How To Get Rid of Rice Moth Infestations Naturally in 7 Easy Steps

Picture this: The house is quiet. The warm morning sun is pouring in through the kitchen windows, a wisp of steam from your coffee gently floats, and you’re looking forward to a bowl of your favorite cereal. You grab a bowl and spoon, reach past the kids’ lunches to get a jug of cold milk from the back of the fridge, and grab that box of sugary goodness from the back of the pantry. You pop open the flaps, open the bag, and pour a bowl full of worms and moths into your bowl.

You, my friend, have a pantry moth problem, and you need to handle it. Don’t freak out though! This guide on how to get rid of pantry moths has you covered.

How did pantry moths get in my house?

If you’re freaking out about how pantry moths got into your house, it’s time to take a deep breath. These are some of the most common household pests there are, and it isn’t your poor housekeeping that’s to blame. It’s also not Fido’s fault or the kids’ fault, either.

Flour moths, grain moths, pantry moths, Indian meal moths, Mediterranean flour moth, and rice moths (all pretty much the same thing) happen to everyone at some point.

In most cases, these pantry moths make their way into the home as eggs or larvae already in food containers. Whether it be pet food, bread, dried fruit, rice, flour, seasonings, or a number of other foods, adult moths enter the food item in the factory or store, lay eggs, and those eggs hatch the larvae. The larvae feed on the food around them, growing into adult moths and repeating the cycle.

And since female moths can lay hundreds of eggs, an infestation can happen extremely quickly. And while it can be tough to control pantry moths, an infestation is not the end of the world.

What Do Pantry Moths Look Like?

The term “pantry moth” encompasses multiple types of small, winged moths that are known to infest pantries. The most common of these moths are the Indian meal moth, the Mediterranean flour moth, the white-shouldered house moth, and the brown house moth.

• The Indian meal moths (also known as simply meal moths) are found all over the world. They measure around 8 to 10 mm long and their wings stretch to 16 to 20 mm long, from tip to tip. Their wings are multicolored, with a yellowish top half of the wing and a red bottom half, with dark gray bands.
• The Mediterranean flour moth, (also known as flour moths, grain moths, and rice moths) has grayish-brown rings with dark spots and zig-zag markings across the wings. They’re slightly larger than IMM, measuring up to 12 mm long.
• White-shouldered house moths are common pantry pests, though less common than the IMM or MFM. These pests have light brown wings with mottled dark spots throughout. Their wing tips are often feathered.
• Brown house moths are the most destructive of the pantry moths. These moths have brown wings with dark spots and measure up to 14mm long. They’ll eat almost anything in a pantry, but they may also eat carpet fibers and garments like typical clothes moths.

Are pantry moths harmful?

Pantry moths don’t bite or sting, and they don’t readily transfer diseases or bacteria. However, pantry moth larvae do have legs and can move about the pantry, so if they walk over one contaminated food source, they could contaminate others.

However, pantry moth eggs, their larvae, and adult moths are not inherently dangerous. You could potentially eat eggs (shudder if you must, we did) without even knowing it happened.

But there is one aspect of these moths that can be detrimental to your mental health: they ruin food packaging. This could cause you to throw out hundreds of dollars of food whenever these pests show up.

Signs of a Pantry Moth Infestation

If you don’t know what to look for, a pantry moth infestation can get out of control quickly. The following signs should help, but they require immediate action.

• Webbing Inside Food Containers. If you open up a food item, whether it be new or something you’ve been storing, and you’re seeing webbing inside, there is probably a pantry moth inside. The larvae spin silk cocoons and where they can mature into adult moths, and the webbing in the packaging could be a cocoon or one’s remnants.
• Foul Odor and Clumping. If a grain product smells foul or there is the presence of grains clumping together, this can be a sign of a pantry moth infestation. They release secretions that cause grains like wheat flour, rice, and other items to clump together, and these secretions stink. They can also change the taste of the food.
• Holes in Packaging. Moth larvae are determined little worms. They have legs and can move from food source to food source, biting holes in plastic bags, plastic containers, and boxes until they find a new source of food. Holes in packaging, whether in the store or at home, can be signs of pantry moths (or drugstore beetles).
• The Presence of Eggs, Little Worms, and Adult Moths. Look for evidence of moth eggs. These eggs are typically tiny, round, and grayish-white in color. They often blend into the grain items in which they’re laid, which can make them difficult to find.
  
  If you’re seeing little white or yellow worms (they look like tiny caterpillars) in your food containers, take this as a sign that there is a pantry moth infestation. These are the larvae or immature moths, and they will feed until they have enough energy to spin cocoons and become mature moths.
  
  Adult moths are the final phase of the pantry moth life cycle. Having several mature moths flying around the pantry is a sign of an infestation, and they’re going to continue reproducing until you get it under control.

Steps to Get Rid of Pantry Moths Naturally

Getting rid of pantry moths naturally can be frustrating, but it’s the best way to handle these pests. Using pesticides around food isn’t ideal (though some manufacturers state that their formulas are safe), so check out the following 9 steps to control pantry moths in your home.

Step 1. Regularly Check your Pantry for Pantry Moths

If you’re noticing more than a moth or two in your homes (specifically around your kitchen cupboards) it’s time to look in the pantry. Mature moths can lay eggs by the hundreds, and just a few can become pantry moth infestations in no time.

Step 2. Check all food stored in your Pantry for Moths

Inspect all of the stored food items in the pantry. Grab a flashlight and follow this procedure:

1. Look at the exterior of the packaging, searching for holes or rips. Check plastic bags, plastic containers, and other food storage containers.
2. Look inside each dry food item, including pet food, bird seed, rice, wheat flour, grains, seasonings, chips, cookies, crackers, bread, and other staples on pantry shelves. Be sure to keep an eye out for silk webbing, eggs, worms, or grown moths.
3. Take note of any sticky secretions, foul smells, or grains clumped together.
4. Look under the lids of mason jars for signs of eggs or cocoons. They commonly lay eggs in these areas, so it’s important to look for them under the lids and rims.
5. Look for signs of other pests, such as drugstore beetles or spiders as well. The drugstore beetles could also be the culprits making the holes, and the spiders could be setting up shop due to all the moths flying about.

Optional Step: Freeze Dry Goods

This is an optional step but might save you money. Sometimes, dry foods look fine but it can be hard to stomach the idea of not throwing them out. What do you do then?

Rather than leaving it up to change, you can freeze these items to kill pantry moth larvae and eggs. Simply place these items in a freezer for 24 hours to get rid of pantry moths and their offspring.

Step 3. Dispose of all Pantry Moth-infested Foods

The best way to get rid of pantry moths is to throw out all infested food. Get a garbage bag and place every infested food item inside. Once all the infested food products are thrown out, tie the bag tightly and throw it right in the trash bin outside.

Note: Don’t place the bag in a garage or leave it inside the home until trash pickup. These pests are incredibly crafty, so it’s best to put them outside to avoid them potentially making their way back into the home.

Step 4. Clean the Pantry Thoroughly

With all of the old food out of the kitchen cupboards, it’s time to start a thorough cleaning to get rid of pantry moths. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove any dust, crumbs, loose grains, and other food items from the cabinets. Be sure to throw out the vacuum bag or empty and clean the canister immediately.

Next, create a mixture of 1:1 water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Add peppermint oil or another essential oil (cedar, orange, lemon, and lavender work as well) to the spray bottle. Spray the entire interior of each cabinet and scrub it with paper towels, or pour the solution into a bed bug steamer and use it to effectively treat the entire cabinet with steam.

Vinegar is an extremely effective natural pesticide and it will kill pantry moth larvae, adults, and eggs quickly. Peppermint oil will repel moths moving forward.

Note: We suggest using paper towels rather than a reusable towel when to pantry pests. The reason why is that if these pests somehow return, they can cause hundreds of dollars in food losses each time. It’s better to simply throw out the cleaning supplies.

Step 5. Use a Natural Residual Pesticide for Ongoing Protection

Before replacing the food products, use a natural residual pesticide in the cabinets. For our money, we suggest a thin film of food-safe diatomaceous earth. These small granules have sharp edges that cut open and kill pantry moths that land on them, which could help deter kitchen moths.

Also, apply a few drops of peppermint oil inside the cabinet, or place bay leaves around dry foods (bay leaves actually work for cockroaches and other bugs, as well). Since the oils are, well, oily, we suggest using disposable shelf paper to keep the mess to a minimum.

Step 6. Replace Non-Infested Food

Once the kitchen cupboards are clean and treated with a natural pesticide, it’s time to replace the non-infested foods. If you’ve opted to freeze items, remove them from the freezer and pour them into airtight containers, looking for any signs of eggs, larvae, or an adult moth or two.

Step 7. Set up Pantry Moth Traps to Defend and Monitor

The final step for getting rid of pantry moths is to set up sticky traps, or pheromone traps. These traps are essentially thick card paper with an extremely sticky substance on one side. This substance is impregnated with pheromones, attracting male moths to the trap. Once they land, they get stuck to the trap where they eventually dehydrate and die.

The other aspect of sticky traps is that they help monitor the situation. If you’re noticing one Indian meal moth each month, you’re doing a great job of keeping pantry moths at bay. However, if you’re noticing several moths, there could be a problem.

A sticky trap can also be effective against other annoying pest species, as well. They can catch drugstore beetles, silverfish, roaches, ants, and more, so it’s a good idea to use them in your kitchen cupboards.

Preventing Pantry Moth Infestations

Preventing pantry moth infestations should be the goal. Rather than having to throw food items out frequently and clean the cabinets several times a year, the following pointers should result in fewer moths and the issues they bring.

• Inspect Food Containers and Packaging for Signs of Pantry Moths. Be sure to check food containers and packaging in the store before purchasing any items. Look for small holes and tears in the packaging, as well as signs of webbing or silk. Being diligent about checking items before they come home is one of the best lines of defense against the Indian meal moth and its contemporaries.
• Change Your Food Storage To Keep Pantry Moths Out. Think about changing the way you store food, swapping over to only airtight containers. This could be for cereal, grains, seasonings, and even dried fruit and bread. Storing these items in airtight containers or glass jars that Indian meal moths, white shoulder moths, brown house moths, and flour moths can’t get into will prevent them from laying eggs in your food.
• Add Bay Leaves to Food Items. When it comes to seasonings and spices, consider adding a whole bay leaf to the top of each container. Also, sprinkle a few around inside the cabinet. Bay leaves will repel these pests, preventing them from starting an infestation in your spice cabinet.
• Try Essential Oils. Certain essential oils like peppermint, lavender, cedar, citrus, lemon, and others have been proven to repel moths and other pests. A few drops on small dishes or shelf liners in cabinets can go a long way toward avoiding a kitchen moth problem.

Pantry Moth FAQs

That’s a ton of information on pantry moths and how to get rid of them. However, there may still be some questions fluttering about. The following are some of the most frequently asked questions on pantry moths and pantry moth infestations.

What Kills Pantry Moths?

The best way to kill pantry moths is to spray them with vinegar and water. This solution will kill eggs, larvae, and adult moths. However, if an infestation has started, it’s important to disrupt their lifecycle by removing infested food from the cabinets, cleaning, and using airtight food containers.

What Causes Pantry Moth Infestation?

Most often, pantry moth infestations are caused by bringing home contaminated food items, or foods in which moth eggs, larvae, or adults are already present. This is different than other bugs who may be attracted to damp basements, wet wood (like termites), and rotting organic matters.

How Do I Find a Pantry Moth Nest?

Look for webbing. The webbing is actually silk, and it’s what the larvae create their cocoons out of. If there is webbing in food products, this is likely the source.

Other things to look out for include:

• Eggs
• Adults
• Worms or tiny caterpillars
• Foul smells
• Clumped grains

If there are any of the above signs present, an infestation could take place quickly. It’s important to take action immediately, removing foods infested with moths, cleaning the kitchen cabinets and pantry spaces, and setting up sticky traps for pantry moths and other annoying pest species.