Insecticide For Pantry Moths

Treating pantry moth infestations can be overwhelming when you look at the shelves of products in the store. The variety of available insecticides for pantry moths seems endless, but there are really only a few kinds. The most effective shelf life insecticides for your home or place of business are those that are residual with particle barriers or toxic baits which release toxic substances over time after they’ve been consumed.

Insecticide For Pantry Moths

Pantry moths lay their eggs on stored food and grains. Finding an adult moth may be a sign that there are infested items somewhere in the home. Adult females can lay hundreds of eggs directly on or near potential food sources, and the damage is done by the larvae (tiny caterpillars). Larvae can chew through plastic bags and thin cardboard, so even unopened packages may become infested.

They attack a wide range of products, including cereal, grains, beans, nuts, flour, dried fruit, birdseed, dry animal food, spices, chocolate, and candies. Indian meal moth is the most common pantry moth, but properly identifying your pest will help you target your efforts. Consider contacting your local Cooperative Extension Service for help identifying a pest.

Mothballs should not be used around food or food preparation areas. Mothballs are only allowed to be used in airtight containers. Gasses build up to kill insects that feed on natural fibers. Those gasses may pose a risk to people or pets if used improperly.

Prevention tips:

• Use older food products first and store all bulk foods in thickly walled glass or plastic containers.
• Clean up all spills, including flour and sugar. Larvae can survive on small amounts of food under cabinets and in corners.
• Transfer bulk items from plastic bags to sturdy glass or plastic containers. Pantry moth larvae can chew through plastic and Ziploc bags to access food.

Control tips:

• Identify, remove, and dispose of all infested food items. Larvae spin a web as they move and leave behind silken threads; signs of webbing or clumped grains or flour may be a sign insects are present.
• Take the interior bags out of boxes, roll them around looking for clumps or webbing. Check the corners of boxes and creases of bags.
• Remember to inspect all cereal, grains, beans, nuts, flour, dried fruit, birdseed, dry animal food, spices, tea, chocolate, and candies.
• After removing all infested items, consider storing the remaining items in a large plastic tote to monitor for any eggs or larvae you may have missed.
• Use a vacuum with a crevice attachment to clean out all corners of the pantry. Wash the surfaces with warm water and soap to remove any remaining spilled food, eggs, or cocoons.
• Food items may be placed in a freezer for a week to kill any eggs or larvae that may be present.
• Larvae can travel far from food sources in order to pupate, which could create a potential for re-infestation if food is still accessible.
• Pheromone traps, or plain yellow sticky traps may be useful in monitoring the population, and identifying problem areas in the home.

Insecticide For Pantry Moths

Insecticide for pantry moths is a spray that is designed to kill the larvae and adult moths that have infested your food. Pantry moth larvae are the tiny, white worms you see when you open a can or box of food that has been infested. The adult moths are the small, brownish-grey flying insects that fly around when you open the box.

Pantry moth eggs can be laid by adult moths in any food product made from plants. They can be found in cereals, nuts, dried fruits, flour, pasta, grains, beans and other dry foods. Moth eggs hatch into larvae which grow and develop through several stages before spinning cocoons under which they pupate into adult moths.

Moth larvae feed on the protein in your stored food products and can chew through packaging to get at what they need to survive. They also produce copious amounts of frass (feces) as they eat more than their body weight every day. This frass mixes with the food product giving it an unpleasant odor which may make you think something is spoiled when it really isn’t!

List Of Insecticide For Pantry Moths