I have small moth-like flying insects in my pantry. I have purged the shelves of old stuff and wiped them down
Question:but they still persist. They are brown, small (bigger than a fly but smaller than a moth). What are they and how do I get rid of them.
Answers:
Sounds like millers. They come in grains like, flour, oats, cornmeal, etc. You need to place grain items in an airtight container as soon as you bring them home from the store. Also, we found that certain warehouse type stores have more problems with this than others. (I don't want to mention any names here.) They cannot fumigate stuff meant for human consumption. Look through all the bags, even the fresh ones, and find the one that has the larva in it and get it out of the house. By putting everything else in airtight containers, we use Anchor Hoching stuff or Tupperware, you will cut off their sorce of food. It will take time to totally get rid of the flying critters but, in the food, they are still at a larva stage. You may find dead adults that couldn't get out as well. (the adults will lay their eggs in the grain products.)
I don't know what they are, but if they are "moth-like", maybe you should try some mothballs...
Dunno what they are called, but they feed on things like flour or cornmeal.
Wipe the shelves, sides, and tops down with a concentrated bleach-type cleaner. Air out completely, then make sure all food that goes in there is in airtight containers. Good quality ziploc bags will do.
If there are any left after the thorough cleaning, they will soon die off for lack of food.
Oh--I have heard that a couple dried bay leaves laid in there will help repel insects, too.
I am not sure of their name but when ever I have these annoying moths they seem to come from the bird seed that is stored in our garage. They also like to search out dry cat food to feast on.
They are pantry moths aka flour moth or indian meal moth...they are a huge pest and hard to irradicate. They do make traps for them that you can pick up at the hardware store. Cleaning cabinets will usually not help if they have become established.
Also, keep flour, bread, grains and any other similar products covered up tight as that is what they feed on.
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