Life's a Stitch

And more recently life’s a creative adventure with some travel thrown in.

The title has given you due warning.

I lead a weekly meeting. That week I started:

"I'm having a personal crisis and I need someone to tell me what to do."

Silence in the meeting room, not usually so, considering the active participation of these three intelligent women.

I continue, "It all started a earlier in the summer."

"Girl," says one, "you know how to get our attention."

I continue. "I bought a sack of Trader Joe's whole grain white flour and upon opening it found a webby mess of worms"

"Ohhhhh yukkk." 

"Yes, yukk, I immediately put it into the garbage under my sink. Big mistake as it sat there for two days."

I explain how shortly thereafter I noticed a mothy infestation. Initially worried about my yarn, it didn't seem to be a problem. The moths were staying clear of my stash and hovering closer to the kitchen. 

FACT: The moths you see in your house are eating one of two things depending upon their variety – wool or food. They are also laying eggs in their dining areas. The eggs then hatch into wormy larvae.

I was witnessing the life cycle of the pantry moth. In my rice, flour and oatmeal; in the plastic Costco Orville R. popcorn container, despite the threaded lid. 

FACT: Pantry moths don't just fly randomly into your house. They hitch a ride in your groceries, usually the dry goods. Flour and those dried chili pepper flakes that you shake on your pizza are some of their favourite foods. Once grown,they leave their eggs on everything they touch. 

Now my cupboards look like a Tupperware/Lock 'N Lock commercial:

DSC00040

We threw out everything and started over. Before stuff finds its way to its cozy plastic container, it spends a few days in the freezer. I am not going through this again.

I don't deal well with bugs. Don't ask me about the time two of my dear children came home from Brownies "Hat Night" with head lice. Twenty years later I can't even think about that without feeling itchy. 

 

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12 responses to “Not a good way to spend a weekend – as gross as it gets”

  1. Lene Lonnov Avatar
    Lene Lonnov

    I tried it once – it didn’t go away till I had the kitchen changed even though I threw away everything in the kitchen cabinets – so I wish you luck!
    It sounds like a really good idea to put everything in the freezer before keeping it in plastic containers.

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  2. Carole Avatar

    I’ve had them, too, and it is disgusting. It took a long time to find the source, at least you knew yours right away. Glad you got rid of the buggers and the silver lining is that they leave the yarn alone!

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  3. Dorothy Avatar

    Scratching my head even as we speak. However, it could have been WAY grosser if they had been wool moths and got into your stash (ask me how I know). I’d much rather throw out flour and popcorn than hundreds of dollars worth of beautiful wool. My kids got lice way back when we only had one car and hubby worked nights. I called my friend to come get me and take me to the pharmacy to get the lice shampoo. She drove up and when I got in the car I thanked her profusely. She said, “That’s ok – just don’t touch anything.” We still laugh about that.

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  4. evelyn Avatar
    evelyn

    My sympathies! I had mice – Freaked me right out. Little buggers would eat things, I’d clean up, bleach all the cupboards, and they’d come back for more. They particularly seemed to like any expensive packet of sauce mix, in particular the Knorr brand and ones I buy at the European import store. (I make no excuse for using “cheater” foods, I’m a working woman). I bought mouse traps, things you plug into the wall sockets, and a whole lot of containers. Mice can and will eat thru plastic bags. The entire building had to be treated. And people still leave their garbage on their ground floor decks – ‘cuz heck, mice aren’t enough, let’s invite the racoons to dinner!

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  5. Grethe Avatar
    Grethe

    How about….picking up acorns and keeping them in a bowl for a craft project? With company coming, they were quickly dumped into Isabella’s dresser drawer (which was empty of clothes because of moving). The next time she opened her drawer, larvae had matured into little worms and were crawling all over. Fortunately, the chest of drawers had been made by her daddy, so each drawer was sealed tightly and they didn’t get into other stuff. Needless to say, it was daddy who had to clean it out and give it a good spray. So thankful yours didn’t get into your yarn!!

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  6. Chancy Avatar

    That is so disgusting. Trader Joe’s would have heard more than a mouthful from me.

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  7. nursenikkiknits Avatar

    You are right. That was gross. I guess I was warned ; )

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  8. Kristen Avatar

    Over the years we’ve had both pantry moths and head lice, not to mention mice. Lord spare us from bedbugs.

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  9. Lorette Avatar

    Oh man, that is disgusting. We had those when we lived in Texas. Ended up throwing everything out, disinfecting the pantry. Over a decade later, I still keep anything that might be moth food in airtight containers, and I check it rather suspiciously before eating.

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  10. Jo Avatar

    This happened to us a few years ago – we had to get the bug guy come in and spray everything. Freaked me out to see worms crawling on my ceiling!

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  11. kathy b Avatar

    THe new kitten seems ready to pounce on all moving things in the house of the insectual variety…..phew I dont have to be on alert for something for a change!

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  12. bunches of yarns Avatar

    Boy-o-boy! that is a true mess. Well, we’ve had those critters also…when I called the supplier, he laughed-and the appologized-because of the irony. He said that this is how we know that it was organically grown. Great! I said, but what to do? Freezer, he said, for 72 hours, at least. Now, EVERY grain, nut, or seed that comes to my house goes to the freezer for the prescribed ‘quarantine’. This method is very efficient. Also we use whole, dried bay leaf, to keep bugs away. I have bay leaves all over, everywhere, and no bugs…thank you Lord! The bay leaves work on wool especially well. After several years you may want to get new ones. I place them in sweater drawers, in bags of yarn, containers of yarm–whereever I have yarn. You can freeze you wool also, from the fleece to the garment, bay leaf protects it all, foods and clothing. I had tried many other herbs, but they do not work after a few months. Wishing you well, ^__^

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