Infestation in sunflower seeds (1 Viewer)

[geoshar18]

I found a swarm of "some kind if moth" when I opened the sunflower seed bin in the basement today.
We have seen these moths more and more in the basement the past two weeks..but apparently the recent heat has made them hatch more.

There was some kind of web throughout the seeds and around the edge of the bin.(.and the poor kitty's dry cat food was full of "webs" too.)

They are about the size of a house fly...it appears they have two wings on each side.

Hope someone can identify..and suggest a solution for these bugs !

 

[geoshar18]

Oh my gosh! I have found out what they are...grain moths!
I guess these fellows are bad news!(I have my work cut out for me today.)
You can read about them here...
http://www.canr.uconn.edu/garden/factsheets/grainmoth.htm

 

[Mijbil]

Now how you feel, You've reminded me where I developed my mania for keeping everything in jars and so; I used to live near an organic bakery and my kitchen cupboards were infested by these little pests for 2 summers in a row. After that the bakery got a firm in to desinfect and I've seldom seen a moth since. I still stick to the jar routine though, it beats having to trow away everything.

 

[Michael Frankis]

It'll still be OK for bird food, birds like a little extra protein in their diet, and you might even attract some interesting warblers and flycatchers to your table

But as Mugil suggests, new seed you get in, store it in sealed containers (a plastic drum or similar), so you don't perpetuate the infestation. And make sure they don't move from the basement to the rest of the house!

Michael

 

[Candice]

Your little grain moths won't hurt the birds. The birds will eat them. What I have done in the past sometimes is put seed in a baggie and freeze it for 24 hours. That will kill the bugs. They won't hurt anything. They do eat the seeds tho. Learn to read your seed bags for the date of harvest and so forth. Most seeds are harvested and put in bins. By the time it reaches the retail store, it is 6 month to almost a year old. I try not to get anything that is over a year old. I raise Show quality Ringneck Doves and have learned not to get "out of date" seed, as my 60 plus birds are all inside and I sure don't need 5,000 bugs crawling all over. An air tight container will help. If the bugs get on you, they won't hurt you at all. They don't bite or anything like that. Heat will encourage hatching. Coldness will decrease hatching.

 

[Mijbil]

Mugil??????????