Help Needed Dealing With Pantry Moths

Posted by x23xy@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 28 comments

I've been fighting pantry moths for a couple of months now.

I had an infestation in December that I quickly got rid of by throwing out all the food and spices that weren’t in the fridge.

Then, I learned my lesson, and when I bought new food and spices, I stored it in mason jars, and kept it in the fridge and the freezer for the time being.

Fast forward to April. I got another moth infestation. The reason was probably the moth trap that I left in the pantry, which hadn’t had a single moth since December, and the fact that I got sloppy and didn’t store dry food in mason jars.

After realizing that, I quickly threw out the moth trap, along with all the food and spices, again. After that, there were fewer pantry moths, but they didn’t go away. Every day I encounter two or three pantry moths in my apartment.

Please help. I could use any advice.

I will list everything I have done so far.

1. As soon as I realized I had moths, I threw out all the dry food and spices from my pantry.

2. I cleaned all the shelves in the kitchen, and I wiped them down with a solution of bleach.

3. All the dry food and spices that I have bought since April are in airtight jars in my fridge.

4. I do waste sorting, and I make sure that biodegradable waste is not near the kitchen. It is on my apartment balcony.

The only thing I’m worried might attract the pantry moths is the toaster that has breadcrumbs inside that can’t be thoroughly cleaned.

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Rare-Ad-5281@reddit

I have your solution as I was suffering from food moths due to parrots in the house. Its something fun and your kids can do it too. I bought a handheld vacuum cleaner wireles and as soon as they sit on the walls they end up inside. My kids are having fun also. 40 euros well spent.

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SierraRomeoJuliet@reddit

We are dealing with these too. The traps have been phenomenal. Just a word of caution, keep the traps away from your pantry otherwise they will draw more moths to that location.

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x23xy@reddit (OP)

Haha, yes.

This is exactly what happened in April when I set them there.

Should I then set them near the pantry in the kitchen area or in a different room?

I live in an apartment, so there's not much space.

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Key_Secretary_3948@reddit

Think about dusting food cupboards with diatomacaeus earh. Toxic to them, not to you. Be sure to buy food grade.

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x23xy@reddit (OP)

I've never heard of this thing. I will definitely do it.

Thank you.

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stream_inspector@reddit

Traps and hunt for egg sacks. Like baby grains of rice attached to shelves. Usually found them on bottom of shelf.

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x23xy@reddit (OP)

Thank you for the advice. I will definitely do this when I clean my apartment this week.

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quietlumber@reddit

We had an infestation, and like you, cleared it out, only to be reinfested soon after. The second time, I put traps everywhere in the house, not just the pantry. Didn't catch very many outside of the kitchen pantry area, but enough that might have survived to cause problems later.

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x23xy@reddit (OP)

I see. Initially, I was worried about moth traps because they are pheromone-based, so I figured they could attract moths from the outside.

However, I am visiting my parents this summer, so I guess I could clean the apartment thoroughly and set the traps, and then check the apartment after a few months when I get back.

Thank you for the advice.

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melodicmelody3647@reddit

Check your flour and keep traps everywhere

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x23xy@reddit (OP)

I keep the flour in the freezer, so there's very little chance of it being the breeding ground.

The traps might be the problem because the pheromones attract them from the outside.

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Rachaelmm1995@reddit

From my experience the eggs seem to go dormant in the winter seasons then come back with a vengeance in the summer.

Any new grains etc I bring into the house I now freeze for a week before sorting where it needs to go.

I keep birds so they come in with the seeds sometimes. They are bastards to get rid off.

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x23xy@reddit (OP)

Yeah, they sure are difficult to get rid of.

Thank you for sharing your perspective.

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TimeSurround5715@reddit

I was told by an exterminator years ago to also throw away any chip-clip clasps.

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x23xy@reddit (OP)

Yeah? That's an interesting perspective, but it makes sense since moths could lay their eggs in the crevices.

Fortunately, I don't have any chip-clip clasps because I use rubber bands.

Anyway, thank you for your advice.

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Dangerous-School2958@reddit

I’ve heard Bay leaves are a way to dissuade them. Otherwise traps, replaced frequently

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Rachaelmm1995@reddit

Yes and no.
The leaves should be fresh to work for any length of time and should not be heavily relied on.
Putting fresh leaves in jars etc too can cause mold.

I throw whole branches into my pantry as a deterrent but they still cause me issues.

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ryan112ryan@reddit

Take everything out and toss everything, all containers and bins put in a chest freezer for a week.

Then go into the pantry and near it and scrub everything, take out the shelves scrub them and freezer them too. Apply the product mention below to every crack, corner and nook.

Then go in and caulk every crevice you see so that there aren’t any nooks, so that they are shallow and easy to see. Then several coats of paint on literally everything.

Get the shelves out of the freezer and if they’re wood, do a quick sand and paint a few coats of paint on all sides. Reinstall with new hardware. Caulk in place so no new cracks are created.

Inspect areas around and near pantry and caulk cracks. For flooring make sure you have quarter round on the baseboard. If not, caulk with flexible caulk from baseboard to floor, install quarter round and caulk again then paint. Any floor cracks fill.

Next apply D-fence NXT to all cracks in your kitchen area, pantry and surrounding. https://www.domyown.com/pantry-pest-kit-p-1057.html

Put the traps outside the pantry and remember they are an attractant.

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Fiona_12@reddit

We started getting them a few years ago. I had to start vacuum sealing dry goods in mason jars during the warm months. We don't get them in the cooler months. Then my daughter-in-law got some of these storage containers and I decided to try them, and they keep the months out. I still use mason jars, too, because there weren't enough (and 2 sets would've been too many), but it is great to not have to reseal jars every time I use something. I am going to buy a bay leaf plant and try that because dry bay leaves didn't help. We still have them in the house, but I am able to kkeep them out of the food. They've never gotten into any spices.

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AlphaDisconnect@reddit

Red wine in a glass. Sometimes. Depends on the wine.

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UnderfootArya34@reddit

They prefer Merlot

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TheAmazingGrippando@reddit

snobs

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AlphaDisconnect@reddit

You know. You might be right. I will sum this up to you might be right.

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UnderfootArya34@reddit

I had them once, it was awful! It did take several months of egg hatching cycles and destruction to clear them out. Then all dry packaged goods into containers.

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FlashyImprovement5@reddit

Bug bomb your kitchen and pantry. Then clean all of the shelving very well for eggs.

Freeze all rice and beans prior to storage

Put bags of moth repellent around your kitchen. Bags of cedar shavings or small bags of camphor you can buy at Dollar Tree.

Pantry moths can also come in bags of potatoes, so have morh traps around those in storage.

Have morh traps around wool blankets as well and layer bags of cedar shavings between layers.

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