If you find pantry moths in your home and in your stored food, it’s not an indication that you did something wrong or are a poor housekeeper. Don’t beat yourself up!

The indian meal moth most likely hitched a ride into your home in the form of tiny eggs that were present in food you purchased. The eggs later hatched, the larvae consumed the food, grew to maturity, then deposited eggs elsewhere in your home. Now you have an Indian Meal Moth infestation.

Indian Meal Moth Pantry Moths – Foods they infest.

Here are some examples of foods that may be hiding Indian meal moth eggs.

• Powdered milk
• Nuts
• Dried herbs
• Pet food
• Candy
• Pasta
• Dried fruit
• Flours and meals
• Cereals and grains
• Bird seed

As you can see, Indian Meal Moth eggs can be found in a wide variety of foods.

Indian Meal Moth Pantry Moths – Signs of An Infestation:

Those small moths flying around your kitchen lights at night are likely pantry moths–especially if your doors and windows were closed, so they most possibly came from inside the house.

Do you notice small collections of tightly bunched webs along the top of your kitchen cabinets? These may be Indian Meal Moth cocoons.

Then, there are the tiny worm-like larvae. They can grow to over a half inch long and are off-white in color with black or brown heads. You might notice them on walls, close to the ceiling. They’re seeking a place to create a cocoon and turn into an adult egg-laying Indian Meal Moth.

Finally, and most obvious, you open a package of any of the foods on the list above. Inside the package you notice the small larvae, or little clumps of webs, or larvae skins. Now, if the package is not tightly sealed, you can assume the larvae exited and found a place to create a cocoon, transform to an adult, and lay eggs.

Indian Meal Moth Pantry Moths – How to keep them out of your home.

Any of the types of food listed above that are not stored in air-tight containers or in the refrigerator need to be used up within 3 weeks. In short, don’t store food for longer than 3 weeks in open, exposed containers. This includes pet food (one of the biggest culprits).

In fact, even food stored in a sealed container for long periods of time can end up with little critters. We once discovered little things crawling about in a completely sealed, unopened plastic canister of protein powder purchased over a year ago and forgotten in the back of a cupboard.

Never keep food past its expiration date. It’s just not worth it.

Indian Meal Moth Pantry Moths – How to eradicate an infestation.

The fact that you’re reading this article may indicate that you already have an Indian Meal Moth infestation and just want to know how to get rid of the moths. Here are some ideas:

Immediately dispose of any food you think might contain Indian Meal Moth eggs or larvae. If you bought two packages of the same type of food on the same day from the same grocer and find one is infested, it might be wise to dispose of both. Don’t take chances.

Empty, and thoroughly clean every cupboard where you store food. Vacuum them, wash them down, and throw away the vacuum bag–outside of the house.

Empty your kitchen garbage container and thoroughly scrub it down.

Wipe down everything with white vinegar (add a few drops of essential oil like peppermint, citronella, eucalyptus or tea tree). You can also place bay leaves on your cupboard shelves and in flour and grain containers. This repels moths.

Continue to monitor your home for the presence of pantry moths and follow the simple preventative measures in the previous section.

Indian Meal Moth Pantry Moths – Want help?

Wouldn’t be great to walk into your home and know there are no pantry moths – and you didn’t need to lift a finger?

We’ll take care of the entire problem FOR you, and even inspect your home for the presence of other pests.

Call ApolloX Pest Control

(888) 499-7378

The post Indian Meal Moth Pantry Moths – Identify, Eradicate appeared first on Pest Control.

Food Destroying Pests: Examples

Cockroaches

The American cockroach is the household cockroach. They are often found in sewers and basements, around pipes and drains. Cockroaches can spread at least 33 kinds of bacteria, 6 kinds of parasitic worms, and 7 other pathogens. Brownbanded cockroaches prefer warm and dry locations, such as near refrigerator motor housings, on the upper walls of cabinets, and inside pantries, closets, dressers, and furniture in general. The German cockroach is usually found in kitchens (near dishwashers, stoves, and sinks) and in bathrooms of homes.

Pantry Moths

A mature Indian meal moth female lays 100 to 300 eggs on food material, either singularly or in groups of twelve to thirty. The Mediterranean Flour Moth can be found in many foods in addition to flour, grain residues, broken kernels and various whole grains. The female moth lays from 116 to 678 small white eggs in accumulations of flour, meal, waste grain, and other food sources. Commonly, the eggs are attached to the food.

Mice

The deer mouse enters homes through small cracks in windows and doors and are in search of food and warmth. Deer mice damage upholstered furniture, mattresses, clothing, paper, or other materials they find suitable for constructing their nests. Deer mice are a particular concern because they spread hantavirus, which can be deadly to people. The house mouse consumes and contaminates food meant for humans, pets, livestock, or other animals. In addition, they cause considerable damage to structures and property, and they can transmit pathogens that cause diseases such as salmonellosis, a form of food poisoning.

Rats

Norway rats eat and contaminate foodstuffs and animal feed. They also damage containers and packaging materials in which foods and feed are stored. If roof rats are living in the attic of a residence, they can cause considerable damage with their gnawing and nest-building activities. They also damage garden crops and ornamental plantings. Among the diseases roof rats can transmit to humans or livestock are murine typhus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis (food poisoning), and ratbite fever. Plague is a disease that roof rats can carry.

Pavement Ants

Pavement ants feed on a wide variety of food. Sweets, including sugar, nectar, fruits, and syrups are readily taken. Grease, dead insects, and small seeds also are collected and stored in the nest. Nearly any morsel of food that falls to the floor will be consumed.

Food Destroying Pests Contaminate Food, Cause Allergies and Spread Disease

Adults of many of these food destroying pests pests fly toward lights and may be found in other rooms or floors quite a distance from your food storage areas. These pests do eat at least a small amount of the food they infest, but their presence, their droppings, cast skins, and certain chemical excretions contaminate much more of the food and sometimes cause allergies in those persons who ingest them.

Get rid of pantry moths. Schedule an appointment with ApolloX today.

The post Food Destroying Pests: Pantry Moths, Cockroaches, and More appeared first on Pest Control.

In spite of all our modern advances, it’s still a myth that food from the grocery store is insect-free. Actually, even the what appears to be a perfect hermetically sealed container can harbor hundreds of insect eggs!

Credits: Pantry Moths in the Howling Storm – Better Living through Beowulf

Pantry moths are among the main culprits, especially when it comes to dry goods like flours and cereals.

Your Pantry Moth Extermination Strategy

Here is a complete strategy to discover, remove and prevent all pantry moths from making their home in your pantry and becoming a part of your next meal – YUK!

Credits: How To Prevent & Get Rid Of Pantry Moths | Apartment Therapy

Pantry Moth Extermination Begins with a Thorough Inspection

Inspect everything in your pantry:

• Flours
• Grains
• Dried Fruit
• Candy
• Pet Food

Watch for adult moths, larvae and eggs which may look like webbing or clumps of grains.

If you find signs of pantry moths in any food container, it is wise to discard all open food containers immediately. Take them outside the house, bag and seal them in plastic within your outdoor trash container so that they don’t manage to get back into your home.

Pantry Moth Extermination Without Chemicals

Wash and wipe down everything that holds food:

Thoroughly scrub your pantry and all food storage containers with hot soapy water & scrub brush.

Wash everything:

• Shelves
• Food containers
• Bottles (wipe under jar and can lids for eggs)

Pantry Moth Extermination 1st Line of Defense = Prevention

Deter future moths (along with ants, cockroaches and mice):

Wipe down everything with white vinegar (add a few drops of essential oil like peppermint, citronella, eucalyptus or tea tree).

Starve out any survivors:

Wait a week before restocking your pantry.

Credits: How to Get Rid of Pantry Moth Infestation Safely | My Natural Pest …

Prevent new entries into your home:

• Freeze all dry goods for one week before storing. This will kill any insect eggs.
• Store everything in air tight containers. Remove flour and cereal from boxes and bags which provide an easy entrance and habitat for insects.
• Place bay leaves on your shelves, or in a shallow container. Place them in flour containers. Bay leaves deter moths and insects, yet do not affect the taste of your food.

If Pantry Moth Extermination Seems Like a Lot of Work…

It is!

Call ApolloX Pest Control: We’ll exterminate pantry moths for you–and help you prevent them from returning.

Call (888) 499-7378

info@apollox.net

Credits:

How To Prevent & Get Rid Of Pantry Moths | Apartment Therapy

How to Get Rid of Pantry Moths | Housewife How-To’s

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