HELP!!! Grain Moths!!!

exegeses · #1 08/10/05, 12:37 PM

A bag of grain from the feed store introduced grain moths into our grain supply. We keep our household grain in 5 & 6 gal. buckets - the moths are now in the buckets - all but my brown rice (just got it). Anyway, I have some grain moth traps on order and are hoping they will work, but what to do about the ones already in the grain? I went through the top layer of all the buckets this morning, taking out the little 'clumps' the larva make (ducks liked the treat) but I'm sure I didn't get every last little thing. I do have some DE that the feed store said was food grade, but now that I look on the bag I see that it also has 'crystalline silica' in it! Is it really food safe? If so, how much should I sprinkle over the top of the grain in each bucket?

Thanks!!!

My barley also seems to have another critter in it and I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't seen the movement. These little critters are so tiny - only about 1 cm long! I definately don't want them to spread, so I really need to know about the DE!

mamahen · #2 08/10/05, 01:23 PM

I always freeze any new grain product when I bring them into the house. At least for a week. That seems to have eradicated them from our house.

I've heard the traps aren't too good, but they will stick to them. Freeze what you can now, after you've sifted thru it.

Tricia

exegeses · #3 08/10/05, 01:39 PM

Good idea, and I have used that method on occasion - when I only have a few 5lb. bags or so. But we're talking probably close to 200 lbs. or more altogether - even my chest freezers can't handle that (they're pretty full). I've got hard wheat, soft wheat, rolled oats, quick oats, rolled barley, rolled 7 grain & brown rice. Most of those we buy in 50 lb. bags. This doesn't include my white flour, but thankfully the moths don't seem to have discovered that -yet- !

MikeD · #4 08/10/05, 02:58 PM

This may be totally useless as I've never looked into the problem but what about using CO2 to kill everything off? If you're already storing grain in buckets would a chunk of dry ice placed in a sufficiently safe container of it's own within a covered grain bucket (say overnight) appropriately suffocate anything wriggling within the bucket? Might be a Q for an AG extension or college entomology department. Could be a cheap solution too I just paid $10 for 15# of "scrap ice" at a local supplier.

exegeses · #5 08/10/05, 03:16 PM

Another good idea - but if the CO2 DOES kill the stuff off, it won't prevent re-infecting as the CO2 would dissapate the next time the bucket gets opened. I'm hoping the traps will work for the infestation in the 'shed' the buckets are kept in, but it will probably take a little while.

raymilosh · #6 08/10/05, 03:24 PM

i started dealing with grain moths 15 years ago. I lost a lot of stuff to them until i figured out a way to deal with them. Everything I buy goes into sealable containers now. Not just plastic bags, though, as they'll chew right into one. Every now and then I open some container to find that it had grain moths when I brought it home and they have ruined it, but i only lose that container...the others are still safe. I used to cringe when i saw the moths in the house, but now i just shrug, knowing that they have found something I left open or found out they can eat something new. I know I'll eventually find it and I also know that everything else is still perfectly safe.
If you have lots of stuff in peril, don't panic. Freeze as much as you can at a time, then remove it from the freezer and place it into a sealable container. Any moths or larvae in it will have died and it will be "sterilized" to a degree. Then freeze some more things and put those things in sealable containers. Continue until you're done. If anything is too far gone, cut your losses and continue on. Once you have a system for storing everything, your problems will be over permanently. I use primarily 5 gallon buckets, mason jars and 1 gallon glass jars for storing everything. I write on the jars and lids with a sharpie so I can see at a glance what's in it.
ray

MaKettle · #7 08/10/05, 03:38 PM

Freezing 200 lbs of grain isn't very practical. I've read that bay leaves will deter grain moths. Have them in all the pkgs in the house, and this summer have not had the moth problem. It would take a lot of bay leaves. Don't know what the silica stuff is. Maybe you could Google it. Do you think some Bt would get rid of the larvae in the barley?

exegeses · #8 08/10/05, 05:56 PM

Well, I looked on my bag of DE and did some internet research. Come to find out, the feed store guy who sold me a bag of "Food Grade" DE [b]actually[b] sold me a bag of "Filter Grade" DE. AHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! So now I'll be going through the hassle of taking it back, which he probably won't want to take back considering I got it a while ago. Well, too bad - he sold me the wrong stuff . . . even special ordered it!!!! Some people . . . .

Anyway, until I can get my traps in and some [b]real[b] Food Grade DE, I think I'll just wait them out. During my research I also found that freezing doesn't always get ALL the stages of the larva.

Wish me luck!

BaronsMom · #9 08/10/05, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by exegeses

Well, I looked on my bag of DE and did some internet research. Come to find out, the feed store guy who sold me a bag of "Food Grade" DE [b]actually[b] sold me a bag of "Filter Grade" DE. AHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! So now I'll be going through the hassle of taking it back, which he probably won't want to take back considering I got it a while ago. Well, too bad - he sold me the wrong stuff . . . even special ordered it!!!! Some people . . . .

Anyway, until I can get my traps in and some [b]real[b] Food Grade DE, I think I'll just wait them out. During my research I also found that freezing doesn't always get ALL the stages of the larva.

Wish me luck!

In the meantime, pheromone traps are available for these moths. Our local hardware store carries them and we've used them at work when we've had an Indian Meal Moth outbreak. The traps are sticky and laced with the scent of female moths so the males get "stuck". At least it cuts down on any "breeding". The huge Food Bank in our community also uses the pantry pest traps to monitor for potential outbreaks.

Freezing does kill the pests.

For more info, http://lancaster.unl.edu/enviro/pest/factsheets/304.htm

Thrifty Sarrah · #10 08/10/05, 08:56 PM

I see you decided already after I posted so I just deleted what I'd written.

gobug · #11 08/10/05, 11:01 PM

As an exterminator, I hope I have some good information for you.

First of all, DE is not legal if you are planning to sell the product. Another problem is it is not labeled for such use and hence there will be no dosage to help you determine how much to use. I have heard others brag that it solves the problem, but I am doubtful. It is a contact killer. In other words, the eggs are not influenced at all, and the larvae must get into it. Just because something is food grade doesn't necessarily mean it is wise to eat it without regard.

Cold works, but it isn't so simple. Consider that these insects make it through the winter in harsh climates. The approach with cold is extreme cold for extended time or alternating warm and cold. The cold makes them idle, while the warm stimulates the eggs and pupae to hatch or emerge. They cannot handle the repetition back and forth.

Fumigation, as in Carbon Dioxide can work well, but dry ice poses some handling problems. It may be better to make an air tight container (like a small homemade plastic tent) and use a cylinder of CO2. CO2 can be dangerous, it is more lethal than carbon monoxide. This is another situation where you won't have a label to help. Don't attempt this inside a house.

You may be able to get phostoxin tablets, depending on your state. It is a strong fumigant used in ships, trucks, containers, and silos. It is another lethal product, but it is well labeled with instructions if it is legal for you in your state.

Traps help guage the extent of the problem, but rarely eliminate it. The traps work much better if you make a landing area for the trap. This means a flat cardboard attached to the bottom of the trap that extends a few inches on all sides of the trap.

Usually, egg laying will occur on the top layer of the stored material. Another hot breeding zone is debris around the storage area. Be meticulous. Even a teaspoon of debris is enough to fuel repopulation and reinfect your food. Air tight containers are also a good suggestion.

Growth regulators, like Gentrol, will stop larvae from becoming adults (it doesn't effect adults). They don't have to contact the product either. Since the product lasts 4 months, it is my insurance policy whenever I treat for these critters. Gentrol Point Source is a small plastic disc with an ampule which when broken will soak up into a fiber pad. This product is less toxic than DE, but may not be labeled to put in a container with grain (I don't have the label handy). This product with traps will work quite well and is very low risk.

Good luck

Spotted Crow · #12 08/11/05, 09:09 AM

McMurry hatchery has pantry moth traps on sale this week.