Last night I noticed that the dry dog food had little white worms, crawling all over it.
Yes, I screamed and dropped the food all over the floor......Anyway, after further investigation, I realized that they were in fact, throughout the entire cabinet.
We threw everything out, and vacuumed and cleaned the entire cabinet. However, I have now noticed that I see tiny moths in the kitchen. After doing some research on-line, I realize that we have an infestation of Indian Meal Moths.
OK.....I am totally freaking out. It says that they can be very difficult to get rid of. I am going to throw away every dry good that we own, and continue to clean, vacuum, and look for further signs of these horrible little creatures.
I just called DH at work, and asked him to pick-up some traps. Ugh......I just wanted cry!
Indian meal moth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Indian Meal Moth (Plodia interpunctella) is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It is a common grain-feeding pest found around the world. Annoying household pests, they are often found feeding on cereals and dry grain products.
Identification
The outer 2/3 of the forewings are bronze or copper in color while the upper third are yellowish-gray, with a dark band at the interface between the two. The wingspan is 16-20 mm.
The larva is off-white with a brown head and about 12 mm long when mature.
They are commonly called "flour moths" or "pantry moths."
A similar species is the Almond moth.
Pest Control
After larvae or moths have been found, it is important to throw out all grains (cereal, bread, pasta, rice), spices (salt, etc.), dried fruits (raisins), and any other food source that is not in a very tightly sealed container. The moths are able to get into surprisingly tight spots, including sealed bags and Tupperware containers. They are also notoriously difficult to get rid of.
Some people place questionable items in the freezer or refrigerator during the cleanout phase.
Nontoxic traps are also available to cut down on the movement of adult moths. For example, one type of trap is a triangular box with a lure inside and sticky walls. Moths are attracted inside by the lure and then stuck inside the box. Moths often do not even need a lure, common glue traps work well to reduce the number of adults.
Yes, I screamed and dropped the food all over the floor......Anyway, after further investigation, I realized that they were in fact, throughout the entire cabinet.
We threw everything out, and vacuumed and cleaned the entire cabinet. However, I have now noticed that I see tiny moths in the kitchen. After doing some research on-line, I realize that we have an infestation of Indian Meal Moths.
OK.....I am totally freaking out. It says that they can be very difficult to get rid of. I am going to throw away every dry good that we own, and continue to clean, vacuum, and look for further signs of these horrible little creatures.
I just called DH at work, and asked him to pick-up some traps. Ugh......I just wanted cry!
Indian meal moth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Indian Meal Moth (Plodia interpunctella) is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It is a common grain-feeding pest found around the world. Annoying household pests, they are often found feeding on cereals and dry grain products.
Identification
The outer 2/3 of the forewings are bronze or copper in color while the upper third are yellowish-gray, with a dark band at the interface between the two. The wingspan is 16-20 mm.
The larva is off-white with a brown head and about 12 mm long when mature.
They are commonly called "flour moths" or "pantry moths."
A similar species is the Almond moth.
Pest Control
After larvae or moths have been found, it is important to throw out all grains (cereal, bread, pasta, rice), spices (salt, etc.), dried fruits (raisins), and any other food source that is not in a very tightly sealed container. The moths are able to get into surprisingly tight spots, including sealed bags and Tupperware containers. They are also notoriously difficult to get rid of.
Some people place questionable items in the freezer or refrigerator during the cleanout phase.
Nontoxic traps are also available to cut down on the movement of adult moths. For example, one type of trap is a triangular box with a lure inside and sticky walls. Moths are attracted inside by the lure and then stuck inside the box. Moths often do not even need a lure, common glue traps work well to reduce the number of adults.
Comment