I may have found something that you might want to put on your information page. I have been ripping things apart that I didn't suspect before and now am suspicious of something. You know the GRASS they put over the foam in artificial plants? I found some of it (a tiny bit) under my TV. It had a fresh WORM in it!!! I had always feared they were living in my real plants but repotted every single one and they aren't there. My problem starts in the front room every year, they don't reach the pantry until about a month or so according to my traps. Well anyway, I have my artificial ones in the shower under scalding hot water. I am putting bleach in the bases of them. I have a huge fireplace and 3 bookshelves on each side with a 6 ft mantle that I keep books, pictures then fill in with some artificial things because it doesn't get enough sunshine.

    I just never suspected the GRASS but have always made sure there no dried flowers, or anything like that.  I found some little decorative glass bowls and have filled with a cornmeal/boric acid mixture that I can hide behind pictures and things.

Well anyway, the fight goes on, I am in the 5th year. They will be gone by October and back in July but please God, let this be the last year.

 

Wanted to let people know about the grass, thanks.

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"!!

So, anyone who has had pantry moths knows how embarassing it can be to have these little bugs flying around your kitchen when friends and family come over.  No one wants people to think that their kitchen isn't "clean" or that the food being prepared in the kitchen is contaminated.  First, let me reassure you that this is actually a very common problem.  I have even been to top restaurants that have some pantry moths flying around so don't feel bad. 

Next, aside from the "gross factor", these insects aren't harmful, even IF you have had them in your food.  Pantry moths are not known to carry disease, they don't regurgitate in the food like flys do, and in the grand scheme of things, they are actually just a low-ranking item on the food chain.  In fact, there are studies done that propose that many vegetarians coming here from other countries actually lose much of the "insect protein" from their diet once they start eating our processed and bleached grain products.  Now, I know that these facts are not going to get you excited about the possibility of accidentally eating a pantry moth, but I wanted to lay out some information for those of you who are panicking about having moths in your food. 

Many people who write in with their Pantry Moth Spray orders tell me that their kitchen is pretty much unusable since they have they pantry moth infestation.  Everyone dealing with this problem goes through at least a few days of the kitchen being "down" while they clean out the pantry, throw out food, and wash down all the cupboards.  But I wanted to let you know that with a few simple steps, you can protect your food and continue to use your kitchen almost like normal while treating the moth infestation.  I also want to give a few tips for being able to host a holiday dinner without being mortified that people will find moth larvae in their food or see pantry moths everywhere. 

    First, Once you have cleaned out and gone through ALL of your food adn containers for traces of pantry moths, spray the cupboards and any enclosed spaces with Aunt Norma's Pantry Moth Spray.  This will keep the moths from going BACK into the pantry during the die-off process.  Also- check your refrigerator for evidence of moths or their webbing- the fridge is not cold enough to kill the moths and they can merely hibernate until you open the door and set them free. 

    Be very careful about which items you are deciding to keep (like spices and canned goods) because the moths can hide under the labels or on the inside of the screw top lids.  IF you are keeping something- wipe it down (including the underside of the lids) with hot soapy water OR Pantry Moth Spray.  I also put these items in the freezer for a minimum of 5 days before returning to the pantry just to be safe.  Put everything in glass containers (I even put groups of things like spices and cookie cutters in large glass canisters so if there were any hatched moths I could tell where the problem was).  Also- if you are going through all the trouble, you may as well take the opportunity to get organized.

    Next, buy new food staples that you need and place them in the FREEZER.  You should keep them there, on the coldest setting, for at least a week before returning them to the pantry, but I found that for my own peace of mind, I just continued to store many of my dry good pantry items in the freezer until I was CERTAIN that all pantry moths were gone from my home.  This way you are sure that no moths or eggs or larvae are in the grains.  Also, rest assured that any eggs will be killed if you managed to cook something using a grain or spice that contained them.

As far as having guests, if you follow the above guidelines before preparing your meal, you shouldn't have any guests running from the table after finding worms in their dinner.  As far as guests seeing the moths flying around, following the above steps will significantly reduce their numbers, but you can also take a pantry moth TRAP and place it in another room of the house that guests are less likely to be using, like a bedroom or even the garage.  This will lure adult moths AWAY from the kitchen. If all else fails, put a bowl of fruit out and tell the guests that you have fruit flies.  For some reason, no one seems that bothered by fruit flys. ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving!! Don't let a couple little pantry moths ruin YOUR celebration!

 

 

Ok, so as if it's not gross enough to have to deal with pantry moths at home, I went out to one of my favorite restaurants this weekend and halfway through my dinner, I noticed pantry moths flying around the place!  I was surprised that even upscale eateries have this problem.  Technically, they aren't harmful and I guess that the health board doesn't look for them, but anyone who has ever found a pantry moth worm in their food knows how disgusting it is to have these things around.  My thought was, as I quickly lost my appetite, that where you see moths, you can pretty much be sure that there are moth eggs and larvae in the food. 

 

 I didn't have the nerve to say anything, but I really might ship them a few bottles of Aunt Norma's pantry moth spray in an anonymous letter, haha.  I hate to think that the food I was paying $$$$ for might be infested with these things.  I think it is also really important for restaurants to use organic, non toxic and safe pesticides because I don't really trust what is in the chemical sprays, and I certainly don't want it around my food!  I believe that some of the better food places (and grovery stores) are actually more prone to having the moths because organic grains and dried goods are usually not treated with pesticides or bleached with chemicals in the manufacturing process, which is good because it means the food is healthier, but is bad because it means we might be hatching pantry moths in our expensive organic grocery items. 

 

I also went to my favorite large chain pet store this weekend and as I was stocking my cart with dog food and treats, I noticed pantry moths flying around there, too!  I remember reading that pet food can be a really likely place to find the pantry moths and their eggs.  Luckily, I've never had a problem because I buy canned dog food, but for those of you out there still having pantry moth issues, consider this as a possible source.  It seems like once you know what they are, you start to notice them everywhere!  I am happy to report that after thoroughly treating my kitchen with Aunt Norma's Pantry Moth Spray, I no longer have a problem at all.  I still see the occasional moth flying around, but they won't go near the areas where I streated, and I have set out a pantry moth trap in other areas of the house to catch the few remaining moths before they can start reproducing again. 

 

I noticed something strange (but good) in the time since I used the spray- it repels spiders as well!  I thought that I was having a spider convention in my house, but I then realized that they were leaving!  They were crawling out from the inner woodwork of my cabinets and flooring, where I had treated with the pantry moth spray... I guess spiders don't like this stuff either.  I plan to try it on mosquitos and fleas (if my dog gets any) this summer.