We have had an exterminator at our home twice to treat for Indianmeal moths. The second time, I threw out all of the boxed and bagged foods in my kitchen, but the moths are back again! How can we get rid of them for good? L. V., Meredith, NH

Possible Reasons Why You Still Have Food Pests

1. Some moths survived treatment to continue development – You don’t say how long it’s been since the exterminator last treated. It’s possible that either eggs or pupae escaped the insecticide treatment (both stages are protected and hard to kill), then completed development and are now making their presence known.
2. At least one food source was overlooked – It’s possible that you’ve missed a food source where moths have continued to develop. They feed on many different types of stored foods. Think about obscure foods that you might have overlooked such as spices, birdseed, and bags or boxes of dry pet food that could be stored in places other than the kitchen.
3. Rodent-hoarded food could be the source of the problem – Finally, a fairly common source of stored food insect infestations is food that has been hidden by mice in wall voids, drawers, or other out-of-the-way places (see The Indianmeal Moth – Mouse Connection Explained). Mice will carry off pet food or birdseed, or whatever they have been feeding on and will hoard it near their nest to eat later. However, it usually accumulates, and gets moldy and attracts insect pests instead.

Call Colonial Pest and give us a try. We know how to track Indianmeal moths and get rid of them for good. Mice might be your real problem and we can find and eliminate the mice, too.

Photo Credit: “Plodia interpunctella top 95” by Pudding4brains – Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.