Keep Your Bird's Food Insect Free

Everyone's seen them – those dark little bugs that crawl around in your cupboards and food storage containers. The sight of them in your food is unpleasant, but what are they and how can you get rid of them?

These tiny insects are actually Indian meal moths, or more commonly, seed moths. They can find their way into any grain-related food item, such as pet food, flour, cereals, pastas and more. Adults lay hundreds of eggs in the grain, and when the caterpillars hatch, they will use the grain as food to mature and become adult moths. In the process, food and storage containers will become full of crawling little bugs and their webs.

Seed moths can be hard to control because they multiply quickly and then find their way into tiny crevices and corners. Of course, we don't want to spray our food with pesticides to get rid of them. If you find seed moths in your bird food, thoroughly clean and vacuum your containers in every nook and cranny. A flour moth trap will attract the adult males to prevent reproduction. The females will eventually die off as well, but this may take up to 6 weeks.

However, there are ways to prevent seed moths. As soon as you bring any pet food home, freeze it for 72 hours to kill any larvae that may be living inside already. Afterwards, it's important to store food in an airtight container and keep it in a cool, dry place. If you don't have an adequate storage location, don't buy too much food at one time. A 6 month supply may stay fresh during the winter months, but during the summer months, a 2-4 week supply may be as long as you can go. After seed moths find one grain product they can easily spread to more, so it's important to stay ahead of seed moths – saving you and your birds from infestation.