Cleaning & Organizing Pest Control Spider & Insect Control

How to Get Rid of Pantry Moths (Indianmeal Moths)

These 5 ways will keep moths out of grain bins and cereal boxes

The Spruce / Madelyn Goodnight

Pantry moths, also known as Indianmeal moths (Plodia interpunctella), are found almost everywhere. These moths feed on virtually any raw and processed grain products, such as cereals, pasta, and dried pet food. Pantry moths are harmless and don't bite, but they can infiltrate food items that are not sealed airtight. An infestation of pantry moths requires throwing away affected items, cleaning up, and securing other food items. It can take up to a month to entirely eliminate pantry moths by disrupting their lifecycle.

Read on to learn how to get rid of and prevent these pesky pests.

Tip

Webbing is often the first visible indication of a growing pantry moth problem. You will likely see webbing in the corners of pantries and cupboards and in and on bags of dried goods. Carefully inspect nearby dry foods for larvae.

What Do Pantry Moths Look Like?

P. interpunctella pantry moths are tiny (1/4 to 3/8 inch long) with a 1/2 to 3/4 inch wingspan. They have reddish-brown, coppery wings on the outer two-thirds of their wingspan and gray on the inner third. P. interpunctella goes by several common names, including pantry moth, Indianmeal moth, flour moth, grain moth, and weevil moth.

However, P. interpunctella moths are not the only pantry moths. Other types include the Mediterranean pantry moth (Ephestia kuehniella), the white-shouldered house moth (Endrosis sarcitrella), or the brown house moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella), almond moth (Cadra cautella) and Angoumois grain moth (Sitotroga cerealella).

5 Ways to Get Rid of Pantry Moths

Avoid pesticides to eliminate pantry moths in a kitchen because you want to avoid toxic chemicals near food prep and storage spaces. Getting rid of an infestation of pantry moths is not complicated but involves adequately inspecting, cleaning, and sealing your food items. It can take from one week to a month before moths are removed.

Inspect, Remove, and Discard (Most Effective)

Inspect all dry foods, including pet food, in your pantry for signs of infestation. If purchasing in bulk, closely look at dried goods and grains before buying them in the bulk bins at your local market. Look for adults, larvae (tiny worms), and webs. Eggs are hardly visible to the naked eye.

Grain-based products like flour, cereal, pasta, and baking mixes are pantry moth favorites, along with nuts, sweets, and dry dog and cat food. Larvae may be tucked into the edges of cans, jars, and unopened packages. Inspect closed bags for small pest chew holes.

Remove any infested foods that you find. Infested items should get returned to the store or go straight to your outdoor trash can. Do not keep them in the inside kitchen trash, which allows the problem to spread.

Tip

If the infestation isn't too severe and you wish to keep the food item, kill the moths, larvae, and eggs by toasting them in the oven or placing them in a deep freeze for 48 to 72 hours. Eating moths, larvae, or eggs will not make you sick.

Glass jar opened with oats and granola

The Spruce / Leticia Almeida

Clean With a Vacuum

Clean your pantry or cupboard thoroughly. Remove shelf liners, clean them, or replace them. Vacuum the shelves, their corners, undersides, shelf brackets, and mounting hardware. Vacuum the walls, baseboards, trim, floor, ceiling, and door (including the inside edge, hinges, and knob).

Discard the vacuum bag in the outside trash bin and wash out the dust compartment if you use a bagless vacuum.

Kitchen pantry shelves vacuumed

The Spruce / Leticia Almeida

Make DIY Pantry Moth Traps With Fly Paper

Hang sticky flypaper in your pantry to catch the moths. Moths are attracted to the scent of fish oil. Dab a little oil on the fly paper to create a moth magnet.

Several manufacturers make commercially produced pantry moth traps using a non-toxic attractant for pantry moths. They work similarly to sticky fly paper traps.

Change Storage Methods

Transfer your grains and other dry food products to mason jars, tins, or other tight-sealing containers. It may seem like you suddenly have pantry moths if you inadvertently bring food home from the grocery store that contains moth eggs or larvae.

Put all dry goods in airtight containers, the moths can't get out of the jar when they hatch, and you'll only have that one jar of food to throw away. Likewise, moths and pantry pests can't get into those containers.

Only purchase foods you plan to use within two to three months, using the "FIFO" or "first in, first out" method of using the oldest products first. Always check your expiration dates and organize your pantry accordingly.

Another storage alternative is many grain or nut products can be stored in the freezer or refrigerator rather than in the pantry or cupboards, protecting them from pantry pests and keeping them fresher longer.

Small grains in glass jar placed in refrigerator shelf

The Spruce / Leticia Almeida

Keep Moths Away With Natural Repellents

Moths have a strong sense of smell and will avoid odors they dislike, like lavender, peppermint, and cedar. Consider using a cleaning solution enhanced with peppermint or lavender essential oils or hang sachets made with dried mint leaves or lavender flowers.

Another option is to use cedar planks in the pantry, although cedar has a strong odor and can overwhelm some foods that are not airtight.

What Causes Pantry Moths?

A pantry moth infestation is usually brought inside from products purchased at the store. They can hitchhike inside your home from the food processing plant, packaging plant, or grocery store.

Once in your home, pantry moths can spread if the products are stored in a cardboard or thin plastic storage containers, allowing the larvae to eat through and spread to other containers.

These insects and their larvae feed exclusively on dry food materials, especially grains, requiring warmer temperatures to breed and thrive. Cold storage is a common prevention strategy in regions with prevalent pantry moths.

Lifecycle and Lifespan of Pantry Moths

They lay eggs, establishing the moth's 30- to 300-day lifespan. Adult female pantry moths lay 100 to 300 eggs that hatch into tiny white caterpillars (larvae) less than 1/2 inch long. In ideal dry, warm environmental conditions, a moth can go from egg to adult in 30 days. But in cooler conditions, the process can take up to 10 months.

Larvae eat the dry goods, spinning small, sticky webs. You may see these webs inside your goods or stuck to the sides of the bag. Larvae will pupate (go dormant) and hatch into a moth. When you see moths, you likely have an infestation in dry food containers that are not sealed airtight.

How to Prevent Pantry Moths

Inspect all dried goods and stored items before storing them in your pantry. Move flour, baking mixes, oatmeal, and nuts to the freezer, or freeze these items for three days before moving them to your pantry. Cold treatment will kill any larvae that might be present in the foods that you bring home from the store.

Clean up spills in your pantry as soon as they happen. Thoroughly clean the pantry several times a year to monitor your pantry and avoid infestations. If you stockpile food items, inspect them regularly for moth activity.

Glass jars with grains and oats placed in freezer drawer

The Spruce / Leticia Almeida

Pantry Moths vs. Clothes Moths

Pantry moths are a different species from the common moths that cause damage to fabrics in closets and dressers. The two most common fabric-eating moths are Tinea pellionella and Tineola bisselliella, and they are not known to infest food-storage areas.

Clothing moths are similar in size and shape to pantry moths, but their coloring is golden and much lighter than pantry moths. Pantry moths usually have more distinct reddish-brown hues on the outside wings, while clothes moths are more uniformly gray or golden.

In a home with a severe infestation of pantry moths, pantry moths might lay eggs on fabrics. However, they do not consume textile fabrics. If you also notice holes in the clothing, the infestation is likely clothes moths, not pantry moths.

FAQ
  • Is there more than one type of pantry moth?

    Indianmeal moths are the most common pantry moth. Still, other moths invading the pantry could also be a Mediterranean pantry moth (Ephestia kuehniella), white-shouldered house moth (Endrosis sarcitrella), or the brown house moth (Hofmannophila pseudospretella).

  • Do pantry moths bite?

    Pantry moths only feed on dry foods and do not bite.

  • Where do pantry moths come from?

    In virtually every instance, pantry moths come into your home from purchased dry foods contaminated at food processing or packaging centers. Once in your home, however, they may spread to other areas of the house.

  • How long does a pantry moth infestation last?

    Pantry moths are not seasonal visitors like cluster flies, box elder bugs, or other insect pests. They will remain in your house—and spread—as long as there is dry food to eat or until you eradicate them.

Originally written by
Erin Huffstetler

Erin Huffstetler is a frugal living expert who has been writing for over 10 years about easy ways to save money at home.

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  1. Indian Meal Moth, Penn State Extension.

  2. Indian Meal Moth.” CSU Extension.

  3. Keep food safe by implementing the “FIFO” system, Michigan State University
  4. How to Store Nuts and Dried Fruits, International Nuts and Dried Fruit