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How so I get rid of Indian meal moth inside a home?
Charles, NV
The basic answer is that you go on a Search and Destroy mission. You must discover what it is that the moth larvae are feeding on and get rid of it, and if necessary a light application of residual insecticide could help pick up the stragglers. A vacuum cleaner also is a good weapon against the IMM, as the larvae typically leave the food material and wander some distance to find a protected place to pupate. You can find their loosely spun cocoons along crevices of wall junctions, throughout cabinets, under and within furniture, behind things on the walls, etc. It really does need a thorough and critical inspection and cleaning to eliminate them. The adult moths do not feed, and while they will hatch from their pupae and mate, if all possible food resources are now properly stored and unavailable they should not be able to keep things going.
The IMM feeds on a very wide variety of materials, and it could be pretty much anything that is plant-based. This includes any grain based products like pet foods or baking goods, any nuts, spices, dried fruits, cereals, etc. They also feed on dried flowers, and I have found a couple of infestations in homes in this setting. Look for webbing on things and fecal matter on surfaces below. Virtually ALL food materials should be removed from the kitchen cupboards and opened to inspect the inside. Infested materials should be disposed of unless there is some extraordinary value to them, and the area thoroughly vacuumed. Eating the bugs is not really going to hurt anyone, but we in this country have this thing about swallowing bugs.........unless it's some crazy reality show.
Don't begin by fogging the place, although a light mist of pyrethrum may be helpful after the sources are gotten rid of, just to eliminate adult insects still hanging around. A vacuum might do the same thing, but finding the source of the larvae is critical to successfully eliminating the problem. I once had a home with at least 12 different food packages infested, so don't stop with the first one you find. Look in areas away from the kitchen too, such as laundry rooms or garage where pet foods or bulk foods may be stored. If you need to you might use IMM pheromone traps in various areas to help zero in on the location of the infested materials. Another time it was a bag of nuts in the kids' bedroom closet that was infested. There is also that possibility, if you simply cannot find anything, that it is rodent baits tossed into the attic or pet foods stashed in the walls by rats. It is the job of these insects to find and feed on leftover food materials as their role as recyclers, and if it is there they will find it.
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