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jae_brandywine

What to kill pantry moth eggs with?

8 years ago

I yet again have a pantry moth infestation. After I freeze and throw out all of my food, what can I use to kill the eggs of the little buggers? I've tried some natural products, as I'll obviously be keeping my food in there. I've cleaned pretty thoroughly, in my opinion. Any suggestions?

Comments (22)

  • 8 years ago

    Freeze any grains when you bring them home. Keep all grain products in very tightly sealed containers -- no plastic bags with a wire twisty. And I have used these Safter moth traps . Good luck!

  • 8 years ago

    After one infestation a few years ago I have pantry moth ptsd. Everything goes in the fridge, freezer or hermetically sealed jar; those little buggers can get into screw top lids!!! We have also changed our diet dramatically around here. No packaged snacks or cereals or chips.

    i also keep a fresh trap in my kitchen and check it frequently so I can handle it early if it happens again. Last time I had no idea what i had--I thought moths were no big deal, ha!--and it got way way out of control.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    How long does it take these to hatch? I've got some grains and beans stored in Mason screw top jars. They've been there a few months. I have never experienced bugs from dried goods. I do freeze things but read that it kills enzymes and nutritional value so hesitate to freeze our already nutritionally depleted food whenever possible!

  • 8 years ago

    I think ours came in brown rice or quinoa. I think their lifecycle duration varies depending on temperature, so folks might get recurrence when it gets warmer. It took us two summers to be rid of them. Well, I hope we're done.

    never ever line your shelves with contact paper. They weasel under it and pupate there. So disgusting.

  • 8 years ago

    Omg I hate them. I got them from my birds food items often in bird seed. Soon I had them every where. I took everything out and threw it away. I washed my pantry down with vinegar and water several times every nick and crevice. I made little sacks of cedar shaving and sewed them up like sachets. I put them all in the pantry. I left it empty for about a week so I could spot any new bugs. I keep my rice and beans etc in sealed containers in the freezer. I don't leave anything in plastic bags they eat right through it same with cardboard boxes. I use the old style jars that have a lock down lid with a rubber seal. They get under screw lids. I hope to never see another one again but I know it could happen again. I bought a brand new bag of flour recently, opened it immediately to put in the sealed container. I peeled the paper back and there they were! Right from the Kroger store. I bought it back and told the manager he had a problem, went to get a new bag and there were the dang things crawling on the bags on the shelf. I brought him over and said you have a very serious problem. You will have to clear out all of these products because I promise you everything here is contaminated. I doubt he did but I haven't bought anything else from that area of the store. Feed warehouses are the worst. You walk in there and they are flying around. It's just impossible to get rid of them with that quantity of seed and grain.

  • 8 years ago

    The traps work great and it keeps you from getting more moths. Birdseed is the worst for bringing in moth larva.

  • 8 years ago

    Please educate me on moth traps.... Thanks

  • 8 years ago

    I've had them twice. As everyone else has said, I gutted my pantry and threw out anything that could have been contaminated. After wiping everything down and checking all crevices, underside of shelves, etc, I then put the traps inside and left them for a couple of days until it appeared that no new moths had hatched. The traps have a pheromone that attracts males (I think) so that they cannot mate. They have sticky stuff inside that the moths get stuck to. Once I got rid of them and restocked my pantry, I kept a trap in my pantry all the time in case some new moths came in some new purchases. This method has really worked for, as well as keeping susceptible items in airtight containers (and yes, screw top jars do not work). Here is a link to what people mean by traps. This is not the brand I used- I got mine at my local hardware store but similar idea. Moth Traps

  • 8 years ago

    Also, to answer your original question...you can't kill the eggs. You just have to pray that you removed them.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Can you see the eggs or are they too small?

  • 8 years ago

    There may still be eggs after you clean but if you keep the traps out it will attract the new moths before you get a new crop of eggs. You can get them at most hardware stores. Of course you can get them at Amazon. They have a lot of brands, but they probably all work about the same. I have used these. moth trap

  • 8 years ago

    I don't think you can see the eggs. They're less than half a millimeter in size.

    Note: adults don't eat, they just mate . one female can lay 400 eggs. removing food source does nothing to combat the adults. You must trap the males and squish the females. Also, in my experience it seems eggs can pupa can survive on a singular crumb. It's maddening!

    If you are fortunate to not know what we're talking about. Let me introduce you to the Indian meal moth. If you see a bronze moth with the telltale silver stripe you need to act fast! We've had some ants, mice, spiders, termites, wasps--I'd take them all at the same time over these horrid pantry moths.


  • 8 years ago

    It seems I have been very lucky. I will not be using the screw top mason jars to store dry goods anymore. I might freeze what I have on hand. Now what to do with the darn jars. They were expensive! I did already switch over to the hermetic ones at least.


  • 8 years ago

    It's a multi-phase process.
    Do this, and as well as what they say to do, get some caulk and seal off ALL the cracks and crevices. VACUUMING and discarding the bag.


    http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Pantry-Moths 

    They will head for high spots to pupate, so check the light fixtures and anything around the ceiling of the kitchen and pantry.

    I keep ALL my grain-based stuff and spices in glass or heavy plastic containers.

  • 8 years ago

    Get a good spray bottle and make a very strong solution of vinegar and water, I use the cleaning vinegar found on the cleaning aisle in the grocery store it's much stronger, probably 3/4 or better vinegar the rest water. Soak every inch of the cabinets and shelves top bottom, sides everywhere and do it repeatedly. The acid will kill the eggs.

  • 8 years ago

    Just a warning: I sprayed the cabinets (frames) in the IKEA kitchen in my last house and the moisture delaminated them a bit at the seams.

  • 8 years ago

    I had a couple infestations in my last house while trying to store birdseed in the lower level. I first swept the entire area and any web like structures, then used the traps you can buy. Sometimes the traps did not work for very long. I discovered that a large sticky sheet of fly or mouse paper taped to the wall near a night light still attracted any newly hatched moths. Much cheaper, larger surface to catch them and since it was in my storage area in the lower level, not a problem to leave for months at a time. (just in case). Worked as well as the traps, if not better.

  • 8 years ago

    Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

    We did a full pantry Cowan or and wanted it all with bleach and they came back.

    The next time I cleaned it all out I took down the metal piece holding up the shelving system and there were hundreds of larva behind it. *Gag*

  • 8 years ago

    Also I read that rosemary repels them so I sprayed down the pantry with diluted Rosemary oil.

  • 8 years ago

    If you have cookbooks stored in your kitchen they will lay eggs in them also -- deprived of access to grain/tea/spices/herb products, they will settle for paper and move to other rooms. I now keep traps in the kitchen (pantry, top of frig), basement (cat food there), dining room (on top of the china cabinet) and family room (bookshelf). All areas that I have seen them since the initial infestation. It is working, slowly but surely.