Pests!

[kendrafitz]

I apologize ahead of time for complaining, but this drives me batty!

I have to run out today to get Rosie more of her "blend". I am dreading it as I do every time I get her food.

In July we had an infestation of pantry moths. I actually noticed it when we were having a party on the 4th and I thought they were bugs that got in from the kids going in and out. It wasn't until I read some threads on the forums that I realized what they were and where they come from.

So it has been 6 months and the battle is still going on. I have traps EVERYWHERE, freeze her food and have regular bug hunts. I have even killed some couples while they were mid procreation. Ewww! Although since they were distracted they were easy to get. There don't seem to be many left. I barely see them, but they could be in the incubation stage. They have fooled me before. Grrrr

Now every time I go to buy her food I am just grossed out. It's horrible. I am ok once I freeze it. The thought of bringing more of those nasty things home is so annoying. I guess if that is the worst thing about having Rosie it's not so bad. But I HATE having insects in my home.

Thanks for reading my gripe and I apologize again. Since my husband is away on a work trip I can't complain to him. Lucky guy! So I thought I would complain to you instead. ;)

[Honesty]

I feel your frustration Kendra. I don't like bugs in my house either. Going back a few years ago, i was overrun with a bug called a "Flour Beetle" They get in the flour, cereal and pasta! My cupboards were alive with them. I was going frantic over it and cleared every single cupboard out, threw everything away and bleached everything in sight. After this, I went out and bought airtight containers which I now store all these type of things in. It took a good couple of years to be completely rid of them. I still inspect my flour closely to make sure these horrid creatures are not there :(

I hope you manage to solve the problem!

[plax]

I've had those before, Kendra. They are extremely prolific and they usually find one or more hidden or inobvious crevices within which to lay their eggs. They like to place their eggs within, under or around organic matter that's remained in one place for a while. That's why bird food that's fallen into areas that aren't easily seen or routinely cleaned can be an ideal nursery for their grubs.

[kendrafitz]

Ugh! I have a tiny space I see bt the kitchen cabinets and the ceiling. I saw one fly near it. Wonder if they are there.

[plax]

Ugh! I have a tiny space I see bt the kitchen cabinets and the ceiling. I saw one fly near it. Wonder if they are there.Sometimes their nests are hard to find. I used to capture them in flight or clinging to the walls and/or the ceiling with an extended vacuum attachment. If there are merely two missed adults left, or one that's full of fertile eggs and happens to be hiding, or there is a nest of developing eggs or grubs somewhere, a brand-new generation of the things may spring up in a short while :(

[Maddy]

Kendra, I feel your pain! A few months ago I opened a bag of bird food without freezing it, and it just so happened to have those pesky little moths in it. They are STILL here as well. Do the traps work for you? They didn't catch any moths for me.

[spiritbird]

As long as we are on the topic of bugs.....................I cannot get rid of ants no matter what I do. I clean up every morsel of food in the evening and empty the birds cage of any food for the night. Pantry moths sound very difficult to get rid of. Wish you luck.

[Maddy]

As long as we are on the topic of bugs.....................I cannot get rid of ants no matter what I do. I clean up every morsel of food in the evening and empty the birds cage of any food for the night. Pantry moths sound very difficult to get rid of. Wish you luck.

Have you tried Terro? We had really bad ants in the kitchen a few years ago, and that did the trick.

[psittaholic]

I have had severe ant problems in the past. I found a website that sells commercial grade insecticides. I spray Deltamithrin around the building every month. I also use it around the property where I find them on trees. These are invasive Argentine ants. I hope I never see a crazy tawney ant from Argentina. I understand they are h3ll on wheels.

This product is relatively safe to use inside but I make sure it never is used anywhere a bird may wander. I always clean towards the safe side.

Here is the link if you need it: [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

[Minamommy]

Not sure what mix your feeding. I get a GREAT mix from the safe bird store. It comes a bunch of different ways. You order it by the pound. I then put it in those airtight containers. Both the mix and her pellets. I order her pellets from them too. You can get them by the pound as well. Or large bags. People with large flocks the more you buy the more you save. I only ever had one moth. It came from food from petsmart. Now I'm all Bird Safe.


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[kendrafitz]

Maddy - the traps work for me. I buy them in bulk from amazon. They only get the males though. Put it near anywhere food is. But I still get the females and some males that I have to get myself. Yuck!!

[kendrafitz]

Dianne & psittaholic - we have ants in the summer - the tiny ones. I read somewhere they can't stand cinnamon so I tried that. Not sure if if worked. I don't really have any other advice, but I feel your pain!

Psittaholic - welcome to the forum!! I like your profile pic - do you have cockatoos?

[kendrafitz]

Kim - I vary bt BP and MSBS. I love both of their blends as does my boss Rosie. I can use a 30% off coupon at BP if I go in person. So if I have time I go. Otherwise I order from MSBS. I don't think they came from MSBS. I never made if to BP due to a sick child and snow so I ordered from Kathie. Should be here today, and I will stick it in the freezer just in case. :)

[Minamommy]

Good luck getting rid of them Kendra. We had them when I was a kid they were everywhere. No idea how my mom finally killed them.

[Turquoise]

I get those moths as well. I keep all bird foods in the freezer, but once you get those buggers they are a nightmare to get rid of like everyone has said.

Welcome to the forum psittaholic. You will have to show us photos of your bird(s). :)

When I first got my two Catalina boys I had loads of trouble with fire ants getting into their food bowls. I read where using vinegar sprayed around the base of their cage along with sprinkling cayenne pepper would discourage them. It worked except they kept finding new ways to get in like crawling around the window and across the wall. I kept up the vinegar & cayenne and we killed all nests we could find in our yard. They are all over out here do they just vote from the next nest outside our property. They did finally leave the birds food alone.

This past summer we had the tiny little red colored ants coming in to our kitchen and getting into every box of cookies or cracker type things they could find. They didn't touch any bird bowls, but they sure love human food. And we never could get them to stop coming in, just slowed them down til it got too cold for them to come out. Now that I see what the Winter has been like I can see why they were undaunted to stock up on food!! Hope they're enjoying munching on my cookies! :(