Pantry moths are one of those problems that can be very scary for any household. They are so tiny but relentless. Once they find an entry point into your pantry, you can easily see just how fast they infest your stored foods quickly. Indian meal moths, which is the common name particularly of these moths on many frequent cases, love grains, flour, cereal, dried fruits, nuts, and other regular kitchen fare. If you find small moths flying around the kitchen or larvae in food, then probably it’s that time to take action about this problem.
In this guide, we will walk you through processes to help you eliminate pantry moths and not attract them anymore, having your kitchen remain healthy and free of pests.
What are pantry moths?
Pantry moths are often referred to as Indian meal moths and are small, dry food insects. These moths find ways to invade homes through infested food packages or open doors and windows. Unlike the outdoor moths, pantry moths feed on stored foods which can easily infect your whole pantry if not controlled. The common problem begins when the females lay eggs either within or near a source of food. Then, upon laying eggs, when the females do so, they hatch to become larvae that feeds upon the stored food. Apart from feeding on it, they leave droppings and wastes that cause food spoilage. They feed and spin webs on the food as they go.
Life Cycle of Pantry Moths
The pantry moth has four life stages:
Egg- The eggs are small: The female lays them directly onto or near a food source.
Larva- This is where most of the damage occurs, when they feed on grains, among other things, in the pantry, thus contaminating.
Pupa – The larvae finally cocoons themselves and prepare themselves to pupate into adult moths.
Adult Moth – Adult moths do not eat but lay eggs, thus starting once more from the starting stage.
How to Know if There is a Pantry Moth Infestation
The best approach begins with ascertaining whether you have an infestation or not before you kill pantry moths. In most cases, the common manifestations are:
Tiny moths flying: These appear to happen around the pantries and food storage places.
Web-like casings: Pantry moth larvae make web-like casings both inside and outside the packaging of foods
Small caterpillars or larvae: Infestations usually arise while crawling inside food containers, or even crawling on the shelves of the pantries.
Powdery or grainy residue: There may be minute fragments of food sticking together due to the webbing made by larvae.
Ways to Eradicate Pantry Moths
Do something at once as soon as you catch a glimpse of evidence, because the female pantry moths can lay as many as 400 eggs at a single time and things can get out of hand in no time .
Quick Pantry Moths Eradication Guide
1. Clean Out Your Pantry Thoroughly
To start the process, take out everything in your pantry. You may not notice moths in some of your items, but you should inspect everything to make sure that there are no eggs, larvae, or webbing. In particular, pay particular attention to the back side of the boxes and all the nooks of your pantry shelves because moths love to hide there.
2. Examine and Destroy Infected Food
Examine each packaged food, especially grains, flour, and cereals. In case you see one of the signs of moths infestation, then get rid of it immediately. Infected foods are not salvageable since eggs or waste may have settled there and are not visible.
Store food in a clear, sealed container the next time. This will also allow you to detect those early signs of an infestation, but most importantly it will make the pantry moths unable to access the food.
3. Deep clean the pantry
Get rid of all the edible material in the pantry and clean it very well. Vacuum even the smallest larvae or eggs that may be put somewhere in the crevice, corner, or shelf seam. Let’s not forget to check at the smallest crevices and corners where the eggs may be incubating.
Once you have vacuumed, wash all surfaces using warm soapy water. You can add a bit of extra cleaning power to the mix of water and vinegar. Use hard chemicals only as much as possible because they stay suspended in the air and poison everything you’re going to cook or eat later on.
4. Use Pantry Moth Traps
Catch the remaining moths by taking an advantage of specific pheromone trapset for pantry moths that attract moths, specifically male, thus breaking their breeding cycle and subsequently lowering the number of moths. Place traps in your pantry following the instructions on the package. Replace the traps after some months or as advised.
5. Freeze suspected items
Freeze them if you suspect that some of the items might be infested by moths but shows no signs of infestation. Freeze them for at least four days to kill eggs and larvae in case they have them. This is extremely effective for grains, flour, and dried goods.
How to Prevent Pantry Moth Infestations
After removing the moths from your pantry, you do not want this infestation to happen to you again. The best option to ensure a pest-free stay in your pantry is prevention.
1. Store Food Properly
The reason your pantry is pest-free is because of proper food storage. Move all foods from cardboard boxes or from the flimsy plastic bag into airtight glass or plastic containers. This will keep pantry moths away, but it also guards your food against other pests such as ants.
2. Research before you bring the food home
At times, moths may have entered the food pack before you purchased it. Check for tears in the packaging or miniature holes, meaning moths have infested it. You get an undamaged one and see if its expiry dates are close. Pantry pests like older foods especially when older enough to become a breeding point of pantry pests.
3. Deep Clean Your Pantry
Clean your pantries often enough to sweep away loose debris and crumbs that would attract insects to those areas. Clean surfaces with warm soapy water, vacuum out shelves, corners, and seams. The cleanliness of your kitchen is the best defense against moths that wish to nest.
4. Bay Leaves and Essential Oils
Some natural repellents are using a few bay leaves in flour, rice, and other grains; moths don’t like their own scent; and essentials such as peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender diluted in water and sprayed around the pantry area. These will not kill them or their larvae but will keep them from infesting an area.
5. Cycle Food and Follow “First In, First Out”
The consumption of older products before the newly obtained ensures that your pantry remains fresh and the risk of infestation by the pantries moth is reduced.
Pop Pantry Moth Myths
There are some myths on how to eliminate pantry moths and how to get rid of them along with other misconceptions. Let’s dispel some of the myths
Myth: Insecticides kill pantry moths
Insecticides poison foods and kill adult moths but are not safe to use in the kitchen. Moths best controlled by natural cleaning and proper storing of food.
Myth: Moths must be coming from the outdoors.
These pests can infest a house through foods acquired inside. These include whole grains, pet foods, birdseed, and dry goods purchased at retail stores.
Myth: Freezing kills all pantry moths instantly.
The eggs and the larvae freeze to death, but it only happens after at least four days of a freeze; quicker freezes will not kill all of the life stages.
Pantry Moth Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do pantry moths harm humans?
The pantry moths themselves cause no direct harm to humans, but their very presence contaminates food, which therefore makes it distasteful and unsafe to eat.
2. How long does it take to get rid of pantry moths?
Typically, intrude with the seriousness of infestation, it could take weeks to totally eliminate the moths from the place. In most instances, nearly about a month would be required to fully recover the problem by constantly cleaning and proper storing and usage of the traps.
3. Pantry moths are similar to clothes moths?
No, there are two different species; the pantry moth is attracted to a food product while the clothes moths are attracted to items containing wool.
4. What should I do if the pantry moths return again?
Recurring infestations can be quite frustrating. If this continues to happen, it is helpful to begin paying attention to any missed foods, regularly clean your pantry shelves, and store all of your food in airtight containers. You can even go ahead and put in new pheromone traps too to catch any stragglers.
Moths are a common pest for all of us who do our best to keep them out of our pantries. Proper technique will ensure you get rid of them once and for all, leaving your pantry clean with no more such pests. Follow the following steps as you carefully check your pantry for any signs of infestation for a pest-free kitchen. Remember for the best defence against pantry moths: for thorough cleanliness, proper storage, checking periodical, with a little effort to avoid infestations in the future and ensure to keep food safe.