bugs in bird food and everywhere else

[coolnana5]

Help... i have 4 birds and for the 3rd time in 2 years i've had to get an exterminator. i have those little black flying things all over everything. i was seeing just an occasional one, but today all h... broke lose. i've been throwing all their food away. cleaned all their cages and toys. i litterally been cleaning for 4 hours now. how do i keep the birds food from getting buggy. i have plastic containers with lids on them. i also found these critters in my flour etc. haven't checked cereal yet. but i just can't afford exterminators all the time. does anyone know of a way i can exterminate safely myself...

[judygram]

These are moths, and you need to get some of those moth traps, they are little cardboard boxes that have a scent in them and they are attracted to it and are caught in the glue inside. You will have to put everything in airtight containers. This is nothing new, we have all had them at one time or another.

[dblhelix]

This is more or less my same response to the "Black Bugs in waterdish" thread:

 

One thing to do is keep the food in the freezer (if storing) and the "in-use" food in the fridge. The cool air prevents the bug larvae from developing (or at least slows them down A LOT) and can work wonders if you can make the space in your fridge. You also need to look at where you are getting the food(s) from and how long you keep it in out in open food bowls. Perhaps the way the vendor stored it etc makes it really prone to bugs and you need to change vendors? It is true that at some time or another we all will get some foods infested with bugs. That is part of the deal. In fact, most of us have had bugs in other human foods (like flower, rice etc). They get into many grains/seeds that are stored. These are the best things I can think of to deal with it. Regarding a safe chemical, no matter what you do you must be really careful around the bird due to its efficient cardiovascular system and small size. Generally any chemicals should only be applied with the bird out of the home and then only brought in after sufficient airing out has occurred.

[Talon]

Yes, they are called flour/grain moths. We have them as well. You do need to keep your bird food stored in the fridge. Air tight containers don't work, as the lava is already present in the seed, and it will hatch if left at room temperature for a long period of time.

Judygram is correct, the best way to rid them, is to use the moth traps. You can purchase them at the pet store, or the supermarket. They are very cheap. IN the mean time, the fastest way at my house to get rid of them, is to leave a glass of apple juice out on the counter/table wherever. They are attracted to it, and in the am, they will be quite a few in the glass, you can leave it there for a couple of days,just dump it out, and start again.

They tend to come out in the evenings, and prefer to land on anything that is white. So they will appear on white things ceilings, walls, etc.

 

In the mean time, try to find the source, that means really inspecting the foods you have, and getting rid of any signs of them. And ESPECIALLY, change the birds food daily. good luck to you, it takes a while to get rid of them all, but it can be done by being persistent.

[judygram]

As always Mark, an excellent post on these bugs and what to do about them, you have a more scientific approach to dealing with problems.

[Connie]

Well thank god, I thought all my old clothes were being attacked. Never even came to mind, that the moths would be from the bird food. I know I'm having a very hard time with fruit flies also, I tried to vaccuum them up yesturday, but there are twice as many today.

I also leave a bowl of peach skins by the cages, to keep the bugs off the birds. Can hardly wait for winter, just to be rid of the bugs.

Thanks coolnanna, karma for you!

[coolnana5]

thank you all. i will do these things. moth traps and getting some apple juice for those thirsty little pests...

[judygram]

I hope these ideas help, Coolnana5, and tell everyone in your house not to drink the juice sitting on the counter, thats bug attractant.:laugh:

[Guest Monique]

We used to have this problem and the only thing that helped it was to keep the food in the freezer until used and then only take it out in 3 or 5 pound increments ... not a gigantic bag. Doing it this way we haven't had a problem for years now. Those little bugs are so obnoxious!!! Don't you just hate swatting at them trying to actually get one smooshed can be quite the task!!

[kiwibarb12]

I had this problem - so keep seed in the freezer. I also got an electric fly swatter (online) and spent last summer running around the house like a mad thing zapping moths. It was particularly satisfying hearing the "zap" as I fried the little buggers!! The nice thing about the electric swatter is that all you have to do is touch them to kill them.

This summer I haven't seen any at all - and find that I miss my moth hunting forays!

[spookyhurst]

Ick, we had a flour moth infestation about a year ago. It all started with a shipment of food/toys from an online bird store. When I got the box in the mail and opened it, 2 moths flew out. We killed one, but the other got away. The nightmare was about to begin :ohmy:. After about a month, the larvae started showing up in the kitchen. Usually, they were spotted shimmying up the wall or on the ceiling. They were in the pantry too. We couldn't figure out where they were coming from, because we keep everything in sealed containers (the only food items they were able to infest were some ice cream cones and crackers). At one point, we thought they came from a warehouse club because several bottles of Boost had the larvae embedded inside the lids (turns out they must have just crawled in there from the pantry). We must have emptied the pantry a gazillion times over a 3 month period before we found the source. Some of the bags of bird food I had ordered (and which were still unopened) were writhing inside with moths and larvae. There were all sorts of tiny holes in the bags where they had chewed themselves to freedom. It was major yucky :sick:. We threw the bags on the back porch, and the wild birds went nuts for the buggy food, ripping and tearing into the bags to get the tasty mothy morsels. That was pretty much the end of our infestation. It's been a year, but occasionally we'll still find a dead larvae body in the kitchen (like when we changed the batteries on a clock, one was tucked up inside :sick:).

 

So to make a really long story short, we now freeze all bird food for 48 hours before we open it. We also store most of it either in the fridge or freezer, and anything in the pantry is sealed in containers.

[greylover]

Yes i get them here in spain.But all i do is spray this fly killer stuff and in seconds they just die.It is really great.:lol: :laugh: :woohoo:

[Guest briansmum]

be careful spraying fly killer near your bird, not good for them.

 

i haven't had any thing like that here, it must be too cold in the UK for them. great thread though, i'll know what to do if any do ever show up.

[kiwibarb12]

I agree with the no spray idea. that is why i use the electric zapper!

[itzazu2u]

All of these ideas are simply wonderful however, I must add my two cents to the issue.

 

The one thing I do is add a fresh bay leaf to the seed, flour, cornmeal, pellets, every time and without fail. The bugs don't like the sent of the leaves and will not get into anything stored with the leaves in them. The bay leaf is not going to change the flavors or anything and it is perfectly safe to use. You can find bay leaves in the spice section of any grocery store. BTW, you can use the same leaves repeatedly for several months.

 

For creepy crawlers, including fleas, I use diatomatious earth, commonly known as Chinchilla Dust. About once a year, I will sprinkle the dust on the floors and sweep it in to any carpeting really well. It doesn't take must, just a light sprinkling is all that is needed. I leave this as is for about two or three days then vacuum it all up. I then vacuum every other day for about a week. The bugs will not die instantly, but they will die. This is especially true for any fleas. The good thing is this trick will last, on average, for about a year. How does this work, you ask? The dirt eats away at the waxy coating bugs have covering the exoskeleton, which the need in order to live. No, you will not have dust particles floating all over your house either as the dirt is heavy and does not become suspended in the air. Just remember to turn off any ceiling fans when you are first putting the dirt down.

 

I have not had a major bug problem in years, thank goodness. Having all the critters in my home, plus two kids, this is nothing short of a miracle. It also lets me know what I am doing must be working. The greatest thing is all of my tricks are natural, easy, cheap, and, most improtantly, SAFE for everyone!

[Talon]

Wow! Thanks for the great advice!! :cheer:

[danmcq]

Great information itzazu2u, thanks for posting it!! :-)

 

One question though on the Diatomaceous Earth or DE as most call it. I use this for my Pool Filter and am very cautious using gloves and breathing mask (paper, not special) due to the "Dust" cloud that comes up as you poor it for mixing with water before dumping into the skimmer.

 

The reason I am so cautious, is due to the fact that inhaling it can cause severe breathing problems and it is also known as a Cancer causing Carcinogen.

 

Is this DE the same as you are describing and using?<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2007/08/26 17:46

[fourtrap]

Remember to always freeze your feed for 24 - 48 hrs to kill bugs or larva, most food will contain some insects. Better safe then sorry, be sure your birds are in a well ventilated area if you are going to use a spray as it is harmful to the birds. Use extreme caution, good luck

Benny

[shazbaby36]

hi new to this could anyone tell me what r these black bugs people r on about and should i keep his bird food in the freezer

[judygram]

We are talking about the moths that get into a lot of foodstuffs and the larvae they leave behind. A lot of the members here put their foods they buy for their birds, namely the seeds, nuts and such, into the freezer to stop any infestation they may already have in them. You can leave smaller portions in the fridge for more immediate use.

 

I hope this helps, these bugs are common in most places and we bring them in a lot of times in the foods we buy, expecially for our animals.

[Makena]

We have one of those food saver machines with a bunch of canisters http://www.foodsaver.com/. The minute we bring a bag of food home we stick it all into one of those canisters and suck all the air out. We do it every time we open it... and not only does it keep it completely sealed, but it keeps it fresh as well. So far no moth problems here

[itzazu2u]

Danmcq, I make certain to use DE that is clearly marked as Chinchlla Dust and only sold in pet stores. I know this is a low dust grind and is not adulterated with any chemicals. I do not trust the DE available in the lawn and garden section of Lowe's or Home Depot and I certainly would NOT use the DE used in pool filters. I just don't trust it if it is not clearly labeled for Chinchillas. I checked the label on the container I currently have and it has no warnings to wear masks or other protective clothing. I don't know about the "grind" of the other kinds you mentioned, but I know the dust I use does not float or puff up like you would think. I use an old canister that some carpet freshener came in, one that has the shaker holes. Also, I only treat for bugs if I need to, about once a year, in the spring and that is it. I don't have to treat any more often than this. In fact, in the past ten years, I have only used up one container of DE, less than three pounds. Compared with pool filtration, I believe my exposure is barely minimal by comparison.

 

Also, I began using this as my treatment of choice when my son was only just beginning to crawl. He turned 15 just yesterday. I searched for days before I found out about DE because I did not want to use chemicals where a small baby was crawling around. Even then, I spoke to his pediatrician about it. She also researched the use of DE and deemed it safest provided it was labeled for Chinchillas.

[GrEYgoose]

well my vet has my grey on Harrisons, which comes in that aluminum/paper type bag. SOOO..I store the whole bag in the refrigerator in the fruit drawer (which is now the bird food drawer where no fruit is stored). and then to keep the flying bugs away from my baby's cage...the cage paper is changed pretty often and i don't really allow food to stay on the bottom, especially if it's FRESH/WET food or fruit.. but that's my two cents on the situation (i don't know if somebody else already said that).:blush:<br><br>Post edited by: GrEYgoose, at: 2007/08/27 06:21

[danmcq]

Thanks for clearing that up itzazu2u :-)

 

Chinchilla Dust is different than Diatomaceous Earth used for pools. Whew, you had me scared there for a minute!!

[judygram]

Chinchilla dust, I have never heard of it, but I think I will check it out. Thanks for the information on this product, guys.