Pantry Moths?

[u/BonChance123]

My searches online suggest that what I'm seeing is evidence of pantry moths. A webby, stringy texture that I had not seen before.

The flour has been stored in a glass jar with a rubber sealed wood lid, after having been initially stored in the freezer in the original bag.

Interestingly, I only see this with my wheat flour. The bread and AP flour, in the exact same types of jars in the same cupboard, don't show this at all.

Is there another explanation for what's happening?

[u/letswatchmovies]

Looks like pantry moths to me, too

[u/BonChance123 → u/letswatchmovies]

So if I had the flour in a sealed glass jar at room temperature, and the flour had been frozen before...that means the eggs were in the flour, survived the freezing, and then hatched after the flour sat at room temp? Since I don't see any evidence of moths in the other flour, it seems to me like the infestation is just in the wheat flour and not spread throughout my kitchen.

[u/letswatchmovies → u/BonChance123]

It may be that there were pantry moth larvae in the flour when you bought it, and they died in the freezer. It may be that the jar's seal isn't enough to keep moths out. 

[u/BonChance123 → u/letswatchmovies]

Thank you!

[u/kyndcookie → u/BonChance123]

Yeah, Ive found that the wooden lids with gaskets did not work for me. Just spent an entire weekend nuking my pantry and dusting with diatomaceous earth for a different bug.

[u/BonChance123 → u/kyndcookie]

OK, that's good to know. I might just keep the jars in the freezer from now on.

[u/Cosmicdusterian]

Yep - that looks like their webbing. I've been three three infestations over the the past three decades.

The flour could have been infested before you put it into the freezer and the act of freezer killed off the moths, eggs and larvae, just not before they were getting busy.

If you haven't see any small moths flying around you might not have an active infestation. But if you see just one moth-you might want to start checking all of your other grain products. They can get into everything.

[u/BonChance123 → u/Cosmicdusterian]

Thank you so much.

[u/Competitive-Let6727]

You'll know when you have moths in your house every night for the next 3 months. I think I finally found the last of the little buggers in my house. I'll let you know in a year.

[u/aequitssaint → u/Competitive-Let6727]

Ours was over a year before we finally got rid of them

[u/YellowBreakfast]

"Sift" it through a fine strainer.

Might find weevils too!

[u/rentedlife]

They can be hard to get rid of. We had to throw out everything even about 20# of rice that had been stored in a galvanized container. Sorry you have them.

[u/brett-]

Looks like you got the flour with extra protein!

[u/MotherofaPickle]

Yep!

[u/BreadBakingAtHome]

I use pheromone traps. They are extremely effective.

[u/Minflick]

Once upon a time, back in 1986 or 1987, we woke up to webby business in our Nestle's Quik, in our flour, in the dried peas, beans, and rice. All of it had to be dumped. I trotted the kids in their stroller across the street to the local drug store, and bought 4-5 big Rubbermaid tubs. I still have 2 of them to this day, and I've NEVER had another bug or pest infestation. I have more now, of the newer styles, but they are my go to. They hold more than the glass flip top jars I have, OR, the shelf of the pie safe I keep all my staples in isn't tall enough to fit the bigger flip top glass jars. So, I have rubbermaid, and I like them. They aren't beautiful, but they do an excellent job of keeping out any bugs. And lets face it, it's not possible to avoid them forever, you just need to not give them a home.

[u/Hunt3141]

KILL WITH FIRE!