The dreaded pantry moth (or Indian mealmoth as it also known) is an annoying beast, but the worst part about the pantry moth is not the little flying critter that comes out of the depths of your food storage, but the little wriggly maggot-like moth larvae that are [living in your containers] gnawing their way through your food and claiming their moth flour.
If you find one food item with wrigglers in it, or have one hovering insect, then you can be sure he has plenty of friends in your pantry just chomping through your dry goods hoping not to be a protein hit as you munch your cereal.
“Pantry moths come into the home in food that we buy from the shops,” says Dean Hopping of Knockout Pest Control. “They usually come in dry goods like rice and flour, and they’re often in bags or boxes that aren’t fully sealed.”
Pantry moth’s normally live anywhere from 30 days to 300 days depending on the conditions. Warmer weather and plenty of food speeds the process up. Adult moths don’t live more that 1 or 2 weeks as they don’t feed as adults however the female can lay 400 eggs in this time so it may appear that they live forever as there is an endless stream of them.
Getting rid of them is tricky but if you not do a thorough job then you will be living with those critters forever. Thankfully, with a little know how you can get rid of them and keep them away for good… or until next time they stow away in something at the supermarket.