These are the little critters I have been waging a war against the last 12 months. I have had 4 outbreaks now, last time I cleaned out my pantry COMPLETELY .. i.e emptied every Tupperware container, scrubbed them in bleach, checked every crevice, dried them in the sun. Then pulled out every single item out of the pantry shelves, it was completely empty. Scrubbed and sprayed all the corners and shelves. Left it empty for a few days to get the little grubs that hide in the cracks. Sprayed it with insect spray and closed the door for 2 days, then aired it for 2 more. Threw out every bit of food that could possibly harbour eggs, webs, grubs or moths. Anyhing new that was in a cardboard box and not a sealed plastic bag went into the bin.
The whole time I was throwing out all this food I was wishing I had chooks.
I am too scared to take the lid off this container, so its sat on my bench as a science experiment! The moths are well and truly alive and kicking. Seems they dont need a lot of oxygen. I dont even want to empty this outside in case the moths take up residence around the house somewhere. I know I am going to have to sacrifice the plastic container. Pity, as it did its job exceptionally well.
I have just emptied my pantry on the weekend after the return of these awful pantry moths, and you know where I think they come from? Nuts you buy from the supermarket! I found them in my packet of wallnuts little buggers.
ReplyDeleteThey dont seem to like spices or bay leaves so I have bay leaves scattered around on all my shelves. Another deterant is the pantry moth trap which is a sticky cardboard thingo which attracts them and eventually kills them all off. You can buy the trap from the supermarket :)