Pest Management Professional, January 2014
fact vs fiction Kate Jeff McGovern t Contributors INDIANMEAL MOTHS Fiction I found worms in my cake mix Fact Chances are those werent worms but Indianmeal moth Plodia interpunctata or IMM larvae Adults lay eggs in the cracks and crevices of packaged food or directly on to the food When the eggs hatch wormlike larvae search for food Its not unusual to find larvae and their silk casings in the bottom of cloth grocery tote bags and on walls ceilings draperies particularly in the kitchen dining room or living room and pet dishes in addition to cabinets and pantry shelves Fiction Eating food infested with IMM is bad for you Fact Theres a strong yuck factor here but IMM arent medically harmful and dont spread diseases or pathogens Fiction IMM feed only on grain Fact IMM love all kinds of grain corn wheat flours whole wheat cereals products made from grains etc They also love chocolate dried fruit powdered milk dried red peppers seeds especially sunflower seeds candy pet food and dried flower arrangements Fiction Fogging and fumigating are the best ways to control IMM Fact For homeowners the simplest and most effective actions are sanitation keeping food prep and storage areas free of spills and conscientious product rotation Putting unopened stored products in the freezer 0 F for a few days will kill all stages of IMM The larvae can chew through plastic bags but storing opened products in glass metal or thick plastic containers with lids that seal will slow them down Commercially fumigation and insect growth regulator IGR programs are the preferred method in the U S to stem the infiltration of IMM into the food chain before we bring them into our homes Alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation are making their way to the U S from Europe Many are effective nontoxic and worth looking into as the pressure to use green processes and products increases PMP You can reach the McGoverns at jeffreymcgovern@ mindspring com 42 January 2014 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net
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