Start the battle against pantry moths as soon as you see one

I don’t want to alarm you, but do you realize how easy it is to bring bugs home?

I bought a bag of rice at an ethnic grocery store. At home, I poured the contents from the paper bag into a Ball jar. When I opened the jar some time later, insects flew out that I learned were pantry moths. The bag of rice must have contained eggs or larvae. I threw out the rice and washed the jar, whose sides were covered with the telltale webbing that identifies pantry moths. 

Afterward I saw a moth so infrequently that I naively didn’t think about the moths reproducing. But when an occasional moth still appeared months later, action was past due.

What I learned was distressing. “Seeing even one pantry moth is a strong indicator of an infestation, as they are typically present in large numbers, with one female laying hundreds of eggs,” Google AI said. It’s hard to eradicate the moths. The larvae consume their favorite foods — flours, baking mixes, grains, cereals, pasta, nuts, dried fruits, cocoa, tea, legumes, spices, and dry pet food — and then move to dark places like shelf corners, cracks in walls and wood, and the holes for adjustable shelves. There they transform from the pupa stage into adult moths whose only purpose is to procreate. 

The moths don’t carry diseases that harm humans and pets, but I still wanted them gone. But how does one do battle against an enemy that can even eat through cardboard boxes and plastic bags? 

I checked every food shelf for signs of the moths — food clumps, webbing, and worm-like larvae. Climbing up and down a stepladder to reach upper shelves after knee replacement surgery was risky but unavoidable. All dry goods were transferred to airtight containers. I vacuumed and washed down shelves with white vinegar, which kills the larvae. The only infested food I found was dry cat food, but that wasn’t reason for relief. There are so many places the moths can lodge, like under the refrigerator and the stove. 

Traps, which have synthetic female sex pheromones that attract and trap adult male moths on a sticky surface, caught about a dozen moths the first week, then none for a while, then more. The time gap suggested different generations. My hope was that when larvae emerged as adult moths, either the males would be trapped before mating, or the females wouldn’t be able to get into the airtight food containers to lay their eggs. 

It’s now about four months since I put out traps, and I haven’t trapped a moth in seven weeks. Dare I hope that they’re gone? I’m not taking any chances. Here’s what I continue to do:

• Cut off their food supply. Any newly purchased dry goods are stored in impermeable containers — after they’re frozen for four days to kill possible eggs or larvae.

• Use deterrents. Open envelopes with bay leaves, rosemary, and dried orange peels are on my shelves. The moths don’t like their smell or that of cloves, mint, lavender, thyme, and black pepper. 

• Continue to use pheromone traps for a while, just in case there are still eggs or larvae that haven’t hatched. 

Keeping a clean kitchen and pantry is not a guarantee against pantry moths. Take it from me: a single bag of infested food can cause a lot of work.