White larvae hanging on threads from my kitchen ceiling.
July 13, 2020 9:52 AM Subscribe
There are 20mm long ridged worms/larvae, off-white bodies with a black spot at one end, hanging from longish invisible threads from my kitchen ceiling.
We had some fruit flies around our fresh fruit and the pantry (these might have been moths) at the end of summer (in the southern hemisphere, so around April).
How do I get rid of them, both the current ones and making sure they don't come back?
We had some fruit flies around our fresh fruit and the pantry (these might have been moths) at the end of summer (in the southern hemisphere, so around April).
How do I get rid of them, both the current ones and making sure they don't come back?
Definitely pantry moths. Go through all food goods stored outside the fridge (I've found the bloody things in chocolate and tea and instant ramen among others) in the entire house. Throw out everything that has even a trace of threads, clumping or holes in unopened packages - check everything in foil whether it's airtight. Put everything that remains and all new purchases in glass or heavy duty plastic boxes. Wipe all shelving with vinegar, as well as the backs and ceilings of cabinets, and put bowls of vinegar at the bottom of every enclosed food storage space. Put pheromone traps all over. And check your toaster, because I had the bloody things living in the crumb tray :/
And once you're sure they're gone, wait three months of no new moths in the traps before you even think about leaving dry goods out. Keeping them in proper storage is good hygiene anyway.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 11:46 AM on July 13, 2020
And once you're sure they're gone, wait three months of no new moths in the traps before you even think about leaving dry goods out. Keeping them in proper storage is good hygiene anyway.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 11:46 AM on July 13, 2020
Yes, get pantry moth traps immediately and put them all over. Kill any worms and moths you see that aren't in the traps, too. The traps only attract the males. (Along with the cleaning advice from the last commenter.) Along with people food, they also like to live in dog food, bird food, bags of corn for squirrels, etc.
posted by beyond_pink at 11:57 AM on July 13, 2020
posted by beyond_pink at 11:57 AM on July 13, 2020
We had a persistent pantry moth infestation when I was a kid and like 25 years later I still shake and scrutinize every dry ingredient when I take it out of the cupboard to make sure there's nothing squirming in there. I have anxiety dreams sometimes about having an infestation. Ugh.
You should throw out *anything* in a bag or box - cereal, bagged flour, crackers, etc. and going forward, store all that stuff in hard sealed containers, like glass, plastic, or ceramic.
Freezing kills them - if you have any dry foods that you think are OK and really want to keep, throw them in the freezer for a couple days before transferring to a new container. Consider freezing new foods as you bring them in for awhile to make sure you don't reintroduce.
posted by beandip at 11:59 AM on July 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
You should throw out *anything* in a bag or box - cereal, bagged flour, crackers, etc. and going forward, store all that stuff in hard sealed containers, like glass, plastic, or ceramic.
Freezing kills them - if you have any dry foods that you think are OK and really want to keep, throw them in the freezer for a couple days before transferring to a new container. Consider freezing new foods as you bring them in for awhile to make sure you don't reintroduce.
posted by beandip at 11:59 AM on July 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Definitely pantry moths. I was gone one summer and returned to find that a tenant had left a large bag of rice open in the mud room, and I had a pretty bad infestation.
Beyond what everyone else has mentioned, I found cocoons in the corners of the ceilings. The larvae are on your ceiling because they've reached the point of pupation and are seeking a place to do that. With a flashlight and a crevice tool for your vacuum, you can hunt them down and remove them.
posted by brianogilvie at 1:47 PM on July 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Beyond what everyone else has mentioned, I found cocoons in the corners of the ceilings. The larvae are on your ceiling because they've reached the point of pupation and are seeking a place to do that. With a flashlight and a crevice tool for your vacuum, you can hunt them down and remove them.
posted by brianogilvie at 1:47 PM on July 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Welcome to the bad place
posted by Glomar response at 4:05 PM on July 13, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by Glomar response at 4:05 PM on July 13, 2020 [8 favorites]
We've had pretty good luck with releasing trichogramma wasps in our pantry to combat pantry moths. You can't see the wasps flying around or doing their business, the number of moths just drastically decreases. Although we found we had to keep re-buying them since they will eat all the available moths and then die.
posted by music for skeletons at 11:27 AM on July 14, 2020
posted by music for skeletons at 11:27 AM on July 14, 2020
If it is pantry moths, my advice from lots of experience is:
1) They usually flutter around very close to where they are breeding. If you find a moth close to or in a cupboard, the source is in the cupboard. Throw away everything edible in this cupboard (including things like tea leaves, coffee, dry pasta and any spices, even hot pepper). Even the stuff that's still sealed. In my ecperience, you don't need to purge your entire kitchen, just these spots.
2) You will overlook the crumbs and this will be the last stronghold of your moths, and your downfall. I've had moths breed in a teaspoonful of flour I had once spilled into a mixing bowl without noticing. I've found larvae in the bread crumbs behind the bread box and the food crumbs behind the microwave.
3) They breed in undisturbed, dark places. Think about the nooks and crannies you tend to not clean regularly: they'll be partying there.
4) Moth traps are best used as an indicator of how your infestation is progressing. They won't stop it completely.
posted by Omnomnom at 1:20 PM on July 17, 2020
1) They usually flutter around very close to where they are breeding. If you find a moth close to or in a cupboard, the source is in the cupboard. Throw away everything edible in this cupboard (including things like tea leaves, coffee, dry pasta and any spices, even hot pepper). Even the stuff that's still sealed. In my ecperience, you don't need to purge your entire kitchen, just these spots.
2) You will overlook the crumbs and this will be the last stronghold of your moths, and your downfall. I've had moths breed in a teaspoonful of flour I had once spilled into a mixing bowl without noticing. I've found larvae in the bread crumbs behind the bread box and the food crumbs behind the microwave.
3) They breed in undisturbed, dark places. Think about the nooks and crannies you tend to not clean regularly: they'll be partying there.
4) Moth traps are best used as an indicator of how your infestation is progressing. They won't stop it completely.
posted by Omnomnom at 1:20 PM on July 17, 2020
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posted by brookeb at 10:57 AM on July 13, 2020 [1 favorite]