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Aunt Norma's
Blog
Pantry Moths are Back Again!!
Posted on 15 March, 2016 at 16:57 |
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With the weather warming up, you can expect to start seeing pantry moths again. Often times, the eggs can go into a holding period, so to speak, from last season and not hatch again until the weather starts to warm up. Like many animals and insects, pantry moths can inherently know when spring is coming, and when it's time to start reproducing. If you have spent the winter months moth-free, you may think that you are done with the pests forever, only to be shocked and horrified when you start seeing these pesky moths come spring. |
How to Get Rid of Moths Naturally: Trichogramma wasps
Posted on 16 December, 2014 at 15:10 |
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So, I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was going to work up the nerve to try the natural predatory wasps that are supposed to eat pantry moth eggs. I first heard of the wasps a couple years ago when one of my customers suggested that she might try them. I was pretty shocked- I had never heard of the moths and also was pretty horrified at the thought of setting a bunch of wasps lose in the house to get rid of moths...??!! Aren't wasps a bigger pest than the stupid moths?? At least the moths don't sting! But, in the name of all things pantry moth, I decided to face my fear and see if I could manage the wasps- to give you a first-hand account of how they are. "Wait- did I read that right.... 5,000 wasps??!!" I must admit that this is probably one of the scariest things I've done. Even if they are TINY- this means that I am releasing 15,000 wasps (there are 5000 to a dish, and I received three of these...) in my freaking KITCHEN???? I placed the little plastic cups with the wasps inside in my pantry and waited. I will say that I didn't really notice tons of wasps flying around- but I definitely DID see them. They would be on the counter- I also continued to see moths flying around- so I guess the wasps didn't arrive in time to get all the eggs before they hatched. As with any moth treatment, it can take up to 3 weeks for the moths leftover to complete their life cycle (since the wasps only eat eggs- the larvae or moths that are already there will NOT be killed and you will have to wait for them to die off on their own, or put out a pantry moth trap or use Aunt Norma's Pantry Moth Spray. I would love to hear anyone else's thoughts or personal experience with these wasps. Please comment below! |
Get Rid of Pantry Moths before the Holidays!
Posted on 24 November, 2014 at 1:23 |
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The problem is, once you have seen a moth or a bug in your food storage area- there are bound to be more that you haven't seen...and they aren't going to leave on their own... you are gonna have to escort them out. It seems counter-intuitive that the bug spray they sell that has enough chemicals to kill bugs is supposedly non-toxic to humans...? The why do I have to leave and have my pets out of the house any time the exterminator comes? I'm just not buying it, which is why I created the Natural Pantry Moth Spray, non-toxic Bug Spray for your kitchen, and the new Bug Powder and Spider spray. Check out my advice page on how to get rid of pantry moths and bugs in the kitchen. Good luck... or you could always pretend that your oven fizzled and you have to change the venue to someone else's house! |
Pantry Moths in the Winter: Last chance to get rid of them!
Posted on 4 November, 2014 at 12:23 |
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Get Rid of Pantry Moths!!
Posted on 14 August, 2014 at 9:35 |
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Hi, everyone- just post your comment or question here by selecting the "comment" button underneath any post at all- I will receive the comment and it will open up the question to advice and shared experiences from other members of the forum as well. |
PAntry Moths in Cookbooks:
Posted on 28 July, 2014 at 10:38 |
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Q: I left out the honey, canned beans, oil & vinegar...i guess i have to put it
all away? AN: Ok- the canned goods
are ok- but you should peel off the labels or wash the cans in hot soapy
water. Honey...? You just never know but I think you could do a
visual inspection and see if there are any cocoons in the lid, etc. Oils,
vinegar- should be ok. Q: What I really seem to need is another
refrigerator! Oh to redo the 1970s
kitchen! AN: I know- too bad this doesn't happen in the
winter when you could just put things in a bin outside! Q: I am completely out of freezer room, I was going to freeze the
tea/spices/grains/etc. for a week then put those in the frig and put the other
stuff that didn't fit in the freezer for its week of killing the larvae. AN: spices are a FAVORITE place for pantry moths to hide...) In a big
cheap dollar store plastic shoe box. That way- when I examined the
various bins and bags every few days- IF there was evidence of Pantry moth infestation,
I could easily identify which items were the source and toss the whole bag/
container. Q: I figured the frig will
keep them hibernating - i hope until i have room in my freezer... AN: The fridge will NOT kill them,
but serves the same purpose as the Ziploc and plastic containers- you can see
if something's contaminated when you open the fridge if a moth flies out. Q: I did do the books at 180degrees for 10
minutes…s not enough to kill them... AN: It remains to be seen. I've always
heard you have to go hotter- but, Jeez Louise, 180 seems plenty hot enough to
kill them! Let me know... Q: I only saw old worm casings and webbing etc in the
books...nothing new AN: Ok, be VERY careful with the
cookbooks, then.. they are clearly inhabited by moths- even if the webbings
looks old. Q: I sprayed as much as i could and ordered a
new refill bottle today. AN: Have you had any luck with the
traps at all? The combo really works- but you will have to sit on it a
bit... it can take awhile for the moths to die off completely- especially in
the hot weather. Keep me posted! |
Questions about Pantry Moths: Cook the Cookbooks?
Posted on 27 July, 2014 at 23:07 |
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Aunt Norma: First of all let me tell you that I am SO
SORRY that you are dealing with these miserable pests.... it's enough to make
you go bonkers! Hand in there, though- you CAN win the battle and get
back to your normal life. Let me address your questions: Q: I want to deal with all the cookbooks as they def lay eggs in them. Suggestions...oven? How long? Temp? AN: Oh my. That's tough. It's hard to
cook or freeze them enough to kill the eggs without damaging the
cookbooks. I'll tell you what, Lisa. If I were you- and if you have
cookbooks that are valuable both personally or monetarily, I would actually buy
a big storage bin (like from Target or Home Depot) or at the very least get a
big trash bag, and put the cookbooks in and then toss in about a cup of
Diatomaceous Earth. (Google it- it's an all-natural organic shell flour
that is 100% TOXIC to insects but harmless to humans and animals)... you can
get it very cheaply on eBay or Amazon- just make sure you get the food grade
stuff and be careful not to snort it or get it in your eyes when you are using
it. I would send you some but I'm out and headed on vacation so don't
have any more ordered.. but I use it all the time. It's not so great on
the adult moths- mostly b/c they fly and they have to have direct contact with
the powder for it to kill them...but if you are worried about eggs it will work
on the larvae IF there are eggs and IF they hatch. I don't think you can
get the oven hot enough to kill the bugs in the oven without catching the
cookbooks on fire. If you decide NOT to try the diatomaceous earth- I
would suggest putting the cookbooks in baggies and freezing them for a week or
so. Q: Can I leave dried beans in ball jars in the pantry or do they need to be refrigerated? Now, during cleaning, and in general? AN: These are a FAVORITE of the stupid pantry
moths...You should inspect each jar carefully and throw out ANY that have
webbing or evidence of moths in them. Open the lids and look
around. Place these in the freezer until the moths are GONE, and perhaps
after that if you have room to keep them safe. Q: Do I need to keep crackers, rice cakes and teas in the refrigerator even after all pantry moths are gone from our home? AN: Well... this is tricky. When I first
had pantry moths- I got so paranoid that I kept EVERYTHING in the freezer for
months after the last moth was gone. even cereal and cake mixes,
haha) Better safe than sorry- but as long as you are NOT seeing moths,
then you can assume that it is safe to keep such items in the pantry... but be
on the lookout for late bloomers- some eggs don't hatch until months after the
initial infestation. If you see even ONE moth- put your grains and
goodies away for safe keeping and mist the cabinets with Aunt Norma's Pantry
Moth Spray to keep the repellant scent fresh and protect your food from
re-infestation. Q: When setting up the pheromone trap, do I put it in the pantry, in the kitchen or elsewhere? The moths are in cabinets and pantry and cracks in doorway etc. (so not one location). AN: Place the trap out and the moths will
come. Do NOT put it in your pantry or moths hatching in other places will
fly INTO the pantry with the food items. I find the best place is
on the top of the refrigerator or on a top shelf somewhere out in the
open. The scent of the lure works for about 20-30 feet, so one trap per
floor of the home...the moths will find it. Q: Thank you!!!!! AN: You are most welcome- please keep me posted. This is just the worst to go through- but the good news is that you will have a sparkly clean, clutter-free kitchen when you are done. I wish there was an easier way- but these moths are the dickens! Good Luck! |
Pantry moths Came back...?
Posted on 20 July, 2014 at 15:00 |
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QUESTION: I have had these buggers for about a year now. Got rid of the food and cleaned like mad and
moved the rest of the food out to the garage. Got the pheromone traps and your
spray and got them down to catching one or two a month. Moved it all back in
and bam! Back to the problem, only worse! So repeated the
process, and we are still in the midst, but there are no moths in the cupboard,
just elsewhere in my four story house now!! I've had the pheromone traps for a
month. The first week - 18 new. Then 16, then 12. This week 47. None in the cupboards!
Just elsewhere and there is no food in here! I don't get it! Are there any hard
core ideas? I can't dismantle this 4000 square foot hundred year old house. So
frustrating! Any thoughts would be
appreciated. ANSWER: First of all- I'm so sorry that you are going through this! It
sounds like something in the items that you were keeping in the garage were a
source of the infestation, and likely still had eggs in when you brought it
back into the house. The eggs can "hibernate" for up to several
months, so it's not uncommon for them to lay dormant and then when something
changes or "triggers" them, they hatch (like moving them back into
the house, or a temperature change...) It is GOOD that you are not
seeing them in the cupboards- that means that the Pantry Moth Spray has left a
scent that is repelling the moths- so it is working!! The problem is,
though, that you are clearly still having moths that are hatching (either in
the food in the pantry and then flying OUT of the pantry; or the moths have
laid eggs in other areas of the home). This is why you are seeing moths
all over... they have spread and are looking for a). food and b). a place to
mate/ lay eggs. I can guide you through my 2-Step System to get rid of
pantry moths. It might take awhile to entirely get rid of them for good
(you have to interrupt their life/ mating cycle and then wait for them to die
off), but if you follow the system- you CAN get rid of a pantry moth
infestation. The two steps are:
1). Keep them from eating; and 2). Keep them from mating. It's that
simple. The FIRST order of business is getting rid of the source.
Unfortunately- you will need to go back through the pantry items again-
and likely get rid of much of it. Try to think outside the box when
inspecting your things if you are planning on keeping some- the stupid moths
can lay eggs anywhere- and the larvae can wiggle into even the most unlikely of
places. Think underneath labels, inside rims of spice jar lids...I even once
found a larvae inside the lid of a Pepto Bismol bottle once... so they really
can be in places that you wouldn't expect them at all. You should also
put anything that you aren't throwing out into the freezer or at the very least
into a sealed glass container (they can get past anything other than a
suction-type lid). It is VERY
important that your food is protected and that the source is weeded out, or the
moths will continue to feed and therefor you will have an ongoing infestation.
The moths just need a speck
or crumb to feed on
and keep the process going. Now- keep a pantry moth trap
out in the kitchen (but NOT in the pantry) for several months- even after you
stop seeing the moths on a regular basis. Because the eggs can
"hibernate" and hatch when they are triggered by the weather or some
other unknown cue from nature, you could have leftover eggs that hatch MONTHS
from now.. IF you have a trap out- it will prevent the moths from taking hold
again. The trap lures and kills the adult males, so they cannot breed.
Only use one trap at a time or they kind of cancel each other out. That's it! If you
follow these guidelines and don't lose heart- the moths are gonners!
Please keep me posted and let me know if there's any other way I can be
of help! Good luck! |
Deck the Halls with Aunt Norma's Pantry Moth Spray
Posted on 17 December, 2013 at 21:00 |
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Pantry Moths are BACK!!!!
Posted on 31 May, 2013 at 17:12 |
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So, As many of you have noticed, as the weather warms up, Those darn pantry moths you thought you got rid of last fall are all of a sudden BACK!! "What the heck is going on?", you ask, as just the sight of a single pantry moth flying around the kitchen brings back those feelings of disgust and panic you felt the last time you had to deal with this pest. The truth is, that although you may not have seen them in awhile, these moths are probably part of the original gang that you were dealing with before. Under normal circumstances, a pantry moth egg/ larvae hatches in 2-14 days. When the weather cools off, though, the larvae can go into somewhat of a hibernation mode, and they can stay in their lovely cocoon for months. When the weather warms up, all of a sudden, these moths decide it's time to emerge. As a single female moth can lay up to 300 eggs, it is unlikely that you got all of the eggs the last time around (especially since the moths can lay eggs ANYWHERE...like on the underside of picture frames or in corners of other rooms besides the kitchen). So don't immediately assume that the moths are back in your food. You likely can avoid a full-blown pantry clean out with just a few simple steps. Keep in mind- these are probably just left over moths, so if you nip it in the bud, you can avoid another full-blown infestation. The very first thing I would recommend doing is putting out a pantry moth trap. This is the most effective place to start that also requires the least amount of effort. Just place a pantry moth pheromone lure trap someplace close to where the pantry is- like on top of the refrigerator. A pantry moth trap will lure and trap the male moths, so that the breeding cycle is interrupted hopefully before it begins! I would also be careful to protect the food in your pantry to prevent the moths from feeding on it. The easiest way to do this is to seal all food items in glass or suction-lid containers. I like to keep most of my grain products in the freezer to eliminate ANY chance of moth infestation. Another easy trick is to spray an insect repellent, like Aunt Norma's Pantry Moth Spray, around the cabinets and shelving. Be sure to use a NON-TOXIC spray if you are going to do this without removing the food first. Aunt Norma's is made from natural essential oils so it is safe to spray directly around sealed containers (obviously not IN the actual food) to deliver the scent that keeps discourages moths without having to worry about chemicals in and around your food. If you follow these easy steps, you should be able to get ahold of a moth re-infestation before it becomes a big issue (or ruins your groceries!!). Anyone who has spent countless hours cleaning out their pantry and throwing away hundreds of dollars of food knows that it is better to quash a moth problem before the moths take over. Being vigilant when you first see a moth can prevent a lot of needless work and expense later. You know what they say about an "ounce of prevention"!! |
Categories
- Get rid of pantry moths! (15)
- Natural Insect Repellent & Organic Insecticide (1)
- How To get Rid of Moths (4)
- Kill & Get Rid of Spiders Naturally (1)
- the difference between pantry moths and clothes moths (1)
- Organic Pesticides and NAtural Insect Repellents (1)
- Health & Home advice (4)
- Pantry moth spray and pets (2)
- Pantry Moths (7)
- pantry moths and worms in food (4)
- Get Rid of Brown Recluse Spiders (4)
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