Beware of Indian Meal Moths in your bird seed.
Dickr
Many moth traps later, we finally got rid of them. The problem
was that I had bird seed in a large covered bucket on the porch
that's open to the house. It was very handy because I could scoop
bird seed out of the container, walk out and fill the feeders.
But, the bucket was infested with moths and they got into the house.
Now I keep the bird seed in a covered container in the garage, but
the latest bag of seed (mostly BOSS, safflower and a few misc seeds)
was infested with moths.
Just a public service message from someone who's been there, done that.
:-)
Dick in MN
Laurence F. Sheldon, Jr.
I believe it is the safflower (or maybe the white millet) that is the
primary carrier--I buy safflower and mix it with the millet in a t8b and
that is the only tub that bets infested. Seems like it has happened
when I didn't have any millet, and it seems like I've seen them in the
safflower bag.
--
Idioten aangeboden. Gratis af te halen.
h/t Dagelijkse Standaard
Tammie
Knock on wood, I've never experienced this but thanks for the warning,
Dick.
--
Tammie, north of Lake Superior in Ontario
Nanzi
Are they tiny guys just 1/2 inch wide?
Dickr
Yes, they are small, and once they're in your house they can get into
everything in your pantry or anywhere food is stored. Somehow, they can
even get into a sealed ZipLok bag containing nuts, cereal, rice, and
just about anything. If you pour some cereal from an open box and
anything flys out or swims in the milk, that would be moths.
If you suspect anything, do a Google or similar search for "Indian meal
moths" and you'll find more information than you ever wanted to know.
BTW: Moth traps do work, and after 3 years we still have traps in the
pantry - and no moths in the last year or so.
Dick
Laurence F. Sheldon, Jr.
> On 8/31/2011 12:39 PM, Nanzi wrote:
>> On Aug 30, 2:19 pm, Dickr<dic...@frontier.com> wrote:
>>> A few years ago we had an infestation of these moths in our house.
>>> Many moth traps later, we finally got rid of them. The problem
>>> was that I had bird seed in a large covered bucket on the porch
>>> that's open to the house. It was very handy because I could scoop
>>> bird seed out of the container, walk out and fill the feeders.
>>> But, the bucket was infested with moths and they got into the house.
>>>
>>> Now I keep the bird seed in a covered container in the garage, but
>>> the latest bag of seed (mostly BOSS, safflower and a few misc seeds)
>>> was infested with moths.
>>>
>>> Just a public service message from someone who's been there, done that.
>>> :-)
>>> Dick in MN
>>
>> Are they tiny guys just 1/2 inch wide?
> Hi Nanzi,
> Yes, they are small, and once they're in your house they can get into
> everything in your pantry or anywhere food is stored. Somehow, they can
> just about anything. If you pour some cereal from an open box and
> If you suspect anything, do a Google or similar search for "Indian meal
> moths" and you'll find more information than you ever wanted to know.
> BTW: Moth traps do work, and after 3 years we still have traps in the
> pantry - and no moths in the last year or so.
I agree with all of that. We have imported them with "natural" people
food too.
The little tent traps do indeed work. We use what the bird-feed-store
ladies sell--around $5 for two, You can spend a lot more and have more
clean-up work to do with other traps but I done with gotta-have-high-tech.
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7394408_bird-seed-moth-traps.html
http://www.ehow.com/about_6724354_moth-pheromone-toxicity-parrots.html
Laurence F. Sheldon, Jr.
> I agree with all of that. We have imported them with "natural" people
> food too.
>
> The little tent traps do indeed work. We use what the bird-feed-store
> ladies sell--around $5 for two, You can spend a lot more and have more
> clean-up work to do with other traps but I done with gotta-have-high-tech.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you get a good invasion going,
you will be surprised at the stuff you will get to through out--hot and
cold cereals, rice, barley, raisins, flours, ...
Laurence F. Sheldon, Jr.
> On 8/31/2011 1:51 PM, Laurence F. Sheldon, Jr. wrote:
>
>> I agree with all of that. We have imported them with "natural" people
>> food too.
>>
>> The little tent traps do indeed work. We use what the bird-feed-store
>> ladies sell--around $5 for two, You can spend a lot more and have more
>> clean-up work to do with other traps but I done with
>> gotta-have-high-tech.
>
> Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you get a good invasion going,
> you will be surprised at the stuff you will get to through out--hot and
> cold cereals, rice, barley, raisins, flours, ...
....THROW out .....
Geesh.
Dickr
Let me say I agree, agree, agree totally with your posts.
We've used the tent traps that we purchased at a local garden store and
also the similar square traps purchased at Ace hardware. Both work quite
well, but the fact remains that you never, ever want to have these moths
in your house.
Dick in MN
Lee
(in article <dDx7q.4426$CQ4...@newsfe09.iad>):
I agree with Dick. You never want to have these moths in you house. Be
careful where you buy your seed. If you see little white moths flying around,
run.
They are almost impossible to get rid of unless you are committed to a real
war against them because they lay eggs everywhere. My problem with the moths
came about because I did not pay any attention to them until too late. Once
they are in the house they will infest all dry foods. I left some peanuts in
the shell on a shelf a few years ago and they did a real job on them, laying
eggs in the bag as they demolished the peanuts. I would imagine all nuts in
shell would also be attractive to them. Mine came in in mixed bird seed from
the A&P, many years ago. I am almost rid of them because their source of
food in this house is gone. Bird seed stays outside. All dry foods except
what will be used in the next day or so, goes into the refrigerator.
I have used those traps but find them not worth their cost. Keeping their
source of food out of their reach has eliminated most of the moths. Now, with
the few that emerge every year, cheap flying insect spray will kill them but
just spraying them with water will slow them down enough for you to kill
them. Leaving a little water in the sink at night and one or two will drown
themselves. I kill everyone I see, immediately.
--
Lee
Park Ridge NJ
rarebirdyatverizondotnet
Laurence F. Sheldon, Jr.
Add to the list of "Things in your cupboard they will infest":
The tiny accumulations of flour in the corners and cracks of a
sparklingly clean cupboard.
coooooool grandma
repellents for every kind of critter. I bought these "tent like" things
with sticky insides. Just drop a "lure" ( included) in to them and
VOILA!!. All gone pests/ Albeit I use a lot of them since I have a real
pantry. And it adds up financially. But is so worth it. Also when you
buy pet food, be careful if you see some of them flying about. Don't buy
the food. Go elsewhere. Audrey (who has a Cardinal waiting for me every
morning, on my deck and comes as close as a foot to me, for his and his
mates breakfast) Soooo sweet.
jimmy
seeds, stored them in the attic and forgot about them.
About 2 years later I was noticing tiny bug in our coolers in the basement.
Long story short they were a type of weavel, and got into
everything..only ridding our home of the bags, placing everything in air
tight containers finally rid us of these bugs..
Nothing in the attic any more
In garage and used up in short time.
3Putt in Coastal SC
house.
Hartz Mountain seen is/was notorious for being invested with those nasty
little ?moths. the feed came in a cardboard box, and the see was not
sealed in any plastic. Moths would soon appear in the pantry and fly out
of the seed. And check the flour in the cupboards now and them.
"jimmy" <jimmy...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:j462tu$44c$1...@dont-email.me...
kimosabe
I bought Pheronet traps online. They have pheromones that attract the
moths into the sticky tent. They worked well but in and of
themselves, they didn't end the problem.
Here's the advice I'd give anyone who feels they're not winning the
battle.
1. Remember that the goal has to be to kill them right down to the
last fertile female.
2. Look around in pantries and cupboards with a flashlight for any
larvae. They are little whitish or tan worms.
3. Make food unavailable. Use plastic bins, zip lock bags, etc.
4. When you see a moth, make the effort to chase it down. I know
they become invisible easily, but the ones you do kill will help. I
have a newer Dirt Devil that comes with a hose. I've discovered that
it's easier to catch flies and such than it is to swat them.
You can also use a battery powered swatter that looks like a tennis
racket. It zaps bugs in flight: http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=fly+swatter
5. After you've won the battle, TAKE THE TRAPS OUT OF THE HOUSE.
During the battle against these moths, I noticed something I had never
seen before. There were some moths outside fluttering against the
screen door trying to get in. I realized the pheromones were
attracting moths into the house.
At the start of this last summer, I took all the traps, even the
unopened ones out to foodless shed about forty feet behind the house.
I set a trap on the outside back of the shed. The trap caught moths
but we never saw one near the house.
Dickr
into the house. I always keep traps in the pantry, and if any moths get
into the house by other means, they'll get trapped.
JMHO
Dick