Pantry moths are small brown and grey moths that flutter around kitchens, usually in the evening. The adults do little harm, but their larvae live in flour, rice, cereal, nuts, dried fruit, pet food and birdseed, spinning fine webbing through the food and along the edges of shelves. In the Western Suburbs we often hear from people who found webbing in a bag of flour and then noticed moths every night.
Pantry moths are usually brought home in a packet of food from the shop, then spread to other packets nearby. The larvae crawl out to pupate in corners, shelf joints, screw holes and the gaps around cupboard doors. That is why throwing out the worst packet is rarely enough on its own, and why moths keep appearing weeks after a clean-out. Warm kitchens in summer speed up their life cycle, so a small problem can grow quickly.
- A check of every cupboard where food is stored
- Advice on which packets to throw out and which to keep
- Treatment of shelf joints, corners and cupboard gaps
- Pheromone traps to catch the adult moths
- Tips on sealed containers for grains and pet food
Before the crew arrives, empty the affected cupboards, bin anything with webbing or larvae, and vacuum the shelves, including the corners and joints. Put the food you are keeping into sealed jars or tubs. The treatment is kept to the cupboard structure, not to the food itself, and the crew will tell you when the shelves can be used again.
Call 03 7053 9832 to talk about the problem and hear the price. We will book a local crew to deal with pantry moths in your home in the Western Suburbs.