Indian Meal Moths - are they a problem where you are?

[Sandra Piddock]

Also called food moths or pantry moths, they're a bit of a problem here in Spain. They get into dry goods such as cereals, spices and dried fruits, and while the food is probably still safe to eat, who wants to, when you open the packet and find grubs crawling, moths flying and sawdust where you expected cornflakes?

If you really want to know more, this is a pretty good article - as long as you're not too squeamish. When we lived full time in the UK, I was in happy ignorance of their existence, but today we've had to throw out cornflakes, muesli and Weetabix, and my friend had to rethink her baking session when she found them in her sultanas.

So, are these pests a problem where you come from?

 

[chocomore]

I'm in the UK and like you stated we don't have that problem here and l hope we never will! That sounds so creepy and I swear l would scream if I opened a box of cereal and there's creepy crawlies having a good time on my breakfast.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I'm in the UK and like you stated we don't have that problem here and l hope we never will! That sounds so creepy and I swear l would scream if I opened a box of cereal and there's creepy crawlies having a good time on my breakfast.

Have you never found flour weevils in an old bag of flour? or had a student accomodation that had a problem with slugs in the kitchen? that was the only time I really lost the plot... Slug trails over your kitchen work surfaces and all your veg and everything else (they loved the flour and the sugar packets)... everything had to be in tins or glass jars. We left after 1 term!

Also when we live in the Lakes in an old farmhouse we had to 'deal' with mice (house mice & field mice, the latter of which are a protected species) and things like breakfast cereal were a gold mine for mice... and for some reason (bedding material is the most likely explanation) mice really loved stripping the labels of tins, so you had to write on the tin what it was when you bought it, else your meals were a lucky dip and some combinations simply did not work well...

 

[chocomore]

^ l can see your very experienced with dealing with nasty critters, a good while back l noticed that the flour I was buying sometimes would have mites in but I never saw them until l had opened the packet and left it for a few weeks.