HELP!! Worms in my cabinets!?!

[123Alice]

:eek:
I just found a couple of little worms in a box of brown rice in my cupboard. The box was unopened, but I am sure it's my cabinets, not the rice, because I have previously found one or two of these worms in other things. Once, I found one in a bag of black beans. What on earth could these be? What pest would eat dried rice and dried beans? I have also noticed in a different cabinet that it seems like wood sprinkles have been falling onto the shelves....are these things a sign of termites? I don't know what to do....I do rent this place, not own it, but I would like to have something informative to tell the landlord rather than I found worms in my rice and beans.

Also...do I need to throw everything away in the cabinets? How do I know if anything is still good or not?

[VictoriaL]

Alas, most likely your cupboards have been infested with Indian meal moths. You're seeing the larval stage in your bags of dried goods (which they just love). Do a search on this Board for threads on "moths" and you'll get more info that you probably need!

[eas11]

Yup, moths. Had em last year, YUCK! I posted here and gots lots of good suggestions.
I hate to tell you that I had to throw out EVERYTHING in my pantry closet :mad: Alternatively, If you don't mind eating the bugs (which I'm sure we all do all the time without knowing!) you can put dried goods in the freezer for a few days to kill the larve.

Also, dog food and wild bird seed are big culprits, if you keep either of those in the house.
I feel for you.....sorry :(
Ellyn

[123Alice]

Ughh. Yep. Moths it is....now that I know about this, I can recall seeing some moths and finding some dead ones in the cupboards also. They didn't freak me out so much as finding the little worms. I've gone through and thrown out a TON of stuff. :( I am going to be doing some serious bleaching sessions later. I do think dog food was probably the culprit....from the previous renters, however! :mad: When we first looked at the place, I noticed that they kept a HUGE bag of dog food (and their dog was not a big dog) just sitting in a storage area of the house that gets very hot in the summer. (And this was in July.) I've noticed funny things going on with my dried goods ever since we've moved in (like finding the feathery webs). I don't even want to think about how many larva or worms we've probably already eaten and not even known! :eek:

YUCK!

[NewMrsG]

Someone (why can't I remember who??) just posted about moths the other day and I offered some suggestions as we seem to have just gotten rid of them - let me know if you can't find the thread.

[ellery]

Oh no! Sorry about the cabinet invasion.

I seem to recall a thread this summer, July maybe? about the little worms that like to invade our food. Sent me scurrying downstairs to put all my food in Ziploc or tupperware in an effort to not have this happen. (Just stuff like pasta, rice, stuff not sealed in plastic already). I seem to recall the thread having some ideas on how to clean out your closets, de-bug, etc. - sounded pretty vigorous. If I knew how to post the link (even the helpful hints thread couldn't teach me this) I would.

Good luck!

Leah

[pbutterfly]

I had this problem last fall (and it totally freaked me out, even though I remember my mom going through this, too, when I was little). Basically, you do have to throw almost everything out (especially grain-based things - and be sure and check your spices, as that's how mine arrived!)...

Now, as for continued upkeep and prevention (and getting the last of what's still hanging out despite your best cleaning effort). We have traps for these now, from www.gardensalive.com -- They're called "Cupboard Moth Trap" and they are a sticky trap with a pheromone attractor. They're great.

Apparently, the moths like grains AND cardboard. Now any grain product we bring home goes into the freezer immediately (to kill any possible larvae) for at least 24 hours. Then, anything that's getting stored in the cupboard gets removed from cardboard boxes and stored in tupperware or glass.

So far so good.
:)

good luck.
lynne

[123Alice]

Thanks for the tips everyone! I did do a search and found lots of other ideas and some interesting info about this. I don't have a large enough freezer to freeze a lot of the things I bring home, but this is one reason (and my ONLY reason) to be glad about the frigid temperatures we've had here lately. I am going to be keeping a lot of things outside for at least 24 hours to make sure to kill any hiding pests. Don't know what I'll do in the summer, though. I will definitely look for those traps and it's great to know I can always order them online if need be.