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Post by chrisg on May 25, 2015 17:31:55 GMT 10
Been having a fight with these pesky things for a couple of months - going to assume they are the Asian variety because we do know they originated from a pack of rice.
I really thought I had them under control and on the way to eradication - combination of checking everything, discarding some small amount of stuff, vinegar clean-up, bay leaves (which I'm not massively convinced on but have a large ready supply) and pheremone traps in every cupboard but now we spotted some larvae (look like bloody maggots) on the kitchen ceiling drawn to the heat of the light.
Sprayed those of course and I do know as irritating as these things are that essentially they are harmless but I just do not want them in my cupboards.
Anyone have any suggestions beyond what has already been done to get them the hell out of here?
Cheers
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Post by smokey on May 25, 2015 18:48:06 GMT 10
Had the same problem a year or so back, I Basicly threw out everything.
Big clean and put anything new in plastic Tupperware or in big ziplock bags so any new infestation is confined.
After that I just kept the traps and bay leaves scattered around.
I even put new food stuffs in the freezer for a week but that didn't last long.
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Post by chrisg on May 25, 2015 20:04:27 GMT 10
Yeah, we've had it twice in the past 20 years - my wife was annoyed enough to say a sarcastic "thanks" to Coles this time on their website  Not really anyone's fault of course, keeping everything well sealed is the key, I just had not thought of it with zip-lock rice, that hadn't it seems totally sealed. I just baulk at throwing everything out, it is a waste and they actually are harmless. The freezer approach CAN work, but some of the buggers just hibernate I'm guessing that like you we have limited freezer space for quarantine It is worth keeping flour in there though, have for years, just damned rice slipped by me Cheers |
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2015 22:21:26 GMT 10
G'day
I buy flour for pizza flour from time to time in 10kg to 25kg lots. Vac pac into 1 bags and freeze for two weeks.
Store in the beer fridge till used. Small insect life don't like freezing. There eggs don't hatch in low temps.
The pantry cupboard has a old jar lid with a smear of oil in it. Like my Nan did. The insect are attracted and trapped in the oil ,when discovered then you do the throw out, check the container thing etc.
Her solution was to spread the flour out on a piece of tin in the sun. It would cook them hard and enable them to be sifted out, she then feed them to her chooks.
Regards Dave
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Post by gatsby on May 26, 2015 6:51:26 GMT 10
I've got to admit I have not had this problem and I am very slack at containment, so guess just have been lucky.
Reading with interest as I'll end up getting caught.
Bay leaves? Huh?
Got some reading to do!
Cheers
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Post by chrisg on May 26, 2015 7:54:22 GMT 10
Yeah Dave, freezing flour can prevent problems but there are apparently several different types of these moths, the ones that can come in rice are too hardy for it to stop them. We do keep our flour sealed in the freezer but as I said this infestation came from rice.
Bay leaves are I think a bit of an old wives tale Gatsby but it doesn't hurt, the theory is they don't like the smell so it drives them away.
I had never seen them on the ceiling before, last evening we experimentally left the light in the kitchen off and this morning none there so presumably attracted to the heat/light as I suspected.
It is somewhat shocking how common they can be, asking friends most everyone I know has had at least one case of the things.
In the end it is mostly patience but the pheremone traps do work - break the breeding cycle - kinda scary how many they catch though.
Cheers
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Post by shayneh2006 on May 27, 2015 19:08:56 GMT 10
Yep, they are buggers, thast for sure.
I have found them hard to stop at times, even seeing them chew right through Zip lock bags to get to the goods within.
The pheremone traps by Hovex do work, but are expensive. I think Bullworths sell the two pack for about 10 bux, but when Aldi had em a little while ago much, much cheaper, I stocked up 
One year though, I didn't control them enough early on, resulting in a day going through everything and then binning half of what was in my Pantry.
That proved to be an expensive day in both costs and time 
Live n learn I guess.
Shayne
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Post by chrisg on May 27, 2015 19:24:03 GMT 10
Yeah Shayne, ten bucks per pair for the traps here.
It's annoying because actually they really are harmless but who wants to be cooking with them in your food ?
I'm staying vigilant atm, seem to have them on the run.
Cheers
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Post by smokey on May 27, 2015 19:28:06 GMT 10
I kind of look at it like Game Hunting but just on a small scale. Becomes kinda fun then |
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Post by chrisg on Jun 26, 2015 19:00:30 GMT 10
Update: We do not seem to have any left in the cupboards but still seeing the odd one hatch and flit around and STILL getting larvae on the kitchen ceiling. I didn't want to but I think I'm going to have to surface spray to finalise the clean up, be on it tomorrow. Cheers |
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Post by smokey on Jun 26, 2015 19:35:35 GMT 10
There must be something they are still into? Pull everything out again. You might have to F Disk everything  |
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Post by chrisg on Jun 27, 2015 10:56:28 GMT 10
Dunno, there's really nothing in the cupboards they can get to, suspecting there is something outside of the cupboards sustaining them but only just. Cheers |
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