Jen500 Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Do In need to throw away everything in the pantry? I keep all of my zip lock bags/wax and parchment paper etc in there-do I need to throw those away too? I haven't seen any actual moths but 2 boxes of opened cereal each had a crawly worm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 When this happened to me, I tossed out the obviously contaminated food, then made sure all food in the pantry was sealed completely in ziploc bags. If something else turns out to have moths, it'll become obvious soon but they won't get into everything else. But you have to be vigilant about keeping everything sealed. I only threw away non-food items if they looked gross. It's easy to see if they are safe or not, but you have to check everything. Also, take everything out of the pantry to make sure nothing gross is hiding in there. That system worked for me, the moths went away, and I didn't lose a lot of food. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 This happened to us. I tried to keep things that didn't look infected. This just meant I had to clean the entire pantry twice instead of once when they showed up in the "safe" stuff. Sigh. So gross. We had to use q tips to clean out the little holes where shelves could be adjusted with pegs. *shudder* 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstharr Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Check your spice packages for spider web like stuff. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I just checked each item carefully so I didn't have to toss everything. Make sure you check under shelves and in corners too. Afterwards, we got some pantry pest traps from Home Depot to catch any straggglers. Good luck! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Get the sticky traps and leave them out for way longer than you think. Inspect everything. Stick clean stuff in the freezer. It's possible the cereal boxes were infected at the warehouse or store. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Yup to the ziplock bags and to the traps, on top of cleaning everything, of course! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 We have a walk-in pantry, and by the time I realized what was happening it was a MESS. Bags don't keep them out. They can even get in sealed containers, or else we just live in an area with really persistent moths, lol. So no open foods, nothing wheat open, nothing paper open. Yes to the flypaper traps. I cleaned out all the shelves, removing every item, cleaning all surfaces, looking for little webs and larvae. I was just shocked the places they could get into. For a while there, I didn't put away anything that had been opened, like a bag of spaghetti. Now I can, but I'm just super vigilant, watching. The strips really help over the long run. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 When I helped my mom deal with them, it took three tries. And yes, in the end, she had to throw away *everything* that wasn't canned goods. I'm sorry. After seeing my mom deal with them, it's become one of my infestation fears. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 We have a walk-in pantry, and by the time I realized what was happening it was a MESS. Bags don't keep them out. They can even get in sealed containers, or else we just live in an area with really persistent moths, lol. So no open foods, nothing wheat open, nothing paper open. Yes to the flypaper traps. I cleaned out all the shelves, removing every item, cleaning all surfaces, looking for little webs and larvae. I was just shocked the places they could get into. For a while there, I didn't put away anything that had been opened, like a bag of spaghetti. Now I can, but I'm just super vigilant, watching. The strips really help over the long run. They can get in Mason jars and the plastic containers with the rubber gaskets IME too. I figured out we were getting them from a particular store, so I stopped buying anything packaged from there that I couldn't inspect carefully. They'll live in the glue borders on paper bags and cardboard. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stibalfamily Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I put everything in the freezer for 24 hours and threw out contaminated foods. Ours came from a bag of brown rice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I agree with everything everyone has said. It is horrible. I keep pasta in ziplock bags, rice in my freezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I once heard that sprinkling bay leaves in cupboards and even in the bags of food themselves (flour, rice, etc. -- food that you can easily pick the leaves out of so you don't eat them!) will keep them away. I've done that over the years whenever I've had bug problems in my cupboards. Whenever I've done that, I don't have problems anymore until eventually the bay leaves are all gone (thrown out, cleaned out, etc.). Maybe it's just coincidence, but I still do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 We store our "extra" wheat products in plastic Rubbermaid-type bins. If I find a moth in a bin I just have to deal with the food in that bin. Since we have had the bins, I have had very few moths. In the pantry I double bag everything in those flimsy vegetable bags from the grocery. Two layers seems to do the trick even though they are flimsy layers. I'm too lazy to twist tie them all, so I just twist the bag tops and then put them together on the shelves to keep the bags from untwisting. 24 hours in the freezer should kill them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ealp2009 Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 They can get into zip locks and into glass jars. It seems there is nothing they can't get into. But still those are better than not. I would just keep going through stuff. Look in all the corners between the wall and the ceiling. I'm so sorry. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 OP, when we finally got rid of the infestation, I got these from Ikea and store pretty much EVERYTHING in the pantry in them: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20233683/ They have lots of sizes. I don't know if it'd be enough to stop them once they are already in your pantry, but so far it has kept them from coming back. It's been a year or so and we haven't had problems since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 They will get in straws!!! IN STRAWS!!!!That was one of the worst days of my life. Did I mention I have OCD? There was a lot of crying. :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly: I started putting all my dry goods into the freezer when I brought them home. It was horrible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohsmom23 Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 We had pantry moths a few years ago. It was awful. I put bars of Irish Spring in my cupboards and that has kept them at bay once I got rid of the infested foods. It's a trick I learned to keep them away from my wool yarn as well and it works very well for food, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 When I was in the middle of an infestation, I put a bag of dried chiles that I thought might be a problem in the freezer for a week, but that didn't kill the larvae. To me, the main reason for using ziplocks is that they nearly always keep the moths from getting out and infesting other food. If I buy in bulk and repackage, I know the bag I used isn't infested and I can easily see if anything gross is going on inside the bag. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 We had them once. Horrible. They even seemed to make nests/lay eggs/? under the paper labels of cans. I tossed *every* cardboard box. We pealed all the labels off cans and washed them. We tossed all flour, sugar, etc and thoroughly washed the containers (under the little lid and corners, oh my!). We washed the entire pantry (pull out shelves are wonderful except when you have pantry moths). I now stick any bag of flour in the freezer for several days/weeks before getting it out. I do not want those things again. My sympathies. May your eradication efforts go quickly and smoothly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage81 Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 No advice...I'm just really sorry this is happening to you! We had ants in the pantry once and it turned out they were after a halfway closed peanut butter jar. That was nothing compared to what others have shared in this thread. I had no idea moths could get into the pantry! :eek: I hope you're able to get rid of the moths soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 No advice...I'm just really sorry this is happening to you! We had ants in the pantry once and it turned out they were after a halfway closed peanut butter jar. That was nothing compared to what others have shared in this thread. I had no idea moths could get into the pantry! :eek: I hope you're able to get rid of the moths soon. It's little bitty moths that infest dry goods. They usually come from the store in something that is already infested and don't just randomly appear. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 (edited) Been through this many times. Those f7908098ing things can eat a hole in a ziplock bag. If I saw a SINGLE worm I would toss out anything in a box or a bag. I've had to toss all my tea (they ADORE celestial seasoning tea, lol), any bits of dried fruit in bags from the bulk section...DRY CAT FOOD that was in a paper bag. I haven't had a problem in years,but for a long time (years) it was a constant struggle. I got some traps and left them for a LONG time (used many), and started putting ANYTHING that comes in paper in the freezer for at least three days. Good thing I have a big chest freezer b/c I froze my flour, boxes of cereal, pasta..anything not in glass or metal. They lay eggs in the folds of cardboard boxes (think bottom of cereal boxes) but also in the folds of curtains, in a drawer of dish towels and (I hate to tell you) even in the threads of a jar. Last month I almost screamed because I thought I found two moths sitting on my shower curtain..my bathroom is off the kitchen and when we had the moth infestation they were in the bathroom. I took a picture and texted it to dh and was very upset that we had moths. Then when I went to kill them I found out they were two bits of lint...perfectly shaped lint. I think I'm a bit traumatized. I am 100% serious that I had MUCH less trouble getting rid of lice than the bloody pantry moths. Edited April 3, 2017 by redsquirrel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Whenever I buy dry goods, I shove them in the freezer for a week or two. That works. But if you're already infested, you're really going to have to toss everything and scrub. I'd suggest spraying your shelves and the corners of your pantry and around the door with an insect growth regulator. That doesn't kill them, but if they come into contact with the IGR it keeps them from reproducing. Gotta reapply every month. As for pet food, I treat our dried pet food with food grade diatomaceous earth. I'm not eager to put it in my food, but it doesn't harm the pets and will kill any insect dumb enough to crawl on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 Oh what a day. Thanks for all the advice. I already have an extra freezer but now I wish I owned an extra one to put new purchases in. I didn't find any more worms but I threw away a lot. The rest I wiped down, vacuumed, and put in a box so I can work on the actual pantry but I might just throw the box of food away too now that I've read these posts. My flours are in sealed OXO containers and I use and refill them fairly quickly--if I don't SEE anything in there is it ok? Or is it really hard to see any eggs in the flour? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Oh what a day. Thanks for all the advice. I already have an extra freezer but now I wish I owned an extra one to put new purchases in. I didn't find any more worms but I threw away a lot. The rest I wiped down, vacuumed, and put in a box so I can work on the actual pantry but I might just throw the box of food away too now that I've read these posts. My flours are in sealed OXO containers and I use and refill them fairly quickly--if I don't SEE anything in there is it ok? Or is it really hard to see any eggs in the flour? What I have seen is the very small amount of webbing in the flour. It's like a little bit of spider web. It's usually near the top of something, like you open the box and see it at the opening. But a couple times I spooned out flour only to find some webbing...so in the trash the flour went. They like the dark..so look up in your kitchen. Sometimes they lay eggs in the corners of the room, up high and along the seam where the ceiling meets the wall, in your cupboards in the cracks. Look behind any pictures on the walls or the clock. Look under shelves. I have found them in the spine of cookbooks that I keep in the kitchen. It's going to look like a small cobweb. Instead of scrubbing all that, I found it much easier to just toss all dry good and get some traps. Eventually it worked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 (edited) Oh no!! Ugh! We went through that one year and it was sooo expensive and time consuming. Get rid of anything that isn't completely sealed, no matter what it looks like. If they are able to continue reproducing you'll have to do it all over again. Invest in some prepware or snap ware 23 cup sized containers for your flour and sugar. They hold a full bag perfectly. Also, put nuts in sealable containers. My pistachios were working alive with them, shudder. ETA I just saw your update and anything in airtight containers should be ok. Anything rolled down and clipped, nope. Even bags of things that haven't been opened should have air in them. If you press down on an unopened bag and the air leaks out, it's been compromised. I think it was the rice they broke into in our case. Edited April 3, 2017 by Barb_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Been through this many times. Those f7908098ing things can eat a hole in a ziplock bag. If I saw a SINGLE worm I would toss out anything in a box or a bag. I've had to toss all my tea (they ADORE celestial seasoning tea, lol), any bits of dried fruit in bags from the bulk section...DRY CAT FOOD that was in a paper bag. I haven't had a problem in years,but for a long time (years) it was a constant struggle. I got some traps and left them for a LONG time (used many), and started putting ANYTHING that comes in paper in the freezer for at least three days. Good thing I have a big chest freezer b/c I froze my flour, boxes of cereal, pasta..anything not in glass or metal. They lay eggs in the folds of cardboard boxes (think bottom of cereal boxes) but also in the folds of curtains, in a drawer of dish towels and (I hate to tell you) even in the threads of a jar. Last month I almost screamed because I thought I found two moths sitting on my shower curtain..my bathroom is off the kitchen and when we had the moth infestation they were in the bathroom. I took a picture and texted it to dh and was very upset that we had moths. Then when I went to kill them I found out they were two bits of lint...perfectly shaped lint. I think I'm a bit traumatized. I am 100% serious that I had MUCH less trouble getting rid of lice than the bloody pantry moths. I'm sorry, I giggled. I'm laughing with you and not at you though. I feel your pain. And I've only had to do it once! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 It's really hard to see the eggs. Sorry. But if you miss one, don't worry. They're mostly harmless. Just think - yum, extra protein! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I just found moths in my brown rice box too! Reminded me why I never buy brown rice in bulk normally. Now I have to go through my whole pantry and check everything! On top of that we've had a cold virus, followed by a burst of gastro and I'm just about done! 😬 1 week till school holidays!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Ugh, I HATE them. The yellow fly strips do a better job than the traps to get rid of them. I tacked them to the top of my pantry and changed them every month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 (edited) I'm sorry, I giggled. I'm laughing with you and not at you though. I feel your pain. And I've only had to do it once! Go ahead and laugh! I totally did. I just wish I hadn't sent a profanity laden yelling text to DH before I found out what they were, lol. Not that either of us mind profanity, it was that I looked NUTS. One picture of a small vaguely brown/beige thing with an all caps #*&^(*&^( and a rant that I am not going through this again followed by more (*&^(*&^. Then, 'never mind' :lol: I don't know if it matters, but the summer when it just didn't go away had record setting heat and humidity. But we've had very hot and humid spells since then, so I don't know if it was the weather. Edited April 3, 2017 by redsquirrel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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