moth problem

[idioticjackson]

sorry if this isn't in the right category, couldn't find one that fit.

there's a flipping moth infestation in my family's house. unfortunately, they've found their way into my room with my bird... i wouldn't be too bothered if they hadn't dug into her bag of food and laid eggs in it. now there's moth eggs and little babies crawling around in her pellets. i'll have to toss it all out because i doubt its salvageable dont want her eating bugs. sucks because it was super expensive and there was plenty left... but better safe than sorry.

any tips on getting rid of these cute little moth fiends? i've been chasing and killing them with paper towels. most remedies i've found online are unsafe for my bird (chemicals, sticky traps, etc). that, or she'll most likely eat the remedy that drives the moths away (dried herbs).

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

You can get moth traps that use a pheromone produced by the moths. Unfortunately, they're sticky traps. I've used them with no problems with my birds, though, when I had an infestation.

To protect the seed, stick it in the freezer for a day or two. USually kills the babies if they're in the seed. They're annoying, but harmless to your bird.

 

[hiriki]

I'm so sorry, from experience once you have those little jerks they are SO HARD to get rid of, but surely this forum is the best place to ask because a lot of bird owners have struggled with grain moths for a long time lol. Here's some tips for me.

Keeping moths out of your seeds:
1) Careful where you buy them. Don't buy from any stores where you can see moths in the store. This might seem obvious, but bird stores in particular (if you shop at an avian focused retail store) have a tendency toward accepting moth infestations in my experience...
2) Check for moth nests in seed (and other grain) containers. If you take an infested bag of seeds and turn it over, you will likely see a spider web like substance in the corners and clinging to the plastic bag. That's moth nesting material.
3) Regardless of whether you think it's infested or not, FREEZE all seeds you buy for at least two days after bringing it home--it doesn't hurt to freeze for longer!
4) If you have the space, you can store bird seeds and other grains in the fridge. The fridge likely won't kill the moths if they're already there, but it will keep them from infesting the container.

Getting rid of the infestation in your home:
1) If you don't want to use moth traps, my friend had a lot of success with bowls of water and dish detergent. The moths would simply drown themselves. Your mileage may vary.
2) Keep all of your grains (not just bird seed--also flour, rice, other pantry staples) in air tight containers and check them often for that webbing mentioned above, tossing them at any sign of nesting moths.
3) Trapping the existing moths is really only the tip of the iceberg because they're nesting somewhere. In my experience, they like nesting in corners, and especially plastic containers. You won't get rid of them for good unless you deep clean your home, vacuuming all carpeting, vacuuming all cobwebs, emptying your pantries, finding the plastic containers they've built nests in, etc.

 

[wrench13]

"you deep clean your home, vacuuming all carpeting, vacuuming all cobwebs, emptying your pantries, finding the plastic containers they've built nests in, etc."

This is key!! I forget what the gestation period is but if you clean and dont see them for , i think 20 days (?) you can assume you got them all.

 

[hiriki]

"you deep clean your home, vacuuming all carpeting, vacuuming all cobwebs, emptying your pantries, finding the plastic containers they've built nests in, etc."

This is key!! I forget what the gestation period is but if you clean and dont see them for , i think 20 days (?) you can assume you got them all.

On the flipside, my mother used to tell me that if you see even *one* stray grain moth fluttering in your house, there's probably twenty more hiding away somewhere lol. I think she's partly just paranoid because she spent over a year battling a grain moth infestation in my childhood home, and that was BEFORE I had birds so I'm not sure where those buggers even came from, but one way or the other you can't be too thorough when trying to eradicate these things

 

[SailBoat]

You can get moth traps that use a pheromone produced by the moths. Unfortunately, they're sticky traps. I've used them with no problems with my birds, though, when I had an infestation.

To protect the seed, stick it in the freezer for a day or two. USually kills the babies if they're in the seed. They're annoying, but harmless to your bird.

There is not question that the freezer works wonders, but I would recommend a bit longer more like a week to assure a complete kill.

"All dry Parrot foods" need to spend time in the freeze to kill off bugs!! We look at Parrot dry food as a must spend time in the Freezer. We believe so strongly as to keep that food group stored in the Freezer until needed.

 

[idioticjackson]

You can get moth traps that use a pheromone produced by the moths. Unfortunately, they're sticky traps. I've used them with no problems with my birds, though, when I had an infestation.

To protect the seed, stick it in the freezer for a day or two. USually kills the babies if they're in the seed. They're annoying, but harmless to your bird.

aaaa okay, thank you so much! i'll make some space in the freezer for her seed.

 

[idioticjackson]

I'm so sorry, from experience once you have those little jerks they are SO HARD to get rid of, but surely this forum is the best place to ask because a lot of bird owners have struggled with grain moths for a long time lol. Here's some tips for me.

Keeping moths out of your seeds:
1) Careful where you buy them. Don't buy from any stores where you can see moths in the store. This might seem obvious, but bird stores in particular (if you shop at an avian focused retail store) have a tendency toward accepting moth infestations in my experience...
2) Check for moth nests in seed (and other grain) containers. If you take an infested bag of seeds and turn it over, you will likely see a spider web like substance in the corners and clinging to the plastic bag. That's moth nesting material.
3) Regardless of whether you think it's infested or not, FREEZE all seeds you buy for at least two days after bringing it home--it doesn't hurt to freeze for longer!
4) If you have the space, you can store bird seeds and other grains in the fridge. The fridge likely won't kill the moths if they're already there, but it will keep them from infesting the container.

Getting rid of the infestation in your home:
1) If you don't want to use moth traps, my friend had a lot of success with bowls of water and dish detergent. The moths would simply drown themselves. Your mileage may vary.
2) Keep all of your grains (not just bird seed--also flour, rice, other pantry staples) in air tight containers and check them often for that webbing mentioned above, tossing them at any sign of nesting moths.
3) Trapping the existing moths is really only the tip of the iceberg because they're nesting somewhere. In my experience, they like nesting in corners, and especially plastic containers. You won't get rid of them for good unless you deep clean your home, vacuuming all carpeting, vacuuming all cobwebs, emptying your pantries, finding the plastic containers they've built nests in, etc.

they are SO hard to get rid of...
We order Navi's food online from Harrisons, they've never came in the mail with bugs or anything like that in the packaging so im about 99% sure thats safe!
ive went and checked everything as advised! nothing seems to have moths or eggs in it. they're all hanging out upstairs, and little to none of them are downstairs.
and i'll go freeze her bag of seeds NOW!
thank you so much for all the tips! ill make sure to keep every single one in mind

 

[Love My Perch]

Had those little pests for years. We live in the country and there’s always a bug battle going on someplace around here haha. Then I heard all about freezing your seed (any dry goods as another poster mentioned). I leave it in there for a pretty long time. Unopened bags or bird store bin seed, I store in freezer until needed. The moth problem was gone once all the hatched ones died off in under a month. Haven’t had a seed moth for a year now!

 

[clark_conure]

I f you can get your hands on this its safe around birds and works instantly

 

[animalgirl555]

sorry if this isn't in the right category, couldn't find one that fit.

there's a flipping moth infestation in my family's house. unfortunately, they've found their way into my room with my bird... i wouldn't be too bothered if they hadn't dug into her bag of food and laid eggs in it. now there's moth eggs and little babies crawling around in her pellets. i'll have to toss it all out because i doubt its salvageable dont want her eating bugs. sucks because it was super expensive and there was plenty left... but better safe than sorry.

any tips on getting rid of these cute little moth fiends? i've been chasing and killing them with paper towels. most remedies i've found online are unsafe for my bird (chemicals, sticky traps, etc). that, or she'll most likely eat the remedy that drives the moths away (dried herbs).

I just stick the food in the fridge and leave a small portion in a sealed Tupperware outside. That way the moths can't get to it

 

[goalerjones]

Hahnzel likes the moth larva, I call them "bonus noodles". But the freezer is the key, as well as getting rid of possible food sources for them to keep growing on.

 

[LoveMyFids]

sorry if this isn't in the right category, couldn't find one that fit.

there's a flipping moth infestation in my family's house. unfortunately, they've found their way into my room with my bird... i wouldn't be too bothered if they hadn't dug into her bag of food and laid eggs in it. now there's moth eggs and little babies crawling around in her pellets. i'll have to toss it all out because i doubt its salvageable dont want her eating bugs. sucks because it was super expensive and there was plenty left... but better safe than sorry.

any tips on getting rid of these cute little moth fiends? i've been chasing and killing them with paper towels. most remedies i've found online are unsafe for my bird (chemicals, sticky traps, etc). that, or she'll most likely eat the remedy that drives the moths away (dried herbs).

Yup, I think we've all been there at some point & those little buggers are so annoying! As others have mentioned, always freeze your seeds & even pellets (I've had them in pellets before-yuck!), & to go a step further keep them in the fridge after. Always discard what not eaten from the bows DAILY in case any survive & vacuum, buy those sticky pheramone moth traps. You'll end up getting rid of them, but it may take a couple months. I also kill any larva I happen to see crawling up a wall or whatever immediately.

 

[Love My Perch]

sorry if this isn't in the right category, couldn't find one that fit.

there's a flipping moth infestation in my family's house. unfortunately, they've found their way into my room with my bird... i wouldn't be too bothered if they hadn't dug into her bag of food and laid eggs in it. now there's moth eggs and little babies crawling around in her pellets. i'll have to toss it all out because i doubt its salvageable dont want her eating bugs. sucks because it was super expensive and there was plenty left... but better safe than sorry.

any tips on getting rid of these cute little moth fiends? i've been chasing and killing them with paper towels. most remedies i've found online are unsafe for my bird (chemicals, sticky traps, etc). that, or she'll most likely eat the remedy that drives the moths away (dried herbs).

Way off topic but I have to change my

Yup, I think we've all been there at some point & those little buggers are so annoying! As others have mentioned, always freeze your seeds & even pellets (I've had them in pellets before-yuck!), & to go a step further keep them in the fridge after. Always discard what not eaten from the bows DAILY in case any survive & vacuum, buy those sticky pheramone moth traps. You'll end up getting rid of them, but it may take a couple months. I also kill any larva I happen to see crawling up a wall or whatever immediately.

 

[Love My Perch]

Completely off topic but I have to change I just noticed that your little pic is the same (for the most part) as mine! That’s our new Meyers Parrot, Stevie (Stevie Nicks). I’ll change mine as you were here 1st. She is a phone chewer.