ᐅ Moths in Cereal. What Should Be Done? Any Experiences?
Created on: 26 Feb 2009 16:33
L
LilyG
Glockbarba14 Dec 2016 16:04Maybe in the evening and morning the light is on in your kitchen? That attracts the moths 😀 otherwise, you could cover your bowl with something so nothing can fly in.
We had the same problem, and it was a huge ordeal for us.
They had infested our cereal and laid their larvae there. Once they left that spot, they moved into other food items. We were on holiday at the time and didn’t notice anything.
The larvae tend to crawl around alone, often on the ceiling and especially along the corners. It was really unpleasant.
The outcome:
- Everything that wasn’t tightly sealed was thrown into a bag without checking and quickly disposed of.
- Everything that was still sealed but in cardboard or plastic packaging was carefully inspected for any holes as small as 2mm (0.08 inches), which the moths had eaten through and used to get inside.
- Since then, open food is only stored in hard plastic containers, glass containers, or preserving jars. Cereal, once opened, is kept only in suitable airtight containers.
- Several moth traps were set up, every moth caught was immediately destroyed, and we checked twice a day—morning and evening—for any movement.
- We took advantage of the empty cupboards to clean everything thoroughly from the inside.
They had infested our cereal and laid their larvae there. Once they left that spot, they moved into other food items. We were on holiday at the time and didn’t notice anything.
The larvae tend to crawl around alone, often on the ceiling and especially along the corners. It was really unpleasant.
The outcome:
- Everything that wasn’t tightly sealed was thrown into a bag without checking and quickly disposed of.
- Everything that was still sealed but in cardboard or plastic packaging was carefully inspected for any holes as small as 2mm (0.08 inches), which the moths had eaten through and used to get inside.
- Since then, open food is only stored in hard plastic containers, glass containers, or preserving jars. Cereal, once opened, is kept only in suitable airtight containers.
- Several moth traps were set up, every moth caught was immediately destroyed, and we checked twice a day—morning and evening—for any movement.
- We took advantage of the empty cupboards to clean everything thoroughly from the inside.
Lily schrieb:
Usually, you can bring moths into your home when buying food at organic stores because they don’t use pesticides there, and moths come in as eggs in cereal and other food products.
Best regards,
VoltThe main point may be correct, but saying "usually" and referring generally to food, while mainly focusing on cereal and other foods, doesn’t do justice to the issue.
Most products in organic stores are actually pre-packaged. Vegetables and such are unpackaged, but you can inspect them—it’s like a market, and I have never found any bugs in those.
And hopefully, cereals in a regular supermarket aren’t sprayed after harvest either, because moths wouldn’t get inside before that.
Your statement sounds a bit like mixing apples and oranges 😀
Winniefred13 Sep 2018 17:09Oh, come on... I have been managing my own household for 11 years, never really stored anything improperly, and never had pantry moths—until recently, when I saw them crawling on dried apple slices. I immediately threw away everything that wasn’t already stored in moth-proof containers—discarded it all (screw-top jars are not moth-proof! Only airtight jars with rubber seals or airtight containers made of hard plastic and glass are). I emptied the entire kitchen, cleaned it with vinegar water, and used a hairdryer to blow hot air everywhere—that was a fun five hours. These pests have long life cycles—9 to 12 weeks. Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re gone. I have a trap hanging here to monitor, but it only attracts the males while the females keep laying eggs. So, here, everything (and I really mean everything they could possibly be interested in—and that list is very long!) goes into those secure containers I bought at a high cost (but it’s better than constantly throwing things away—I know people who haven’t gotten rid of their infestation for almost three years). The rest gets frozen or stored short-term in the refrigerator until it’s eaten. For the past few weeks, we haven’t caught any pests in the traps, but we’ll see if anything still hatches somewhere. Unfortunately, even small crumbs are enough to feed the larvae. And no kitchen is crumb-free.
A very annoying issue.
A very annoying issue.
Hello
Yes, the pantry moth. You can get them quite easily.
In my case, they were in the wheat bran. Every morning, alongside my regular breakfast, I take 5 heaping tablespoons of it as fiber. I always kept it in paper bags (sealed tightly) from the organic grocery store. At some point, I noticed clumps in it. Upon checking, the larvae had already pupated. I had already eaten from some of the bags. Since I have eaten insects and all kinds of creatures (snakes, rats, etc.) before, it didn’t bother me as much. My wife wanted those pests out of the house. So I went to the organic grocery store with the (sealed) bags to exchange them. They explained that this was not considered a defect and I would not get a refund. Well, now I buy my wheat bran at the supermarket. It comes in plastic packaging and costs about one-third of the price.
Many years ago, something similar happened to me with chocolate from Aldi. The one with whole hazelnuts. I eat it while watching TV. At some point, I noticed some droppings. When I looked closer, the nuts were infested with worms. After I called Aldi the next day, someone came by quickly with a whole box of sweets to show me that not all of their products contain worms.
That was okay.
Steven
Yes, the pantry moth. You can get them quite easily.
In my case, they were in the wheat bran. Every morning, alongside my regular breakfast, I take 5 heaping tablespoons of it as fiber. I always kept it in paper bags (sealed tightly) from the organic grocery store. At some point, I noticed clumps in it. Upon checking, the larvae had already pupated. I had already eaten from some of the bags. Since I have eaten insects and all kinds of creatures (snakes, rats, etc.) before, it didn’t bother me as much. My wife wanted those pests out of the house. So I went to the organic grocery store with the (sealed) bags to exchange them. They explained that this was not considered a defect and I would not get a refund. Well, now I buy my wheat bran at the supermarket. It comes in plastic packaging and costs about one-third of the price.
Many years ago, something similar happened to me with chocolate from Aldi. The one with whole hazelnuts. I eat it while watching TV. At some point, I noticed some droppings. When I looked closer, the nuts were infested with worms. After I called Aldi the next day, someone came by quickly with a whole box of sweets to show me that not all of their products contain worms.
That was okay.
Steven
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