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During the last year or so we've had real problems with insects.
First we had an outbreak of very handsome but terribly destructive purple and blue weevils that started in a bag of Bob's Old Red Mill Organic Wheat Flour (at least that's what we think from what was most infested) and spread. We had to get rid of all the grains and grain products that weren't in sealed metal or glass containers or the big tupperware-like storage canisters. The shopvac pretty much did for them. They shattered and were thrown away.
Then we had an infestation of almond moths. There went the almonds, peanuts, cashews, pecans and walnuts.
Now we've had to throw away an unconscionable amount of rice because of caterpillars and adult moths in the sealed containers. I'm thinking there must have been eggs in the original bag of rice.
I've been getting in touch with my inner frog catching insects on the fly or the slow waddle in the case of weevils.
Short of home food irradiation is there anything we can do to reduce the loss due to infestation?
First we had an outbreak of very handsome but terribly destructive purple and blue weevils that started in a bag of Bob's Old Red Mill Organic Wheat Flour (at least that's what we think from what was most infested) and spread. We had to get rid of all the grains and grain products that weren't in sealed metal or glass containers or the big tupperware-like storage canisters. The shopvac pretty much did for them. They shattered and were thrown away.
Then we had an infestation of almond moths. There went the almonds, peanuts, cashews, pecans and walnuts.
Now we've had to throw away an unconscionable amount of rice because of caterpillars and adult moths in the sealed containers. I'm thinking there must have been eggs in the original bag of rice.
I've been getting in touch with my inner frog catching insects on the fly or the slow waddle in the case of weevils.
Short of home food irradiation is there anything we can do to reduce the loss due to infestation?
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Unsu...
Re: Moths!`
Mon, September 1, 2008 - 12:26 PMsounds like you may have already moved in this direction but i keep EVERYTHING in seal tight containers. for little stuff i keep in 1qt to 1 gallon glass jars (like mason jars) and i keep the smaller quantities (nuts, etc, anything in the mason jars, really) in the fridge. the whole bottom shelf of my fridge is mason jars.
and for large quantities, i buy the big plastic containers with sealable lids at fred meyers (local portland store) or target. i also use 5 gallon buckets for some things. i hate to use plastic but i hate even more to throw away 25 lbs of rice.
the big tubs i have are stackable so they dont take up much space (i have a small house) -
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Re: Moths!`
Mon, September 1, 2008 - 10:36 PMThanks! I've been heading that direction but wasn't sure if the big food-plastic containers were good enough. I'm guessing that they are, but eggs were already in the grain.
A long time back when I was in the OSU Extension Service Master Food Preserver's program there was talk about a new technology for killing insects using dry ice. It was supposed to be a home-friendly process. Are you familiar with it? -
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Unsu...
Re: Moths!`
Tue, September 2, 2008 - 8:37 AMthe plastic containers seem to be working so far. i belong to a food buyers club and get most of my food in bulk. no moths so far....
i am not familiar with the dry ice method. let me know if you find out more!!
good luck! -
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Re: Moths!`
Tue, September 2, 2008 - 11:24 AMI just got a call back from the OSU Extension Service's Master Food Preserve program
extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/...ex.php
They'll be sending me a copy of the brochure.
The way it works is...
Put three or four inches of grain in a five gallon container. Put in an ounce or two of crushed dry ice. Scale up to half a pound per hundred pounds of grain. Put in the rest of the grain. Wait for the dry ice to completely sublimate before covering tightly.
The CO2 displaces the oxygen killing adults, pupae, larvae and eggs. -
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Re: Moths!`
Thu, September 11, 2008 - 6:12 AMThe only thing the moths have eaten here so far is my favorite nighties, the bas***ds! Packed them away last winter cause they are very fine light cotton, and when I pulled them out this summer.....friggin' holes! The SOB's! -
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Re: Moths!`
Thu, November 6, 2008 - 9:39 PMAs soon as you bring home flours/grains/nuts, etc. divide and put in canning jars. Deny any food source to the bugs and eventually they'll die. Any of the jars that get infected, don't open in house, carry outside and feed contents to the chickens. ...Or, spread contents thinly on a cookie sheet and roast in oven to kill bugs. (A couple worms won't hurt you. It's just protein). You can go to most restaurants and get free used one gallon glass or plastic jars and lids. (They get mayonaise/pickles, etc. delivered in them.) You save them disposal costs, they save you buying jars. Good deal for both.
...Note: Go to a farm feed store and buy grains like whole corn, whole oats, wheat, soy beans in fifty or hundred pound bags. Much, much cheaper. Also get fifty pound bags of salt. You can also go to antique stores to get grain and meat grinders. Used is way cheaper than new.
Dry Ice storage....
Go to paint store and get new 5 gal. paint buckets with gasketed lids. Fill bucket to within two inches of top with grains, etc. Run a light bead of petroleum jelly around gasket. Put several golf ball size chunks of dry ice on top of grain. Place the lid slightly askew on bucket. Without touching the lid, wait until "ice" completely dissolves. Slowly, carefully, slide lid and press closed.
Dry ice is frozen co2. When it "melts" no water is released. Co2 is heavier than oxygen and it falls to bottom of bucket, replacing the oxy'. The co2 kills any bugs, and with no oxygen to deteriorate to food, the food lasts a very long time. The buckets stack very neatly, are light proof, water proof and quite crush resistant. They are a very convenient size and weight to carry by the attacted handle. They are also good to bury in cache's.
Better hurry up. Times are going to get very rough in the next several months.
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Re: Moths!`
Sun, December 7, 2008 - 7:58 PMWe put all grain products in the freezer. southern hemisphere temperate zone. It is the only way to keep a stock of grains, pulses and similar without the weevils destroying everything in spring.
Keeping stuff in airtight jars doesn't stop them in our locality either. The eggs are in the product and hatch when conditions are ripe.l -
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Re: Moths!`
Fri, January 16, 2009 - 9:32 PMYou can also try putting dry bay leaves in with your canning jar dry foods. They seem to help in situations were a freezer is not an option. -
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Re: Moths!`
Sun, January 25, 2009 - 6:59 PMI've found that freezing temporarily kills some of the pantry moths, and you can usually later take the food out and keep it at room temperature in a sealed jar without major problems.
The dry ice bucket idea is BRILLIANT. I think it'd fail if the bucket didn't have a good gasket or if the petroleum jelly didn't seal totally. It'd also get rid of oxygen which makes the oils found in some grains and foods go rancid.
I've had pantry moth get into 1-gallon jars with metal lids (which had a silicone seal around the edge). I think smaller mason jars up to 1/2 gallon work fine, though. I've also had bad experiences with them getting into tupperware/Rubbermade sorts of plastic storage containers. The more recent style that was first popularized in Asia, which has a silicone seal and locking tab seems pretty moth-proof (and they're starting to be available in large storage bin sizes for pasta and cereal whatever it is that normal supermarket shoppers buy), but mason jars are cheaper.
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Re: Moths!`
Sun, January 25, 2009 - 7:07 PMthis is the kind of container I'm talking about- Costco, and discount stores, all have various kinds, Asian supermarkets tend to have really good prices on them too:
www.associatedcontent.com/artic...e.html
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Re: Moths!`
Wed, February 18, 2009 - 4:59 AMOften as not the moths aren't getting thru the seals, they're already in the food. FDA allows a certain persentage of bug eggs, dirt and weed seed in foods. If you get a bad batch of ..whatever...the eggs simply hatch. That's one reason using bay leaves or dry ice to long term store is helpful. They don't allow the bugs to hatch.
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