Pantry moths can be a real pain to deal with, and they can compromise the cleanliness of your kitchen.
These moths can cause a lot of damage to foodstuffs. They eat through food packaging and cause stored food to spoil. An infestation can be unpleasant, troublesome, and end up costing a lot of money in food that has to be thrown away. What’s worse than looking forward to preparing a meal in your kitchen only to realize that pantry moths have wreaked havoc?
It’s best to be proactive and learn what attracts these creatures so that you can get rid of them once and for all. Here’s a complete guide on getting these pests out of your kitchen.
What are Pantry Moths?
Prevalent in the United States, these are small insects with soft wings in brown and grey tones. They are also known as “Indian meal moths.”
You may also find them in their larvae form in your kitchen. They are growing during this stage of their life cycle and can chew into alarming amounts of your stored food. Each female moth can lay as many as 400 eggs at once, every 20 days or so, thus your infestation can escalate very quickly.
They are typically found indoors where there is food, such as kitchen cupboards or in the pantry.
How Do I Prevent an Infestation?
Exterminating pantry moths can also be challenging. They are quite determined creatures! Hiring a professional to take care of a moth infestation can also be inconvenient, time-consuming, and costly. :
To get rid of pantry moths, follow this advice:
- The best thing to do is to use natural and safe pantry moth traps.
- Keep your dried foods in airtight containers.
- Make sure your pantry seals properly, and keep it closed as much as possible.
- Keep your home well-maintained in general to prevent critters from sneaking in through any cracks and gaps in the walls.
- Inspect packaging at the grocery store as well. Sadly, grocery stores commonly get infested with their vast amount of dry foods.
What Attracts Moths to Your Kitchen?
Pantry moths love anything that has a grain base. They are attracted to dry items in your cupboard such as bread, pasta, cereals, flour, dry snacks, and even spices. Their heightened sense of smell — compared to humans at least — helps them find the food source.
Wherever there is a food supply, and a dry, safe space, that is where they are going to head. This dynamic gives them optimum circumstances for survival and breeding.
Pantry moths typically find their way in through open windows, doors, gaps around cables or air vents. If there are any cracks and gaps around your home, this can be a way for them to come in as well.
How Harmful are Pantry Moths?
The good news is that pantry moths are not all that much of a health risk. If you consume some larvae by mistake you won’t suffer any disease. However, if they get into your stored foods, you should throw them away. This means pantry moths can cost you money in food waste, especially if you don’t get on top of an infestation. In this case, the moths will continue to get into your food, and you will have to keep discarding it.
Bottom Line
Having any creature close to your stored foodstuffs is just not ideal. It’s best to take preventative action against an infestation of pantry moths now so that you can look forward to a cleaner kitchen.
Remember to start inspecting dry foods at the grocery store – get into the habit of checking for warning signs, and you’re more likely to clear out these pests sooner than later.