Damn! They're Back...

Unbelievable. Enough to tear your hair out in frustration. I am a fastidious house-keeper. Really. I am. I clean regularly, like everything neat and tidy and like to ensure that there are no food items about that can lure pests to our food cupboards. Most often I re-containerize food emptying grains, dried fruits, nuts, flour products from their original containers into suitably-sized plastic containers with firm lids. I re-use glass containers and jars for that very same purpose, as well.

Yet flour and pantry moths seem to be attracted to our kitchen and they drive us (me) to distraction. We think the first invasion occurred as a result of our having brought home a contaminated box of dog cookies, for we discovered, on frantically going through our various food cupboards, that a box of such treats was infested. We immediately discarded it, and looked about for other infected boxes, found others and discarded them as well.

Thought we had the problem licked, ha! The incidence of moths flying about in the early evenings began to accelerate, and I began to look elsewhere. I have a centre island in the kitchen where I keep baking supplies. I have one end wall of the kitchen full of cupboards and in part of them I keep pantry supplies; tinned foods and other types like dry cereals, nuts, candies, pastas.

Cupboards beside/over the stove contain condiments, spices, herbs, and again, some grain products. The cupboard where the dog food and treats are kept is separate and apart. All of these cupboards were duly emptied, scrubbed down, the contents of containers closely examined, some found to be suspicious or evidently contaminated and discarded. I threw out an inordinate amount of foodstuffs, either through suspicion or identification of contaminant.

And kept repeating this time-consuming, and frustrating process over and over again. Yet was unable to eliminate the infestation because, it would seem, I was unable to find the ultimate source of the contamination. Then I went on line and sought out a potential answer there. I ordered a flour and pantry moth trap from pherotech, a Canadian (B.C.) company, offering a natural antidote to unwanted pests.

Pheromones would do the trick. And they did. It took time. We went through two of the active inserts, and over the space of a month or so we were finally assured that our trials and tribulations were a thing of the past. And now, they're back, and we can hardly believe it. We found a cache of unshelled mixed nuts, in a plastic container with a tight, screwed-down lid - infested. And moths flitting about, about one each day for a week.

Tight lids, careful storage, forget it. Our son, the scientist carefully explained how it was possible for minuscule and determined worms to find their way through the most seemingly- airtight blockages. So, to the ramparts once again. The battle is joined. Bloody damn!