bugs in cracked corn

[Spunkie199]

i didn't cover the cracked corn==or anything else for that matter when i
first started feeding birds. didn't know about the bugs. do now. when getting
rid of the left over cracked corn, there was larve in it from the
bugs(flying bugs-don't know what they are except they laid eggs in everything
to do with the birds.)
again, not knowing what i was doing, i thought well-birds eat bugs, so they
get a free meal. i guess something bigger ate it who was a vegetarian,
anyway the next day when going out to fill the feeders, i noticed an upset
tummy lump on the ground.
. what is the bug that lays eggs in the corn and seed?
would the birds have had a 'free lunch' or just left the bugs alone?
do i need to throw out any seeds with the larva in it? (not too much money
to replace with)
know we are the ?proud? landlord of a woodchuck, could he-she eat it--they--
like squirells are vegetarians.
any help would be appreciatied. please e-mail me
boy i hate this trial and error learning. sometimes it gets expensive.
kathy

[LeeAnne]

My mom and I store our bird seed in a rubbermaid trash barrel w/an air tight lid on
it. We've never had a bug problem, but we do occasionally have mice in the cellar
and it keeps them out. I would imagine it would keep the bugs out too.

LeeAnne

[Matt Fain]

You know, that's interesting. I also had cracked corn in a rubbermaid
trash container, but not with an air-tight lid. The corn was stored in
a ziploc inside the trash can. Yesterday I opened it up to find a whole
bunch of small moths in with the corn. All dead of course, as it would
have been too hot (and also maybe not enough air), but I assume the
larvae or whatnot had to have come *with* the corn. At any rate, I just
put it out, bugs and all, as I thought the birds would enjoy them. I
don't have any direct observation that the birds took them (they could
have just blown away), but I wouldn't see why not.

Cheers,
Matt Fain
Carbondale, Southern Illinois, USA

LeeAnne wrote in message <35EC3FB1...@ici.net>...

[Spunkie199]

me again--the bugs did come from the feed but i think it was from the seed
and just spread. i have rubbermaid bins too, i just had never used
the lids because it was in a hard to reach space and fighting the lid
was really hard. after i saw all the larva, i rearranged things and now
use the lids.
thanks for your help.
kathy

[Dick Wilburn]

Put some bay leaves in the container and it will keep the bugs out.

Spunkie199 <spunk...@aol.com> wrote in article
<199809020315...@ladder03.news.aol.com>...

> me again--the bugs did come from the feed but i think it was from
the seed
> and just spread. i have rubbermaid bins too, i just had never
used

> .
> kathy
>

[bigroc...@webtv.net]

Weevils!

You'll become more wary when you read this story: Once, the family went to
the movies and we made our own popcorn. Everyone enjoyed it and remarked at
the special rich taste. When we came home, the unused popcorn kernels had
each hatched out a cute little black and white worm.

Steve McDonald
Eugene, Oregon

_______________________________________________________________

In article <199809011814...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,

spunk...@aol.com (Spunkie199) wrote:
> i didn't cover the cracked corn==or anything else for that matter when i
> first started feeding birds. didn't know about the bugs. do now. when getting
> rid of the left over cracked corn, there was larve in it from the
> bugs(flying bugs-don't know what they are except they laid eggs in everything
> to do with the birds.)
> again, not knowing what i was doing, i thought well-birds eat bugs, so they
> get a free meal. i guess something bigger ate it who was a vegetarian,
> anyway the next day when going out to fill the feeders, i noticed an upset
> tummy lump on the ground.
> . what is the bug that lays eggs in the corn and seed?
> would the birds have had a 'free lunch' or just left the bugs alone?
> do i need to throw out any seeds with the larva in it? (not too much money
> to replace with)
> know we are the ?proud? landlord of a woodchuck, could he-she eat it--they--
> like squirells are vegetarians.
> any help would be appreciatied. please e-mail me
> boy i hate this trial and error learning. sometimes it gets expensive.
> kathy
>
>

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[Matt Fain]

Thanks very much for all the good information. Another question though.
Do the brids eat them? I do keep my birdseed outside my home, so I'm
really not concerned with finding them in the cracked corn, unless the
birds prefer corn without guest. (Nothing like moth-ABC corn! <G>)

Cheers,
Matt Fain
Carbondale, Southern Illinois, USA

JJCardinal wrote in message
<199809030036...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
>Troublesome Grain Infesting Moth
>The Indian Meal Moth is considered the most troublesome of the
grain-infesting
>moths. Damage is caused by the larvae spinning silken threads as they
feed and
>crawl, webbing food particles together. Besides infesting all cereal
food
[snip]

[JJCardinal]

Troublesome Grain Infesting Moth
The Indian Meal Moth is considered the most troublesome of the grain-infesting
moths. Damage is caused by the larvae spinning silken threads as they feed and
crawl, webbing food particles together. Besides infesting all cereal food

products and whole grains, this insect also feeds on a wide variety of goods
such as dried fruits, powdered milk, cornmeal, flour, raisins, prunes, nuts,
chocolate, candies, dehydrated dog and cat food, fish food,
crackers, dried red peppers, pastas, and bird seed.
Sometimes mistaken as clothes moths, homeowners notice small moths flying
in a zigzag fashion around rooms (kitchens, pantries and near bird seed bins)
in the home. These moths fly mostly at night and are attracted to lights and
may appear in the living room near or in front of television sets.
Occasionally, the larva or “white worms with black heads” crawl up walls and
suspend from the ceiling attached to a single silken thread. Most
complaints occur during the months of August and September. Some adult moths
do fly into homes during summer months through open doors or windows, but most
“hitchhike” inside packaged goods and bird seed.
Since bird seed is not a highly processed like flour and pet foods, Meal
Moths can sometimes be an unavoidable problem.
IDENTIFICATION
SIZE: About 3/8 inch long at rest; wing spread is about 5/8 inch.
DESCRIPTION: When at rest the wings are folded together along the line of the
body and are bronze colored. The front of the forewings is a grayish-white
color, and the lower half is a rusty red-brown color.
HABITAT: The adult moths usually fly at night and lay eggs on food such as
grain, dried food, and especially pet food.
LIFE CYCLE: The life cycle and habits of this pantry pest is similar to other
moths infesting stored food products.
Eggs are laid on or near food. A female moth may deposit 40 to 350 eggs.
After hatching, small caterpillars feed about two weeks. After pupating within
a cocoon, the adult emerges in about 30 days. The entire cycle requires about
six weeks.
CONTROL: Control of this pest begins with the location of the infested food.
If it is bird seed, it should be placed outside the home. A thorough clean up,
using a vacuum cleaner to get into the cracks and crevices, will control this
pest.

Louise Dawson
JJCardinal's Home Page