I had them a few years ago when living in a warmer climate. I stuck everything that wasn't obviously infested into the freezer for three days. We cleaned the shelves but I think what made the biggest difference was buying airtight containers. I purchased a LOT of lock'n'lock containers for all my pantry items. Whatever didn't fit in the containers was stored in the fridge/freezer. We never had a problem again. I think we did put some traps out to catch the live ones until they were all gone.

Just wanted to share my bay leaf experience. I had them on every shelf, plus two open containers of them to deter the pantry moths. I still had moths and had to reclean everything, so I checked out my bay leaves...they and their containers were covered in webbing and moths! Yeah, that didn't work for me.
Thanks to those who recommended the Safer traps. We'll be trying those.

I have had those invade my cupboards! The "Safer" Pantry Pest traps worked for me extremely well. I got them at Home Depot.

These 'aliens' as we now refer to them are the bane of our existence for the past 5 years. We have tried everything year after year. Finally could afford to renovate our kitchen and threw EVERYTHING away from all cabinets. Tore out the entire kitchen - and found colonies of moth cocoons behind decorative (in the previous owner's eyes) boards. Kitchen was at bare bones. Our kitchen was completed about 4 months ago. AND THEY ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where do these little bastards hide? And why didn't they move to the next door neighbor's house?

@Kathleen McDonagh. You are going to love this. Most of them come from the grocery store. They are in all dry food (in the form of eggs that you can't see). You don't see them because they are very, very tiny. Given enough time though, they will grow up, build homes of their own in your pantry, raise their offspring, and fly all over your house. They are in your breakfast cereal, your pets' dry food, bags of beans and rice; essentially anything not canned. To stop them in their tracks, put everything in the freezer for about 48 hours. That will kill them. Yeah, you will still be eating their eggs but you have been all along. Simply taking dry food out of the original container and putting it in a bug-proof container is not going to work. You must be ruthless!. You have to freeze them to death. You also have to check your paper goods. They get trapped in the plastic at the processing plant. They are in the entire food chain and there is nothing anyone can do about it. They also have been known hitch a ride into your home via the neat stuff you got at the garage sale, flea market, antique store. You can identify them by the fuzzy little bits you see in the corners and cracks on the underside of furniture. That's not fuzz, that's a colony. I learned all of this from experience and from working in the rare book department of a library. All donated books were kept quarantined until they could be circulated through a freezer before being shelved. Admitedly, this makes putting groceries away a real pain but once you get ahead of the curve, it isn't too bad. It is better than throwing everything away and starting over.

The Safer Moth Trap works very well, although you still have to clean the pantry. They will get in between things like paper bag folds, paper plates, etc.

When you renovated your kitchen, did you throw out all your packaged type foods? They live in spices, packs of toothpicks and mine were cocooning themselves in the little peg holes that you use to lower or heighten your shelves. Fill all these with buttons made for that purpose and keep Pantry Moth Traps in your pantry. They are fantastic.

I think these things are the best solution
http://www.saferbrand.com/store/insect-control/b05140-3?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&CAWELAID=500002280000000166&CAGPSPN=pla&gclid=CJGPoqyTkb8CFTJp7AodBjgAvw

Several years ago, We cleaned out a pantry and threw out a lot. Everything out, scrubbed with bleach, and returned after being frozen for 3 days and then in metal or glass.
we also use moth traps now religiously. and been fine ever since.
BUT< I have a bumper crop of Tansy this year. It's supposed to be a good bug repellent..Will it work for food moths?

I wish there was some way to talk to Jessica! She said in her post above that you have to treat your houseplants too.
If you read this Jessica, How do you treat them???

I have been fighting this battle for 5 years! They start in July or August and are gone by October. Every year in October I have thought I won the battle and have peace until the following summer.
The strange thing is this, (according to my traps) they always start in the living room where I have about 10 houseplants and don't make it to the pantry for about 1 month.
Every year I do the whole cleaning, searching, throwing out, freezing thing but I still get them again right on schedule.

Mine came in with bird seed and I had no idea what they were so used this birdseed for a month. When I went to buy a new bag, I saw them flying around at the pet store. Well by this time, they were all over my house and since I would bring the birdcage into the front room a lot they took up their main residence there.
The original bag showed no signs of them though, just figured it out because they were flying at the pet store.
As a matter of fact, in all of my searching, I have NEVER found anything with them in it!

Does anybody know how to treat your houseplants? I have re-potted them and saw nothing but would complete my rigorous ritual and would at least eliminate one more thing. The sprays I have looked at say for outside use only.

Thanks, don't know how much longer I can take this.
They have gone way down and do each year but they are still here somewhere.

So sorry it took so long to reply Mag32gie. I had stopped following this discussion and just noticed your comment. In my area the local nursery sells a product that you sprinkle on each houseplant's soil and then gently mix in using a chopstick or something similar and then water the plant that will kill any bugs or larvae in the soil. I think it's called Bonide Systemic Houseplant Insect Control or something similar - I checked and you can order it from drugstore.com if you can't find it locally.

Thank you!
I have opened up some of the traps, put corn meal in the center and placed them on the dirt or near. I have found 4 little worms that have crawled on and gotten stuck.
They are not flying around anymore so evidently during the "quiet time" each year when I thought we were safe, we have worms crawling around.
Now since dealing with worms, the other area I am very worried about is the TV and electronics around it.
Does anybody know how you would treat electronics?
Thank you Jessica, I am in a nightmare.

My exterminator said the nearly invisible moth eggs probably were in the grain products at the beginning, and one good way to prevent their hatching is to put cereal, flour, sugar, and all sorts of boxed mixes into the freezer for several hours and afterward keep the products in a sealed container. I know of a few professional cooks who first freeze the products and then store them in the refrigerator to avoid problems with moths.

Check grains or rice. They're usually there

Another tip for cutting down on fleas, moths, and other types of insects is to keep moth crystals in the collection bag of the vacuum cleaner. Every two weeks or so, just sprinkle maybe one-half cup of moth crystals on the floor and sweep them up in the vacuum. Whenever you sweep in the intervening days, the crystals in the bag will kill whatever insects, eggs, and larvae that go through the vacuum cleaner.

As for treating house plants, I would suggest spraying the tops and undersides of leaves whenever you water. Moths disintegrate when the least bit of water hits them, so the spraying should take care of any moths hiding in the plants. This is not a cure-all by any means, but it should cut down on the moth population.

I'll read all the messages later, but for now I've used the commercial moth traps and they do work; you have to keep them out throughout the season so the moths don't return (I think they're dormant over the winter.) They get into the strangest things, not just grain, flour, cereal etc but tea leaves, dried fruit, dry cat and dog food -- you name it, they find it. You can kill them by freezing them. If you have a roomy freezer you can store flour etc in it.

I've never had them on houseplants; are we sure those are the same pests?

Traps do work but don't get them all. 6th year of this! Last Sept put every artificial plant in a scalding hot shower, every year throw all pantry items away along with freezing all new, cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. Last week saw 1 flying and this week 2, got them with a battery operated paddle that electrocutes them. Looks like another summer of war and I would just move but my luck I would take them with me.

Found out the tiny worms from the winter are centipede larva and not from moths.

One time when I was having trouble getting rid of the moths I discovered some walnuts in the basement that had been picked and forgotten. If there was anything else edible in the basement I'm sure they found it. They are awful, but I haven't had nearly as much trouble getting rid of them as you are.

been fighting pantry moths for 4 months, my whole pantry washed down with vinegar, peg holes and all, have 3 traps inside for 1 week not a single one in there but still getting flyers at night and catching in traps outside of pantry, does this mean there is another food source, pantry is empty and moth free

Yes, unfortunately there could be another source. Try your utensil drawers and even bag or potholder drawers where the crumbs may hide. Also look thru EVERY box and jar of rice, grain, cake mix and spices etc. I found those awful larve in a closed box of cake mix inside the SEALED (so I thought) bag. Only had that in the house for 2 months. So they either hitched a ride in the box or found it rather quickly. Someone mentioned bay leaves as a deterrent as well. So I have the traps, and bay leaves randomly scattered in the pantry and when I bring rice or grain into the house I put it in the freezer for a day. Seems to have helped. But I still get that occasional "flyer". Good Luck.

When I had pantry moths, I found they were in the cupboard but also found them in the cracks of the kitchen peninsula even though I didn't have any food there.

Just got done getting rid of a light case of pantry moths, went to work as soon as I saw 3 of them. Probably saw 10 total. I had never heard of them before but they were unusual when I saw them. Came in a bag of highly infested wild birdseed. Everything people have said is good, freezer will kill eggs and larvae and moths, some say fridge will too, but my freezer and fridge is full for the winter. Luckily I live in Michigan and it's winter , so I put all pantry stuff I didn't throw out in my below freezing garage, it's a giant freezer! I'm in the process now of returning items and putting them in airtight containers. Haven't seen a moth in a few weeks but didn't find any nest during my cleanup except for the original flour I threw out when I saw a moth laying in it, probably laying eggs. So I'm worried about what I might see when the weather warms up, people say they nest in weird places. Hopefully nothing but I'm on the lookout! My predatory indoor cat helps a lot too.

It's that time of year... I saw a pantry moth day before yesterday, first one for several years. Time to get some new traps!

Pantry moths: Store dry items in glass jars when you purchase them. Seal your pantry dry items immediately, freezer bags work well. If eggs are there you will see the tell tale signs of small spider webs and discard before they move on to your other pantry dry items. I keep everything sealed and it eliminates the moths. When you purchased flour put in the freezer for a week, it kills the eggs which come with the product. Good luck. Also, moth larvae can be in other items so check carefully.

Found eggs on chili peppers!!!

beautiful

I was in this loop maybe a year ago and am drawn in again. I have had lots of pantry moth problems in the past, but so far nothing for a year. I have limited refrigerator space but tried a little of putting flour, etc. in there. I have a medium amount of pantry space. I used pantry moth traps as suggested by someone here and it has done the trick! It takes a little time, plus being careful with your flour/pasta/rice/birdseed/younameit, but I think I finally solved the problem! I now keep several traps in the pantry and several unwrapped waiting to be put to use, and I'm moth free. It's not expensive. Try it.

I got these little guys in my garage thanks to some bird seed. I am freaking out that they will find their way upstairs into my home! I went and got the sticky traps today at Home Depot and will order more on Amazon tonight. I eliminated the seed in the garage any hope that since there isn't any other food in there that they may just go away?

They'd leave if they can't access any more food, but they are very good at finding their way into anything edible. Keeping the traps around certainly helps though. Also, freezing food for a few days right after bringing it home, and then storing it in tightly-closed containers such as glass jars helps a lot too.

We had them at a previous house and they are horrible to get rid of. They can eat anything organic. We had them so bad the larvae were in the spaces in the corrugated cardboard on the backs of picture frames. We figured out they came in with a box of dog biscuits and we've been told dog food/treats is a common point of entry. We had to scrub everything down and all food went into airtight seal-able containers. That way even if they are in the food you can isolate them and stop them from reproducing. It took awhile, but eventually we got them out. My best advice is keep all pet food in sealed containers. If it looks like it has tiny holes in it or is extra crumby it may be infested. Good luck.

The moths actually already have their eggs laid inside the bags of rice, beans, cereal, etc. before you buy them at the store. This happens at the manufacturing plant or the wharehouse. After you bring home the food they hatch out. The only way to keep them from hatching is to put your grain or pasta in the freezer for 2 weeks and kill them before you store the food. After the 2 week period, pull out your food and let it warm to room temperature. Then you can store it or whatever you plan to do with it. Make sure to rinse it before use, unless it is cereal or something. I just found a bag of dry pinto beans that I forgot to put in the freezer. It is covered in egg casings and dead moths. The thing that is so gross about it is that you are eating these insects every time you get something from the grocery store. Theres no other way around it that I have found. Hope that helps.

I haven't seen any pantry moths this year. First time in several years. Do they die out by themselves? Or are they lurking, to reappear next year? My fingers are crossed that they're gone.

We had experienced pantry moths a couple of times in the pass 5 years. The first time it happened it was new to us. We emptied our pantry, washed everything, looked inside everything and felt we had succeeded in getting rid of them. The second time, a couple years after the first, we went through our routine as the first but this time, my pantry door came off its hinges and was never replaced (yet)! We haven't had a problem since! Now I'm wondering if it has anything to do with ventilation? Mmmm.... Could it be as easy as giving everything a good cleaning and then putting up the doors with ventilation slats in it? Would love to know!

I've had the moths in stuff on open shelves, not just in enclosed spaces. You'd notice them faster, though, which sure can't hurt.

Still fighting the good fight at my house. The garage seems better but they have crawled into storage bins with books and papers. Do they eat that??? I went on and got my pantry food sealed in bags or plastic bins to be safe.

I have loads of books and papers; never found any there. I wonder if all meal moths are the same or if there are variations.

I don't think that they are eating them, just spinning the cocoon in the bins. I know adult moths don't eat but I think the eggs are typically laid on or near food so that the larvae can eat. Honestly I hate even remotely knowing this much and could be wrong.

Is this a real thread? I think it's a bit trolly, that's not your kitchen pantry.

I am only 11 and I’m sooo annoyed by these pantry moths I almost want scream our family doesn’t know how to get rid of them please help!

If you freeze grains, flour and such, it kills the eggs and they won't hatch. I always do so as a preventative. You'll likely never know they were ever there. USDA allows a minimal % of inedibles to be in our food supply and it is still considered safe to consume.

I have done all of the above. Plants outside, sealed grains..they are now in my den..used essential oils in a diffuser, washed with vinegar, soap & water & even bleach. Are the eggs in my carpet? I vacuum & vacuum? Are they stuck in the stones of my fireplace? I am so frustrated! I have them over a year. I know how to catch the moths, its the tiny eggs I can't get!! I had an exterminator come, but don't want to use anything toxic! HELP!!!!

Tip - do not keep grain or seeds for feeding wildlife (like bird seed) inside your home/ basement/ garage. Instead, keep them in an outdoor location in a galvanized steel garbage can with a galvanized steel lid. You can almost always bet on seeds/grain dedicated to feeding wildlife being infested, and they have a way of finding entry into the home via the same pathway you use.

If you must store seeds/grains indoors or in the garage, storing them in an airtight container after adding about a tablespoon of diatomaceous earth per gallon of seed will eliminate the problem.

Al

Glad to see this thread! I can keep the pantry moths at bay, but I have to use many traps with sticky surfaces infused with pheromones that attract them. I do find the traps unsightly. 

I don't see any solution except to store everything in the refrigerator or freezer.  To accomplish this, I need to renovate my kitchen.

Does anybody else have suggestions for curtailing pantry moths?

 I only started have them about two years ago. I've been in this property for almost eighteen years. It is duplex and my other unit does not suffer any infestation. However, my tenants do not cook much.

Remove everything. Throw out any unsealed packages. With a soapy cloth, wipe over every can, canister etc. Let dry. Check air-tight containers to make sure that no pantry moths or eggs are inside. Wash all shelves (top and bottom). Wash walls from top to bottom and ceiling. Mop floor. Double check items before returning to the pantry. Buy lots of bay leaves, and if possible add to little drawstring bags and place on shelves around the pantry. Otherwise, add some to old jars (without placing the lid on) and place the jars with bay leaves around the pantry.

Thank you!  I've done all that... My shelves are lined with traps and bowls of bay leaves. At least the moths are staying out of the few sealed items that are not in the refrigerator, but the traps continue to catch moths. When I gut the kitchen, I hope that they don't return.

it took a few weeks of monitoring, every time I went to the pantry I would do a quick scan of the ceiling and high up on the walls particularly, and kill any moths or tiny grubs that I saw.

I have had them about two years. I have a new pantry in my home that is without issue. BUT, when under renovation, an old bag of brown rice infested our old pantry with what has to be most annoying PEST ever. boy do i regret leaving that bag in there.

I keep thinking they are gone and they come back. This time around, I ripped out the brackets in the old pantry (after my 100th vinegar spray down and clean out) . I found a lot of old chia seeds stuck between the wall and brackets. There has been food stored in this old pantry for over 1.5 years.

PRAY for me that this finally does it. I clean non stop, have air tight containers for everything and have had the exterminator come multiple times to help!!

if this doesnt work i may be forced to rip out the drywall and all the trim. for now we are repainting, sealing, caulking, and foaming any TINY crack in the old pantry. And praying the new traps dont have any moths :(

other things i have tried:

1. freezing all new dry food for 1 week before it goes in an air tight container

2. a light/fan trap (called katchy) for female moths since the traditional sticky traps only get the males.

3. tons of pure vinegar.

I have, on occasion, found a cocoon on the bottom of a can, so...when cleaning out, you really do have to wipe down absolutely everything, even canned goods.

Although i'm glad they don't carry diseases, these moths are a nightmare to deal with.

They seem to reproduce way faster then i can remove them, but i can't identify their food source.

every morning i find 5 - 15.

I find caterpillars in all sorts of ceiling corners, and they love the stucco ceiling, as well as the potted plants (which i have a lot).

One even got into the kitchen light switch and got crushed when i flipped the light it on, i know this because its crushed body prevented the switch from making contact and i had to take it apart and clean it out before the switch would work again.

i have no doubt they snuck in through some bird seed or cat food,

as one time i bought some Temptation treats for the cats, opened the sealed bag, and found it full of moth larvae and cobwebs.