Really gross but not sure what to do....?!
Really gross but not sure what to do....?
so i went into my pantry the other day to get oatmeal and when i opened the container, it was moving. there were little white worm things in it. we also have tiny moths in the pantry too. this is really gross, we live in the house my fiance grew up in and his parents built. i think they have always had these, because he wasn't as alarmed as me. my questions are:
how do i get rid of these bugs?
how do i keep them from coming back?
how do i store things in my pantry?
do i just tear down the shelves, bleach and bomb the pantry and rebuild it?
HELP, i'm wicked grossed out!!
Answers: dump all your open packages of food, even if you don't see the worms, they can still have their larve in the boxes and could grow. Check your un-opened food too, I have had the unfortunate experience that when I got something home it was full of worms and I needed to take it back to the store. I would use hot water with some bleach to wash down every part of your pantry, cabinet, shelves, don't miss an inch. I swear by Tupperware! I have in the past put dry goods such as flour, grains, etc... in them and when I needed to move, put them all in storage. I can tell you honestly, that when I opened them a year later, yes a whole year later, they were still as fresh as when I put the ingredients in the containers. Tupperware is best b/c you have an air tight seal, and best of all if it ever gets cracked, or broken you will get a free replacement at no cost to you. Good luck Source(s):
chef, experience You probably have mealy worms. Throw out all of your opened/unsealed food. Take all the food out of the cabinets and bug bomb it. Then wipe it clean with warm/dish soapy water and dry. Invest in Rubbermaid containers for ALL open foods such as cereal, sugar, flour, chips. Anything you'd open and leave in there to be eaten later. It's worth it to spend the $ on the containers. Your food will stay fresher, the bugs won't come back (why if there's nothing for them to eat!) and it won't be so gross. Toss out everything that is contaminated, clean area well. When you restock, place bay leaves in and around all cereals, flour, grain, etc., guaranteed no more bugs. Mealy worms are found naturally in all foods containing flour. They will sometimes "hatch" and then grow wings in adulthood. The only way not to have these is not buy foods with flour in them OR store foods with flour in the refrigerator to prevent them from hatching in the first place. I know its gross to think of eating these unhatched worms, but it wont hurt you if you do. Yes bug bomb the place, I would do the entire house and use tupperware to keep things fresh. I hate bugs, I just moved into an apartment in downtown and I think it was built in the 40's or earlier and I always feel freaked out and scared of what im going to find...baggies work well too for keeping food protected, like the big ziploc baggies. I think bay leaves scattered about in the pantry keep bugs away as well, thats what my mum always used. Sounds like you have pantry moths. You need to get some traps, they sell them online and at the hardware store. You should also store all dry goods (get new ones) in containers that are air tight and seal so the bugs dont get in. I store all my dry goods like this. If you bake a lot you may want to get some larger tupperware continers for flour, sugar and such. chuckle..?
you throw every thing our..
buy Rubbermaid or Tupperware.
save your coffee cans ..
paint them bright colors.
NO food other than in sealed plastic bags is allowed. Everything is emptied into the plastic ware...
cut instructions and recipies and tape outside.
don't be grossed,,, they really can't hurt you,, maybe give you the runs. All that can be done is invest in a flyswatter and put things that are grain based in your freezer or use them immediately after purchasing. Thier are bugs in the field that lay eggs in the grain seeds so small that grinding flour to fine won't grind up the insect eggs and warmth hatches them. freezing cold stops them from hatching but doesn't kill them. So, when we eat a grain based item we get extra protien called insects.