I even freeze my beans, rice, etc. when I get it, hoping any eggs will be killed. And after putting it in my pantry at room temperature, moths both living and dead will eventually be found. How do people cope with this menace???

(if you think I'm hysterical, it's because I am.)

-- gita (gschmitz@directcon.net), September 22, 2001

Answers

what are they stored in ? Something air tight? if so,, they shouldnt be gettting in. Might want to double check

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), September 22, 2001.

All sealed in big glass jars with screw-on lids that are on TIGHT. They couldn't possibly get in. How long must you freeze your food to kill the eggs completely?

-- gita (gschmitz@directcon.net), September 22, 2001.

The only thing that worked for me is a product called the Pantry Pest Trap. It's a sticky trap that uses pheremones to lure the months in. No more months!! I ordered mine from Gardens Alive! (www.GardensAlive.com) but have seen them available in other cataloges as well. Gardens Alive! is a great source for organic products for lawn, garden and pets.

-- Bren (WAYOUTFARM@skybest.com), September 22, 2001.

I was overrun with moths that hatched out of my Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. I now keep them in my husbands workshop. You are either breeding moths, or you simply have something that has them hatching out of and you just haven't found it yet! 5 pounds of ground flour in it's sack will also tightly fit in a ziplock, I keep mine in it, and then in big rubbermaid bins. We have seen no bugs, keeping it this way. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), September 22, 2001.

Hello Gita,

I can understand how you feel. I had the moths show up in my kitchen and I ended up tossing out all the cereal, flour, cornmeal, and so on. I took out shelf paper, washed down the shelves and even took the shelves out so I could scrub the sides that were against the cabinet. Luckily they were movable shelves. I thought I had it taken care of.. Not so. They returned. And over and over. I tried everything but never got rid of them for long. I kept wondering how I was messing up when I tried to clear them out. Finally, I put most everthing except the dry cereal in canisters and did not keep very much of anything for long. Still they did appear but at least my losses were not so bad.

Now days I have a lot of extra stuff stored and really don't have enough glass or metal containers for all. I discovered the Pantry Pest Traps in Gardens Alive but also found them at Home Depot. I place some in the makeshift pantry and some in the kitchen. One way we get them, as I noticed recently, is from the grocery store. Twice I have been shopping, once in the pet food aisle, and another time in the aisle that contained dry mixes, and saw those familiar moths flying around in the aisles. I had learned that they are called Indian Meal Moths, by the way. I reported seeing them to the store, of course. I doubt, though, that they could possibly track down every infested container so the shopper buys a product that has meal moth larvae and reinfests their home. I'm just glad they have the moth traps available. Jo

-- Jo (joeydee37@yahoo.com), September 23, 2001.

I've had the same problems for years. Just before I read this, I made my own trap. I had some extra lures, so I made a new trap with white cardboard, black marker, and double stick tape. Guess I'll see if it works.

-- Ginger (majic99@home.com), September 23, 2001.

This works for weevils. Probably will work for moth larvae.

After cleaning the shelves, sprinkle boric acid in the crevicees between the shelf and the wall. You can also sprinkle the shelves and put shelve paper over the boric acid. It is a mild poison, so don't get it directly into the food, but it builds up in the bugs' systems and has always controlled any kind of bug in the pantry for me.

-- lynne (lynnie70@cybermesa.com), September 23, 2001.

How about shaking a bit of food-grade Diatomaceous earth in throughout your foodstuffs. It won't hurt you (you'll never notice, especially if you rinse any grains before cooking) and it should kill the larvae as they hatch.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), September 23, 2001.

I had the same problem. You have something in your cupboards that is still infested. Cake mixes are a big culprit. I discovered that the moths were in my chocolate chips and that was what kept reinfesting everything else. Like everyone else I learned to keep everything in big tight plastic containers or in the large glass jars(love those glass jars!).

-- Barb (MBRanch@POP.ctctel.com), September 23, 2001.

Just last night I opened a box of confectioners sugar and there on top was several moth larvae..I purchased the box two days before and know it came into the house that way. I keep all my grains in glass cannisters with tight lids and put a couple of bay leaves on top. It has worked very well. It seems to be the small boxes of not common items that are the carriers for me..had them in a box of herbal tea and also a small bag of chocolate chips.

-- sandi (msjazt@aol.com), September 23, 2001.