The North American High-flyer Is now in Marietta

Coming to a pantry near YOU: The North American High-flier has arrived to make it's seasonal debut!  I saw one last week when I was grocery shopping. 

No, sadly, it's not the next RC Airplane... it's a really small and really destructive moth!  It can literally wipe out almost all of your dry food in three weeks, or less. 

The consequences of an infestation can be severe and life-changing - when I was a teenager, my brothers and I had left the cereal out in open bags in the pantry, and the end result was a bad memory best left unfinished.  It's now eleven years later and I will never have cheerios again.

They are brought in through contaminated grain-based items.  Dry dog food is the number one route to your pantry.  I've successfully fought this nasty pest several times and prevention efforts started the minute I got a place of my own.  I actively hound my kids not to leave any food out - we store all open cereal in the fridge or the freezer.  The pantry contains only canned items.  Everything else dry we either stash in the fridge or in a separate, air-tight, wrapper such as ZipLock bags or in a "dry fridge."  All this effort helps keep the kitchen tidy, clean, and in control.  Kids that know where things go are better off later in life (thanks, mom!).

If you already have an infestation, all I can say is "keep trying " and "good luck."  Almost nothing works immediately - that is, nothing short of completely emptying the pantry and physically breaking into every box to sift through contents in order to bag and freeze all uncontaminated food.

If you see webbing or small moths fluttering around, kill any of these you find.  IF you end up infested, check boxes of powdery or granular stuff and all containers at the back of the pantry.  They absolutely LOVE oatmeal, cornmeal, mashed potatoes in a box, grits, cereal, and especially dog or cat food.  These moths will also fly to other rooms and search for crumbs to lay their eggs on.  (Another reason your teenagers need clean rooms!)  Clean the shelves with a vacuum cleaner to be sure no cocoons exist.

Some basic info (you can Google the rest!): The most commonly-used name is the Indian Meal Moth.  It's a snout-nosed (you'd have to look under a microscope to verify) moth with brownish wings and a fluttery kind of flight that will help it avoid your swinging hands or swatters.  The size is about a quarter- to a half-inch long, and 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch wide.  When hit, this moth has a neurological reflex that forces it to fall as if dead.  This little trick is a survival mechanism that has earned the moth a MUCH lesser-known name: the Lazarus Moth.

Home Depot reps have confirmed (over the phone) that they have pheromone lure traps for sale.  The price generally hovers around $5-10 per trap, depending on where you get them.

Here is a great university website that gives more information: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2089.html