hopfully rid you of them once and for all.