It is best to dispose of food such as flour, pasta or cereals once they have been contaminated by
The eggs, larva, or adult moths are not toxic or harmful in any way, and you can sift both things out and still use the flour with no problem.
While finding beetles in your flour may be unsettling, they're harmless when baked, as the heat kills both the bugs and their eggs. To prevent infestations, store flour in sealed containers and keep your pantry clean. Don't worry too much about eating them -- they won't harm you!
It's generally not recommended to eat food that a moth has landed on. Moths can carry bacteria and contaminants from various places, which can potentially make you sick if ingested.
Clean out food storage containers with hot water and soap, and vacuum or scrub your cupboards. Take any trash filled with infested items outdoors as soon as you've edited your pantry for infested products. Store remaining products in airtight, pest-proof containers.
Pantry moths are found on every continent except Antarctica. They feed on rice, grains, flour, pasta, cereals, dried fruits, spices, seeds, nuts and other dried food. Their fondness for dried foods makes them a major pest in food storage facilities.
For an instant kill, cleaning containers using a solution of hot soapy water will instantly kill Pantry Moth Eggs. Additionally, freezing items will kill eggs and larvae, although you must wait 72 hours for this method to be effective.
Pantry moth larvae can chew through plastic and Ziploc bags to access food.
What smells do moths hate? Clothes Moths detest the scent of cedar. They also dislike rosemary, thyme, sage, mint, bergamot, and lavender. Rosemary, thyme, and peppermint oils can be great for keeping Pantry Moths away.
Storing flour in airtight plasticware or a glass mason jar will keep it fresh for up to 10 months and keep pests like flour bugs at bay. If you have the tools to vacuum seal your flour, it can last up to two years.
Establishing a 30-day use-by date is ideal, but what if flour is used in a dry bakery mix with a nine- to 12-month use-by date? Sifting flour through a fine-mesh opening will separate out the insects, but tiny eggs can pass through with the flour.
These tiny bugs can easily pervade your pantry or grocery storage through gaps, holes, cracks, and similar openings. Wheat and other grain kernels attract weevils and other bugs. They feed on these, mate, and raise their families. These weevils are picked out before the grains go through the milling process.
Freeze any pantry goods you'd like to keep.
Freezing will kill any bugs in your food, but it's up to you to remove the dead bodies and eggs. Use a sieve or strainer to sift through your dried goods and remove any dead weevils.
Life Cycle of the Pantry Moth
The life cycle may be completed in as little as 30 days or as long as 300 days, depending on food availability and temperature. The warmer the temperature, the faster the cycle completes. The average is 4-7 weeks.
Change Storage Methods
Transfer your grains and other dry food products to mason jars, tins, or other tight-sealing containers. It may seem like you suddenly have pantry moths if you inadvertently bring food home from the grocery store that contains moth eggs or larvae.
Create a barrier and put your clothes in plastic or vacuum bags. "Nothing can't live there because there's no oxygen. Even just sealing them well and airtight will reduce the possibility of moths getting in," adds Kern. These bags can hold blankets, linen, sweaters and other bulky items.
It's important to remember that these pantry pests can infest a wide variety of products such as rice, grains, legumes, flour, cereal, couscous, bread, candy, chocolates, cookies, crackers, chips, dried fruit, tea, coffee, coffee substitute, dried drink mix, powdered milk, spices, cake mix, pudding mix, dried sauce mix ...
The most common way to contract a moth infestation is by carrying infected items into the home. Food and clothing items that have larvae or eggs hiding within them can introduce a moth problem when you least expect it. Unsealed containers in our pantries are perfect targets for pantry months.
Clothes moths are 1/2-inch long and are a beige, gray color. Their wings are narrow and hairy. Since they're so small and avoid light, you're not as likely to notice a clothes moth. Pantry moths are 1/3 to 1/5vinches long and have narrow wings that are gray and bronze on the bottom half and yellow-gray on the top.
So will pantry moths or their larvae, eggs and webbing make you sick if you accidentally eat them? The experts say no. So, if you ingest them, don't panic. Indian meal moths are not known to spread any known diseases, parasites or pathogens.
How do you get rid of pantry moths? One, throw away any infested goods and wash the cupboards. Next, you will need to get enough air tight storage containers for all your dry goods. If you can toss some corn starch around with the lids on tight and no starch escapes the container, it is air tight.
As such, airtight storage is recommended. To keep moths out of your pantry goods, it is best to use solid glass or plastic containers with sealable lids. Make sure that all of the lids have an airtight or rubber seal. This will prevent moths from being able to squeeze through.
Since brown house moths are scavengers, they will eat organic debris, oatmeal, flour, potatoes, bread, and even natural fibers in carpet and clothing.