Moth infestation

[artgecko]

I am having a big problem with flour moths in and around my mealworms and superworms. I bought some flour moth traps (sticky surface and some pheromone attractant) but they didn't really work.

I think I will have to dump my mealworm colony
And keep moving the superworms to fresh gutload/oatmeal every week to stay ahead of the moths.

Anyone have any experience with these pests?

 

[acpart]

I get them too and to be honest, I just ignore them. I used to sift out the larvae and feed them to the fish but it got too labor intensive. It would be a shame to have to dump your colony (the grain mites are the real death warrant for a mealworm colony). If you want, you can sift regularly. The moth larva tend to make these sticky silky cocoons and they're easy to pick out. THen you have to make sure all your kitchen grains are securely packaged in glass or plastic because the real pain is when they infest in there.
Good luck,

ALiza

 

[sunshinegeckofarm]

do you use wheat bran? I have heard of moth eggs being in the wheat bran, and if you put the bran in the freezer it kills them. i have a friend that breeds superworms and he keeps his bags of wheat bran and other feeds in the freezer to avoid moths.

 

[artgecko]

I don't think the moths are coming in with the bran, There are moths flying around the reptile room and breeding.

I'll try to sift the bran often and see if that helps. Thanks for the advice.

 

[tastyworms]

The secret is knowing what conditions the moths like, and eliminating it. The best bet for you is to check the humidity of the room, and if it's above 50%, buy a dehumidifier. You can keep grain mites and moths from breeding if you do that.

 

[ZooKeeperKarin]

I just tossed a HUGE bag of wheat bran for this reason. I keep killing the moths as I see them and pulling out the webbing stuff in the substrate. It's a pain but there doesn't seem to be too many of them.
I like the freezer idea! We have a big deep freezer I think will soon be filled with bran!

 

[UnicornSpirit]

Next time, before you put the bran in with your colony, MICROWAVE it in a glass bowl for a minute or two- that should kill anything living (however, a not very humane killing).

I've had problems (before I used the microwave technique) with these moths and I'd just ignore them or sift out the cocoons. I don't think the moths/larva really do much harm if any- they're just a nuisance.

If you see grain mites in your colony I would just dump it & destroy and start anew. :[

 

[tastyworms]

Just remember, freezing will kill moths, larvae, and cocoons, but it won't kill mites and it might not kill moth eggs. The microwave is the only way to be sure, like the last poster said. Also, quality is key... If you use products intended for humans, they are MUCH less likely to contain moths or mites.

I started off growing in organic human grade grains. You can definitely see the difference in quality. I needed some chick starter once so I picked it up at a feed store, and it was full of moths. They literally flew out of the bag. I'd recommend buying bran intended for consumption by humans. On a small scale, it wont be much more expensive. Assuming you're using feed store bran...

 

[jermh1]

I had them in my house and they are a pain to get rid of. had to put all food in plastic bins. a small bag of peanuts in the back of a cabinet was the food source to start them off. then they kind of lingered for almost a year, 1-2 here and there.