Checking Off Another Life Skill
Woman in the Middle | October 3, 2015Please don’t judge me, but my kitchen cupboard has been having an on again off again problem with moths for a few months now. We think they hopped a ride into the house in a can of chopped peanuts. Hubby enjoys a sprinkle of nuts on the occasional bowel of ice cream. The last time he went to get some nuts, well, lets just say he threw them away instead. I have been fighting the moths. Just when I think I have finally rid myself of them they come roaring back. I usually know about the new residents when one of the girls screams “Eewwwww!!!!” at breakfast time.
The moth problem reached a real crescendo yesterday and so youngest and I decided to delve into the cupboard in a take no prisoners way. Anything the moths even glanced at was going in the trash. I opened the cupboard and the first thing I saw was a cardboard container of oatmeal. Youngest learned from her vegan roommate last year that if you throw a small amount of raw oats into a smoothie, they blend right in and it helps the smoothie really stick with you. As soon as I saw that oatmeal, I knew, as only a woman of my age can know, that there was the problem. Sure enough, one quick peak and I knew moth ground zero had been found. Youngest quickly hustled the infested oatmeal out the door and into the trash.
Everything else was inspected, tons thrown out, and anything left the moths might like was put in plastic bags. The shelves were wiped with bleach and moth Armageddon, as we like to call it, was complete. Meanwhile, Youngest now has the life skill of how to spot when food has been invaded by moths. She and I have decided we are blaming healthy eating and the vegan roommate for the latest moth problem.
Same thing happened to us. We never discovered Ground Zero, but we threw away everything they might possibly be eating. Problem solved! I had never heard of that before. Glad to know we’re not the only ones!
I think I won’t be buying ahead anything with oatmeal, flour, etc…for awhile. I had to throw out so much stuff. On the other hand, my food cupboard is very clean and neat right now!
I keep opened boxes in the fridge as I don’t eat them up fast. Now I have no problems with weevils, moths, etc.
What amazed me is that they were getting into closed boxes and even through the plastic bags the cake mixes were in. It was a full scale invasion! But I think the (new) oatmeal for smoothies will take up residence in the fridge. Thanks for the suggestion!
Kim, the moths don’t “get in” to the flours and cereals. The eggs, or whatever, from which weevils hatch are already in these products when they arrive in your home. My understanding is that is one of the reasons why flour is bleached.
I agree. they come into the house in something. But then they can spread to the other things in the cupboard. Believe me, I just did a self study. But they may have already been in the oatmeal this time, it was so bad in there.
Years ago, when I was living in a different house, I had the same problem. If I remember correctly, I called UCR’s entomology department and described what was happening. They told me that, based on the description, they were kitchen moths. Weevils are the larvae for kitchen moths. UCR told me to make sure that I use products such as cereals and flour within just a couple of weeks of purchase, or put these products in the freezer so the weevils would not develop. I began to follow those directions, and the moth problem was no more.
Kind of icky, if you think about it. It is enough to make a person go gluten free!
I had had a moth problem at my house in Redlands. I had kept my food in plastic bags and the moths still got in! So I finally started putting all of my food in the fridge and the problem went away. I haven’t had any problem with my gluten-free flour; I have some bay leaves in it. However, I’ll put it in the freezer and keep an eye on it.
Months we see them at times around here but have never had this type of problem.