Angoumois Grain Moth Control: How To Get Rid of Angoumois Grain Moths

This page is a general Angoumois Grain Moth control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you will get control of Angoumois Grain Moths. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Angoumois Grain Moths.

A pantry pest that is a troublesome problem for crop growers and agricultural farmers is a bug known as the Angoumois Grain Moth. These pests are found all over the world and like to infest crops and ears of corn in the United States. If left untreated, these pests can be a huge economic and financial threat to the agricultural industry and farmer livelihoods.

Angoumois Grain Moth populations can very quickly get out of control because of how frequently the adult females lay eggs. These bugs are most prevalent during warm weather conditions.

While fresh kernels of corn happen to be their favorite food of choice, they also enjoy rice, barley, sorghum, millet, wheat and dried, shelled corn. If they happen to invade households, they like to eat popcorn kernels that are stored in pantries.

If you have discovered Angoumois Grain Moths in your home, our expert-made DIY guide can help you to clear your pantry of them once and for all by using our recommended advice and professional-grade products.

Identification

Be sure that you are, in fact, dealing with the Angoumois Grain Moth by observing and properly identifying the pantry pest. Adult Angoumois Grain Moths are about 1/2 and inch long with small wings in their front that is yellowish colored and a wingspan of 3/16th of an inch.

A distinguishing characteristic unique of this moth is a narrow projection that extends from the tip of the back wing. Fully-grown larvae are usually yellowish-white and have a yellowish-brown head about a 1/8th of an inch long.

This pantry pest is a major stored grain pest due to the larvae stage developing entirely within a grain kernel. While the Angoumois Grain Moth can attack several grains, it is most often discovered around ears of corn. An infested kernel is mostly hollow with a round hole through which the Angoumois Grain Moth emerges.

Use the description and image above to help you in identifying the Angoumois Grain Moth. If you need help with identification, contact us and one of our representative will try to assist you.

Inspection

After you confirm that you are encountering Angoumois Grain Moths in your home, you can move on to Inspection. Identify the source of the infestation and remove the product immediately from your storage area.

Where To Inspect

Indoors, look in the areas where food goods are stored. Search inside your kitchen and garages. Check your cabinets, shelves, and pantries, and wherever food goods are stored. Inspect every food good that is stored search in cereals, corn, grains, flour, starches, pasta, spices, herbs, etc.

What To Look For

You're looking for contaminated food items. This includes finding adults and larvae Angoumois Grain Moths inside stored products. If you find any food item that is contaminated, you will need to toss the product out immediately.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Angoumois Grain Moths activity, it is time to begin treatment. Remember to read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

The best method of controlling Angoumois Grain Moths if you have an infestation in your pantry is discarding all your stored dried food products, doing a detailed cleanup and vacuuming, then applying Novacide Aerosol to kill adults and halt the development of eggs and larvae. Finally, you should place Pro-Pest Pantry Moth and Beetle Traps to capture any stragglers.

Step 1 - Preliminary Cleanup and Vacuuming

Before you can apply pesticides, you will need to go through all your boxed food and check them all for traces of Angoumois Grain Moths. Any item where they have been spotted needs to be disposed of immediately by sealing them in a plastic bag.

The smart thing to do if you find an Angoumois Grain Moth infestation is to toss out EVERYTHING you have in your pantry and essentially start from scratch. This may sound drastic but it may be necessary so you can make sure that the Angoumois Grain Moth is no longer infesting items. You don't want to leave any food item to chance.

If you don't want to discard all your stored dried foods, then you will need to go through and carefully inspect everything (which may be time-consuming which is why we suggest starting your pantry over from scratch and tossing everything out as a time-saving measure). Open all your boxes, even ones that are brand new and unopened and check. If there are some that you aren't sure about, place the item in a plastic bag and seal it. If there are Angoumois Grain Moths in the suspected item, they will try to escape after some time. In this case, toss the food item away immediately. If nothing comes out, you can safely assume that the food is not contaminated or infested.

In the case of agricultural locations where grains are stored away in cribs, thoroughly examine the crib stored corn and discard any which are infested by the Angoumois Grain Moth. A detailed cleanup should take place and any harvesting equipment should be cleaned before reuse.

Next, vacuum inside the cabinets, shelves, and pantries where food goods are stored. Vacuum the corners, tops, side and crevices of the food storing areas. Use a toothpick to clean the pegs where screws are placed, these areas are known to harbor eggs. Next, take a cloth soaked in soapy water and clean the inside of the cabinets, pantries, and shelves where food goods are stored. And finally, use caulking if these areas have cracks and crevices. This will prevent the infestation from spreading.

Step 2 - Apply Novacide Aerosol

Once your pantry is totally cleaned out, you should apply Novacide Aerosol. Novacide is a powerful insecticide that comes with an IGR (or Insect Growth Regulator) that will prevent the undeveloped stages of Angoumois Grain Moths from developing into adults. The best part about Novacide is its residual effect as it can remain effective for up to 7 months so you don't have to apply often.

Simply shake the can and hold upside down (this is important or else it won't work) to apply. Spray the top, sides, corners, and bottom of the shelves, pantries, and cabinets.

Step 3: Apply Pro-Pest Pantry Moth & Beetle Traps

Pro-Pest Pantry Moth and Beetle Traps are an easy-to-use glue trap that comes with a pheromone pad that you will insert in the middle of the glue board to attract remaining Angoumois Grain Moths that survived your cleanup and Novacide application.

Setting up the traps is very easy to do. Simply place the pheromone pads in the middle of the glue board and place the traps on your pantry shelf or anywhere the infestation occurred. These traps should remain effective in trapping lingering moths for about 3 months.

Prevention

Once you have eliminated the Angoumois Grain Moth problem, don’t think that you will never encounter a pantry pest ever again. Angoumois Grain Moths are quite persistent and may make a comeback.

To prevent this from happening make sure to don't have too much food cluttering your pantries and cabinets. Also, make sure to wipe up and clean any spills and toss away old food items that you haven't been eating. You can spray the Novacide Aerosol periodically every 7 months or so as a preventative measure as well as set Pro-Pest Traps to monitor future activity.

As long as you maintain cleanliness and are diligent about checking your food items, even ones you newly bought from the store, you will keep the Angoumois Grain Moths away for good.

Key Takeaways 

• The Angoumois Grain Moth is known for causing significant damage to home pantries and agricultural areas where corn is being grown or stored.
• To get rid of Angoumois Grain Moth infestations, thoroughly clean out your pantry and then apply Novacide Aerosol and Pro-Pest Pantry Moth Traps.
• Prevent reinfestation of Angoumois Grain Moths by checking foods, reducing clutter and keeping pantries clean and neat. You can also use Novacide Aerosol preventatively every 7 months and monitor infestations with Pro-Pest Traps.