Why You Have Pantry Moths, and How to Get Rid of Them.

Why You Have Pantry Moths, and How to Get Rid of Them.
November 19, 2016 Cure All Pest Control

We’ve all at some point or other opened the pantry doors and had the dreaded pantry moth fly out. It means that this annoying insect has probably been having a feast on your food, and he probably has friends. Although getting rid of them is tricky, if you don’t then they will set up home in your pantry and munch their way through your dry goods. Something you really don’t want!

Why Do You Have Pantry Moths?

These little brown moths are around the size of a five cent piece. The worst part about the pantry moth is not that it is flying about but that it lays little white maggot-like larvae that gnaw their way through your food. The way that pantry moths actually get into your pantry is from food you buy at the supermarket, dry goods like rice and flour that aren’t fully sealed. Always check packaging carefully for web-like silk around edges of packaging or cocoons in corners or lids.

Pantry moths live from 30 to 300 days depending on the weather conditions. If it’s warm, and there is plenty of food, then the process will speed up. It is only the larvae that feed during this time as adult moths will live just 1 to 2 weeks. But during this time the female can lay 400 eggs so you don’t want her and her kids getting too comfortable in your pantry.

How to Get Rid of Pantry Moths

Luckily with a little know how you can get rid of pantry moths, even if you think you may be infested with them.

Firstly, remove every single item from your pantry to try and find the source of the problem. You can’t just spray the pantry and shut the door because they’re in your food. If you have a large pantry you may want to do it shelf by shelf but everything must be checked. If you find items that have evidence of contamination then throw them away. Even a small amount of evidence will mean invisible eggs lurking.

If it’s not immediately obvious where the problem is a good way to test and possibly save some stuff from being thrown away is to split food into bags. Put goods that aren’t obviously infested in large ziplock or plastic bags and leave outside for one week. If you open it and an adult flies out, then bin it. If not, it’s all clear.

Next, you’ll need to wipe every surface in your pantry thoroughly either with hot soapy water or all purpose kitchen spray. Pay particular attention to corner joins and cupboard seals as larvae and cocoons often hide there. Also wash all of your containers thoroughly with hot soapy water especially the cracks of the lids in case any cocoons are hiding there. Dry well before returning any food items to them.

Finally restore order to the pantry now that it’s lovely and clean. Place everything back onto the shelves, but keep an eye out for pantry moths as they can easily come back into the home. Some preventative measures are to buy sticky pheromone traps and place in your pantry, the moths are drawn to the pheromones and will stick on the traps and die. Bay leaves are also said to be a good deterrent for pantry moths. Simply take a bunch of fresh bay leaves and tie them up in the pantry.

Cure All is Brisbane’s leading pest control company. Get in touch to discuss extermination or preventative measures of pest control for your home or workplace today!