Since the summer, I have been finding flying insects in our home. They started in the kitchen, but have also been in the bathroom and living room. They have what appears to be two long brown wings going directly down their back. They squish very easily and do not bite.
Our house is made of wood and I worried that they were flying termites. We brought in an inspector who told us they were just moths. However, they are still here and it is winter. Should I call a different termite company to come and have a look? There are not a lot of them.
Betsy from Baltimore, MD
If it started in the kitchen, they could be weevils. I never knew weevils could fly until I had them in my house in Florida. Check your pantry; flour, pasta, any package mixes with powdery seasonings; mac and cheese, etc. You might have to get rid of a lot of stuff (I filled up a trash bag), but removing the source is the key. Then vacuum and clean the shelves.
You probably brought them home from the supermarket in a bag of flour or box of pasta, etc. My exterminator told me the problem can be averted by putting susceptible foods (flour, rice, etc.) in the freezer for 2-3 days before storing it in the cupboards. The good news is, once I got rid of them and cleaned out, I never got them again.
They are probably Indian Meal Moths. They will be living in food products so the time of year it is doesn't matter. They can be found in any product made from plants like cereals, meal, spices, and dog biscuits. Look for something that has been around for awhile and you will see webbing in what they are feeding on.
There is no need to spend money on an exterminator for them, just a thorough cleaning and removing the food source. Open up the unopened boxes of stuff not so much that they are in the food, but the caterpillars will get under the box flaps and turn into the moths so you feel good about getting rid of them then two weeks later a new crop shows up.
By LARRY FLUITT
Those bugs are roaches. In the south they are common. Get the Roach Hotel or something similar and place them where there are small openings where these little critters can get in. Good luck. Let me know how it works.
By Dee
I don't know about all of you, but my mom used to put a bay leaf in her bag of flour or any other dry meal, etc. I do the same thing, because she told me that I wouldn't get bugs in my things. It must work as I am 70 years old and have done this ever since she told me this and I haven't seen any bugs ever develop anywhere. But, everything that has dry product. A bay leaf goes in there right away.
By Glenis
I had a terrible time with this same problem. You have to interrupt the life cycle of the moth. They will bed up and lay eggs in anything including binding of books, etc.
I understand they generally thrive in dog food and/or bird seed. I discovered bird seed was how my problem started. I got rid of them by removing and discarding any food they had infiltrated and this is important, I hung sticky fly traps in the rooms involved. This trapped them where they could not lay their eggs and then hatch into moths. The fly trap was a more economical way than purchasing expensive sticky pantry moth traps.
It was a long process, but successful. I also sprayed inside my cabinets with insect repellent as I cleaned out the food, empty cabinets of course. I wish you complete success.
By Margie
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