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Get Rid of Moths with Aunt Norma's Pantry Moth Spray!
| Posted on 27 February, 2015 at 18:16 |
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SO YOU HAVE PANTRY MOTHS If you are reading
this, it is likely because your kitchen and peace of mind have been invaded
with a tiny flying nemesis known as the Pantry Moth. By the time you have noticed them, chances
are they have already set up shop in your pantry and in your food. If you see one, there are plenty more that
you haven’t seen. The good news is that they aren’t poisonous
or disease-ridden. Gross as it is, if you
have accidentally eaten one, it won’t hurt you.
The bad news, however, is that they are notoriously difficult to get rid
of. SOME PANTRY MOTH FACTS Often
called the “flour moth”, the Indian- meal Moth is light brown in color and
usually about 8-10 mm in length. They
lay eggs and spin silky webs and cocoons where the worms or caterpillars, called
waxworms, spend some time until they hatch.
The moth larvae are off-white with brown heads. The entire life cycle of this species may
take 30 to 300 days. Female moths lay between 60 and 400 eggs on a food
surface, which are ordinarily smaller than 0.5 mm and not sticky. The eggs
hatch in 2 to 14 days. The larval stage lasts from 2 to 41 weeks, depending on the
temperature. They are more active in the summer. HOW THEY GOT IN The pantry moth is
actually very common. It is likely that
the eggs were already in something you bought and have stored long enough for
the eggs to mature. There is almost no
way to completely avoid buying grains and food products that contain them, but
obviously if you see the moths flying around your favorite grocery store, you
might want to shop someplace else for awhile.
Items you buy in the “bulk” section are a somewhat higher risk, and
organic foods are somewhat more likely to contain them as they are not usually
bleached and sprayed with chemicals. Pet
food and bird seed are often likely culprits as well. WHAT TO LOOK FOR The Indian-meal moth
larvae can infest a wide range of dry foodstuffs such as flour, cereal, bread,
pasta, rice, spices or dried fruits and nut.
Honestly, though, these things can literally worm their way into just
about anything. I have found them in such
strange places as in a Pepto Bismol bottle and at the bottom of drink mix
containers. They also can seemingly get
through glass and plastic containers, although often this is because the food
inside already contained eggs which later hatched. They really can crawl into even the tightest
surfaces, though, and any container with a screw top can allow them to crawl up
the ridges and into the food inside.
They can also eat through plastic bags and cardboard boxes. So once you have seen them, no food in your
pantry can be assumed safe. They only
need a miniscule spec or crumb of food to survive on. The worms also find
other non-food sources for which to spin their cocoon to pupate (ew!), like in
corners, crevices in the wood, or the underside of canned goods and the inside
of container lids. Look for not only the
adult moth, but also any silky webbing, food particles clumped together, or
little “dust balls” waiting to hatch. Once
they start reproducing, they can travel to other areas of the home and start
the process all over again. STEPS TO GET RID OF THEM Now
that you are thoroughly disgusted and understand the enemy, it’s time to get
started. There is a lot of work to do,
and sadly, there’s no shortcut. This is
war. You need to begin by removing every
item from your pantry. You will be
tempted to avoid this step, but it is crucial.
Next, throw out pretty much everything.
If you can’t bring yourself to toss hundreds of dollars of food into the
trash, there are some alternatives, but be warned, it might not get rid of the
problem and you could end up having to toss everything a few weeks later
anyways.
First,
you can transfer any items that don’t seem affected into the freezer. None of the stages of the organism (eggs,
larvae, adults) is very temperature-tolerant and all can be killed by a week of
freezing or by brief heating in a microwave or conventional oven when such
treatment is practical. Just make sure
that your freezer is set to its coldest temperature or the little buggers will
merely hibernate. Next, if you want to
keep some items like canned goods and spices, you must inspect each one and then wash
them in hot soapy water. Check
everything, like inside the spice bottle lids and behind the canned good
labels. Do this for every single thing that will be
returning to your cupboard. Nothing is safe.
Check baskets, shelf liners, cookbooks and recipe boxes. Trust me, you only want to do this once, so
do it right. Now you need to clean
the pantry like you have never cleaned before.
Cancel your plans for the rest of the weekend. Remove any loose shelf liner, and wash down
ALL surfaces with hot soapy water or Aunt Norma’s Pantry Moth Spray. The benefit of using the spray is that you
can do two steps in one and the results will last longer. The spray contains soaping agents as well as
essential oils and other moth and insect repellents that will not only kill the
eggs and larvae but deter the adult moths from returning to lay more eggs and
start the whole process over again. If using the spray,
make sure to liberally coat all areas.
Use the far-reaching trigger to get into areas like door hinges (a
favorite place for moths to cocoon), ceilings, holes, corners and spaces or
gaps where the panels don’t completely meet.
It is best to wear gloves and a mask for this. Keep a sponge and a bucket of hot water
nearby, and wash down all surfaces.
Allow to dry before returning any food to the pantry. At this stage, hopefully you have killed all
the existing eggs and larvae, but you are probably going to still see some
adult moths flying around over thenext few days to weeks. They bugged out when the cleaning started or
were hiding in another part of the home. They won’t want to return to the pantry. After all, there’s no food for them anymore
and they HATE the smell that the spray has left behind, but they are
desperately looking for a place to mate and lay eggs. Collect your family
members and anyone living in the house and instruct them to hunt and kill any
adult moths they see. If you have issues
about bug-killing or karma, you’re going to need to get over it…quickly. You have a small window of opportunity to
kill these remaining menaces or you will be back to square one before you know
it. If you need some motivation, keep in
mind that these creatures are not
nice. They are actually carnivorous and
will even eat each other. They also will
try to attack you when you are swatting them.
Don’t be fooled, they are not
cute and they are not your
friends. You can
also discourage re-infestation by leaving Pantry Moth essential oil diffusers
in the corners of your cabinet or by frequently touching up with the
spray. The moths hate this stuff. Keep
all foods in airtight, preferably glass, containers, and store whatever you can
in the freezer. You can set out some
Pantry Moth Traps to kill any adults that you either missed or any that have
hatched since you cleaned. This is a
pheromone trap that lures the males and can be a good alternative to spending
all of your free time moth-hunting. Good
luck! |
How to Get Rid of Pantry Moths
| Posted on 27 February, 2015 at 18:10 |
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|
Question: Hi- can you tell me if the Pantry Moth Spray Kills Pantry moth eggs and larvae as well as the adult moths? And also, how do you use it/ how does it work? thnx Aunt Norma: Yes, it will kill any larvae and
eggs that it comes into contact with. The problem with this, though, is
that because even one female moth can lay up to 300 microscopic
eggs per day, it is practically impossible to get all the eggs. The
way to deal with this is through a system that I have developed that gets rid
of the pantry moth infestation permanently by interrupting their breeding
practices and keeping them away from any source of food. This is best
accomplished in the following steps: 1). Clean out the cabinets and
any areas where food, bird seed, or pet food is stored. 2). Spray Aunt Norma's Pantry
moth spray to cover all areas. Leave the cabinet doors open overnight or
long enough to dry. 3). Place any food that will
be returning to the cupboard into glass airtight containers, and/ or place
anything that you can in the freezer. You want to keep any moths that
will hatch in a week or so (from eggs that were not killed by the spray) from
getting back into any food. The scent of the spray deters any hatched
adult moths from returning to the areas where the scent still lingers.
This is why is works in two ways: to kill the eggs/ larvae and adult
moths, and to also repel moths from returning to the food and starting the
whole cycle all over again. 4). I always recommend that my
customers also use a pantry moth trap. I sell them online (you can
purchase the spray and the trap in a "Pantry Moth Kit") or you can
simply pick up a trap at any major home and hardware store (like Home
Depot). The trap lures and kills adult males so that the breeding cycle
will be interrupted. This way, as you can see, the moth
infestation doesn't stand a chance. The other methods don't work because
they only deal with the CURRENT moths, and ignore the potential for missed eggs
(which can honestly be anywhere in the home... I once found some moth larvae
behind the glass of a picture frame in my living room!!). The
"second round hatching" is a common reason for what is perceived
as a re-infestation, when in fact is is still part of the original
infestation that wasn't dealt with properly. Aunt Norma'ssystem deals with the infestation in a more holistic way that ensures that
your moths will be gone for good. I hope this helps. Please let
me know if you have any more questions or if I can be of further assistance in
any way. |
How to Get Rid of Pantry Moths Naturally
| Posted on 23 January, 2015 at 13:04 |
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 Question: Thank you for getting back to me. Last Friday
I took all food out of my pantry and threw about 70% of it away. Anything that
still looked okay I put in the freezer. All of my "other stuff" was
put outside (we live in the Midwest and it's pretty cold out). The stuff I put
outside was unwashable. For example, bills, paper towel, etc... Do you think
the stuff outside will be okay if it's been in the cold for a week? I washed my
entire pantry down with soap and water. I also sprayed all shelves and walls
with vinegar. I didn't have any moths at the time, just the little white worms.
I haven't seen any worms for 3 days now. I also plan on spraying everything
down with your spray i bought too. I don't plan on putting anything back into
the pantry until Sunday. Am I doing everything ok, or do you have any other
suggestions? Thanks for your time! A: Aunt Norma: Sounds like you are
doing great, Tracy. Yes, I think that the items you have stored outside
(as long as the temperature reaches freezing at least 3-5 consecutive days)
should be OK... there IS a possibility that the eggs will go into a type of "hibernation",
which sometimes happens in the colder weather, but hopefully the freezing
temperatures will kill any hidden eggs. Which brings me to another
point: You have likely gotten rid of all the adult moths INSIDE the
house, and many of the worms and eggs, but be prepared for at least one final
round of flying adult moths to hatch before this is said and done. As you will see in the
literature online and in the instructions, the way that this system works is by
interrupting their breeding/ feeding/ mating, i.e., "LIFE"
cycle. This process takes at least 4 weeks, as it takes about 4 weeks for a moth
to hatch, pupate, and turn into adult moths. so even just a few missed eggs (which there are guaranteed to be some, as they are
microscopic in size and can literally be anywhere...) can technically start the
whole cycle all over again. This is why people have such a hard time
getting rid of these pests, and why traditional treatments don't work.
The important thing is to maintain an unwelcome environment for the moths
during that entire initial
month after you have killed the first round of adults. This is accomplished by: 1). Keeping the
moths from laying eggs in or near the food (by storage methods
and by keeping the scent of Aunt Norma's Pantry Moth Spray fresh near food
storage areas, which acts as a strong moth repellent). 2). Preventing the
moths from Mating(with use of a pheromone Pantry Moth Trap, which lures
and kills the males). 3). Preventing any
hatched larva from feeding(again by proper food storage and
cleaning so that the worms/ larvae- which is the only stage that
feeds- cannot have access to any food source).  And there you have it! If you can successfully accomplish
the above steps, (and manage to NOT FREAK OUT when you are still seeing moths
the first month), the buggers will be GONE before you know it. I have
many, many happy customers that have had success using my method. Please
keep me posted, and GOOD LUCK!Thank you for
your interest in Aunt Norma's. -Aunt Norma www.AuntNormas.com |
How to Get Rid of & Kill Pantry or Indian meal moths
| Posted on 17 December, 2014 at 23:27 |
comments ()
|
HOW TO GET RID OF PANTRY MOTHS (These are the instructions from Aunt Norma's Pantry Moth Spray... if you don't want to purchcase the spray- you can try filling a spray bottle with white vinegar and dish detergent in place of the Pantry Moth Spray) Now that you are thoroughly disgusted and understand the
enemy, it’s time to get started. There
is a lot of work to do, and sadly, there is no shortcut. This is war.
You need to begin by removing every item from your pantry. You will be tempted to avoid this step, but
it is crucial. Next, throw out pretty
much everything. If you can’t bring
yourself to toss hundreds of dollars of food into the trash, there are some
alternatives, but be warned, it might not get rid of the problem and you could
end up having to toss everything a few weeks later anyways. FIRST, you can transfer any items that don’t seem affected
into the freezer. None of the stages of
the organism (eggs, larvae, adults) is very temperature-tolerant and all can be
killed by a week of freezing or by brief heating in a microwave or conventional
oven when such treatment is practical.
Just make sure that your freezer is set to its coldest setting or the
little buggers will merely hibernate. ELIMINATE THE SOURCE NEXT, if you want to keep some items
like canned goods and spices, you must inspect each one and then wash them in
hot, soapy water or Aunt Norma’s Pantry Moth Spray. Check everything, like inside the spice
bottle lids and behind the canned good labels.
Do this for every single thing that will be returning to your cupboard. If you miss some eggs or larvae, they will
turn into moths and start reproducing again.
This is the most common reason for “re-infestation”. Nothing is safe. Check baskets, shelf liners, cookbooks, and
recipe boxes. Trust me, you only want to
do this once, so do it right.
NOW you need to clean the
pantry like you’ve never cleaned before.
Cancel your plans for the rest of the weekend. Remove any loose shelf liner, and wash down
all surfaces with hot soapy water. Next,
Spray Aunt Norma’s liberally on all surfaces (and under shelves, in corners,
etc.) Use the far-reaching sprayer to
get into areas like door hinges (a favorite place for moths to cocoon),
ceilings, holes, corners and spaces or gaps where the panels don’t completely
meet. It is best to wear gloves and a
mask for this step. The spray contains
non-toxic ingredients as well as essential oils and other insect repellents
that not only kill the eggs and larvae but deter the adult moths from returning
to lay more eggs and start the process over again. You can wipe the areas lightly with a damp
sponge to spread out the formula, or to absorb some if you went nuts with the
spray and your pantry is dripping. Allow to dry before returning any food to the
pantry. 
At this stage, hopefully you
have killed all the existing eggs and larvae, but you are probably going to
still see some adult moths flying around over the next few days to weeks. Some might’ve escaped when the cleaning
started or were hiding in another part of the home. They won’t want to return to the pantry,
though. After all, there’s no food for
them anymore and they HATE the smell that the spray leaves behind, but they are
desperately looking for a place to mate and lay eggs. It is at this point recommended to set out a
Pantry Moth Trap to kill any escapees that you either missed or that have
hatched after you cleaned. This is a pheromone trap that lures the males
and can be a good alternative to spending all of your free time
moth-hunting. In any case, don’t panic if you continue to
see moths. With one female laying up to
300 eggs a day, it is unlikely that you killed ALL of the eggs hidden in your
home. The process works by interrupting
their life cycle, but this can take some time for them to all die-off. As long as you
keep them from getting back into the food (with the freezer method and with the
spray scent in the pantry), they are doomed.
SEARCH AND DESTROY  Collect your family members and anyone
living in the house and instruct them to hunt and kill any adult moths they
see. If you have issues about
bug-killing or are worried about karma, get over it…quickly. You have a small window of opportunity to
kill these remaining menaces or you will be back to square one before you know
it. If you need some motivation, keep in
mind that these creatures are not
nice. They are actually carnivorous and
are programmed for survival. They might
even try to attack you when you swat at them.
Don’t be fooled, they are not
cute and they are not your friends. You can also discourage re-infestation by
using Aunt Norma’s Pantry Moth Spray to frequently touch up the pantry. You can spray directly around sealed food
containers as the spray is non-toxic.
The moths hate this stuff. Keep
all foods in airtight, preferably glass, containers, and store whatever you can
in the freezer. Good Luck!meal moths, get rid of pantry moths, moths in the
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