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Cva
Citizen
Username: Cva
Post Number: 33
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 10:29 am: | 
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I am having a moth problem and want to contact an exterminator, please post any recommendations. I really need someone who is knowledgeable and will be able to tell us what the best options are for getting rid of them. It's a difficult situation because the moths are primarily in the kitchen and pantry area and I am very hesitant to use any chemicals around food. Your suggestions are much apprecitated. Thanks. |
eliz
Supporter
Username: Eliz
Post Number: 1690
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 12:23 pm: |
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Jerry Buckingham here in Maplewood is the best. |
Cva
Citizen
Username: Cva
Post Number: 34
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 4:13 pm: |
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Thanks, do you have contact information for Jerry Buckingham or do you know if he's listed? |
eliz
Supporter
Username: Eliz
Post Number: 1693
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 4:55 pm: |
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973) 762-6760 |
Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 1903
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 8:59 pm: |
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Jerry is phenomenal - he'll do a great job for you. |
Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 1217
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 9:20 pm: |
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http://www.bugspray.com/article/moths.html
Hi, Sorry to say it, but you have pantry moths and they are a b***h to get rid of. They come into your home via food you buy. They can be in the unopened cardboard boxes or they can be in contaminated bulk food, or pet food, etc. See the above website for more detail than you will believe. You won't want to use an exterminator because they will NOT do all the time consuming labor intensive steps that getting RID of these things once and for all requires.
Here's what I did the ONE time I had them (and I had them so bad, I actually even saw one of the larvae crawling on the ceiling in my kitchen  ).
Completely empty all your food cupboards. Throw out anything that is infested. Put all open or unsealed grain, rice, cereal, pasta, bread, candy, chocolate, dog food into seal-able plastic containers. I used a combo of zillions of ziploc baggies (I put the unopened boxes of pasta right into them and zipped them shut, and poured breakfast cereal into large ziplocs and put them back into their boxes.
The reason you are sealing everything is two-fold. You can spare uninfested food becoming infested, and you can spot infested food before you use it. You will notice activity, like little worms or what looks like spider webs in infested food and can toss it when you spot it. Personally, I tossed anything that was open, including unopened dry pasta that they could get into, assuming that it was infested and I just couldn't see it yet. Then I sealed everything new the minute it came out of the shopping bag.
Wipe all the empty food cupboards with a bleach/detergent solution. Then, spray the pesticide recommended by the above website into the cracks and crevices of all the cupboards - it comes with a little red straw thing that lets you direct the spray into the cracks. You don't think you have to do this, but that is where the moths lay most of their eggs and they ARE there. I left my kitchen this way for 24 hours and then I washed the cupboards again, not cleaning so well near the crevices to let the spray remain.
Then repack your shelves and be absolutely diligent about sealing every single food item you bring into your house, and between uses for things that are not single use, like cereal. (I bought tupperware cereal storage thingies and we have much fresher cereal b/c of that.) We were infested over 2 years ago, and I still seal everything b/c once you go through this intensive cleaning, you are traumatized and never want to do it again!
Then, set up about 6-7 pantry pest moth traps. You won't believe how many of these suckers you will STILL catch in the traps - after the intensive cleaning and spraying the crevices you'd think nothing could possibly survive, but you will see they do. Replace full moth traps with fresh ones so you can use them to witness decreased activity, which is very gratifying! I still keep one in the snack cupboard where our infestation started and haven't had more than one moth in at least a year.
If you continue to seal all food sources forever, you will never again be infested with these creatures. If you see any evidence in a ziploc bag in new food from the store, just toss it before it becomes a problem.
Good luck - I do not envy the task in front of you! |
Cva
Citizen
Username: Cva
Post Number: 35
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, August 18, 2006 - 10:07 am: |
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Oh my goodness -- well, thanks so much for the detailed response. I really appreciate it. I'll get going! I can't wait to be rid of them!
Thanks again. |
SOrising
Citizen
Username: Sorising
Post Number: 657
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Friday, August 18, 2006 - 9:00 pm: |
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I once got them by storing bird seed inside the house. BAD idea. Keep it in the garage or somewhere else outside. The pantry moth traps with lures really work. |
wnb
Citizen
Username: Wnb
Post Number: 517
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 21, 2006 - 10:19 am: |
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Jerry Buckingham got rid of our moth problem when nobody else could. Of course it took our involvement too but we have been moth free for years now.
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