| Author | Content |
CaptMicha
Brookeville, MD
(Zone 7a)
July 3, 2006
12:58 AM Post #2460645
| I wonder if this is the right place to post...
I keep finding flour beetles in the food in the pantry. We seal what we can and throw out the rest but it would be super to get rid of them. How do you kill the infestation? |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
July 3, 2006
10:49 AM Post #2461974
| I've had pantry moths in the past, and what I did was throw out food they had already gotten into, sealed everything else up, smashed the moths that I saw, and within a few weeks they were gone, didn't need to use chemicals or anything. I think removing the food source is the biggest thing. I'm not sure if there's a better way to deal with the beetles, but most of the insect killers I'm aware of are not something I would want anywhere near where I store my food! You could also check to see if they sell traps for the beetles--I'm pretty sure I've seen traps for pantry moths so they may have them for the beetles too. |
teateacher
Franklin Springs, GA
(Zone 7b)
July 3, 2006
4:59 PM Post #2463392
| I've had that happen, and unless you get rid of ALL of them, they'll keep reappearing. The solution sounds wasteful, but continuing to lose food for a long period of time is REALLY wasteful. Get rid of anything that's not in a can. Go down to the bare walls in that pantry and throw out pudding powder, pasta, rice, flour, cereal (even unopened) anything in cardboard or plastic. Even if it doesn't have the beetles, they've probably been there and laid eggs. Then buy new stuff and store it in your refrigerator until you're sure you have all the bugs out.
If you shop at the same place all the time, you could be bringing home new ones from your store. THEY might be invested in the storeroom and not realize it, or not have it under control. |
DustyDS
Urbana, OH
(Zone 6a)
July 4, 2006
2:21 PM Post #2466649
| Ecrane..
If you have solid shelves rather than wire ones like I have in my pantry..you can spread Boric Acid powder around the 3 sides after you clear everything out and wash down the shelves with a boric acid solution... You can get that at any drug store and some grocerys in the drug aisle...I keep it on the sides of the floor in my pantry, and I invested in the stackable sealing plastic containers for everything uncanned or bottled... Bay leaves scattered will help too...They keep sugar ants especially at bay in the bathroom from toothpaste spatters if you have kids or sloppy hubbys.. LOL .. |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
July 4, 2006
2:28 PM Post #2466682
| I don't have problems with them anymore--I keep opened containers of cereal and stuff sealed up in ziploc bags or plastic containers and no more problems since that. |
CaptMicha
Brookeville, MD
(Zone 7a)
July 5, 2006
12:40 AM Post #2468854
| Ewwwwwwwwwwww... I've been eating bug eggs!
It's time like these one wishes they had a small pantry. That's going to be a lot of work but it's worth it to not have a bunch of beetles sitting in my cereal. |
gertiegirl
tottenham
(Canada)
July 5, 2006
1:10 PM Post #2470352
| I also use bay leaves. I store all my pasta, beans, rice, cereal, grains etc in plastic or glass containers and keep one or two bay leaves in the containers. (Just be sure to not eat the leaves...lol) I also sprinkle leaves on the shelves. I haven't had a problem with any bugs since. And keeping everything in glass and plastic keeps mice away too! :)
|
teateacher
Franklin Springs, GA
(Zone 7b)
July 5, 2006
2:15 PM Post #2470635
| Captmicha, hopefully you haven't eaten bug eggs... but you might have. Consider it protein! LOL Good luck with the project. To this day I keep flour & sugar in tupperware canisters and rice in the refrigerator. Once I found beetles in the flour inside the tupperware canister. Unless those dudes can break that seal and re-seal that container, they came in from the store! sharon |
Kachinagirl
Modesto, CA
(Zone 8b)
July 5, 2006
8:11 PM Post #2471952
| I agree with the bay leaves (Laurus noblis).http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/814/index.html
I became a Tupperware maven when I lived in an appartment many years ago. Now, any brand new grain-ish item (rice/flour/cornstarch/etc) gets dumped from the bag/box right into a labeled tupperware container with a couple Bay leaves. Luckily for me, my neighbor has a 20' hedge! I just go and grab them whenever I need them! And as for the eggs, yeah it's gross, but most of the things they come in get cooked so no biggie!
My biggest problem here (Modesto, CA) was ants. So shortly after moving in I took poly sealant to all the cracks in the pantry...each shelf and along the sides where the pantry attached to the wall. That way any invaders would have to come in from the front through the door where I would see them!
Karen |
teateacher
Franklin Springs, GA
(Zone 7b)
July 6, 2006
9:39 PM Post #2476234
| Good idea Karen. Hope it worked. My daughter & her hubby have a big boat (sleep on kind) and they were in the middle of the water last week and when they woke up in the morning, they had ants! Now... where did those bad boys come from? LOL. sr |
DustyDS
Urbana, OH
(Zone 6a)
July 7, 2006
8:42 AM Post #2477696
| They traveled right across the Mooring ropes.. they got me one year down here too back in the early 70's when I would take my kids out fishing with me and they dribbled cracker and bread crumbs and jelly all over the floor...We got in way late on a Sunday night, and by the time I got back over there Monday to hose down and clean up , the ants were waiting for me.. ;-P |
Sugar_fl
montgomery, AL
(Zone 7b)
July 8, 2006
11:13 PM Post #2484254
| I have had a fruit fly problem..
I KNOW they wasn't here before I somehow forgot an onion & it started rottening. How on earth did they get in. I live on the 2nd floor of a 100 apt building which open to a hall. I haven't heard anyone else mention them or seen any. I cleaned the cabinet good & sprayed it. I saw a lot at 1st but just a few today. I read where their live cycle is 10 days so if they haven't found a new place to bred they should soon all be gone.
I made a trap like the net said but very few got in it. I even poured some bleach down the drain. I sure hope these pest are about gone. |
DustyDS
Urbana, OH
(Zone 6a)
July 9, 2006
10:48 AM Post #2485294
| The eggs were on the Onions... I keep Onions and potatoes and everything but bananas in the veggie drawer of the Fridge...I rinse bananas and dry them with paper towels and only buy enough for 2-3 days...I use plastic grocery bags for the peels and tie them up securely immediately..Any fruit or veggie will carry eggs...The grocery warehouses are full of them..
Dusty |
White_Hydrangea
Aurora, CO
(Zone 5a)
July 9, 2006
8:03 PM Post #2487004
| Oh, yuk! |
CaptMicha
Brookeville, MD
(Zone 7a)
July 10, 2006
5:09 PM Post #2490426
| Maybe you should invest in that produce spray. When you think about how many things have come in contact with your produce, it makes sense. |
Sugar_fl
montgomery, AL
(Zone 7b)
July 15, 2006
10:49 PM Post #2510688
| Up date on my fruitflies. The ones that survives my attacks & the traps must have died of old age. I haven't seen one in several days. I don't have room in my refrig for everything but sure keeping a close eye so nothing goes bad.
Dar |
White_Hydrangea
Aurora, CO
(Zone 5a)
July 16, 2006
1:31 AM Post #2510995
| Fit? Yes I do use that. I had a problem with flour beetles in my condo. When I moved to my house this spring, I just threw all of the boxes away. I just didn't trust them. |
