For weeks now, we’ve had little bitty moths randomly appearing and flying around the kitchen. Also, occasionally, we’d see a little inchworm. The cats have been enjoying both the moths and the inchworms, and are pretty good at chasing down, eating – and barfing up – the moths. I had a canister of cornmeal on top of the pantry, and when I got my lazy ass to looking around for the source of the moths and inchworms, I found many moths and inchworms in the canister of cornmeal.
I put the canister of cornmeal in the refrigerator and over the next few days fed the cornmeal (and the moths/ inchworms) to the girlz. Problem solved!
Or so I thought. It’s never that easy, is it?
The moths kept appearing and the inchworms kept inching, and I checked the flour and the sugar and found nothing.
“I think it’s just the moths and inchworms left over from the cornmeal. They were hiding somewhere, the cats will eventually catch and eat them all, and then there’ll be no more,” I theorized to Fred.
But the moths kept coming.
Yesterday, finally annoyed enough to do something about it, I cleaned out the pantry. In the pantry, I found a forgotten bag of cornmeal (once upon a time sealed in a OneZip bag, but which had been chewed through) that was loaded up with moths and inchworms. I also found a bag of tortillas, rock-hard and loaded up with the same.
I emptied the pantry and tossed out the old stuff, wiped down the shelves, wiped everything off, and put it back in an organized manner.
NOW perhaps the problem is solved.
It’s amazing how much more room you end up with when things are organized in a cabinet rather than just tossed in there any old way, isn’t it?
We watched Sunshine this past weekend (it was kind of eh, but we’re not as picky when it comes to movies lately, because there’s never nothin’ on TV and we’re a little desperate), and I have to say, no offense to his fans, but Cillian Murphy is THE most evil-looking man I’ve ever seen. It gives me chills (and not in a good way) just to look at him. It might be the really light eyes, or maybe he kills puppies and buries them in his back yard in his spare time, but whatever it is, I sure wouldn’t want to be stuck in an elevator with him.
I decided he’d be excellent as Randall Flagg.
Last night we started watching The Brave One, but stopped it about half an hour before the end so we could go to bed. I was under the impression, when we started watching it, that it was an hour and a half long. I might have been under this – erroneous, as it turned out – impression because when I looked on the front of the sleeve the DVD came in, it listed the length as being 1 hour 30 minutes. At 1 hour 20 minutes, I said “I do not see how on earth this movie is going to resolve in less than ten minutes.”
It didn’t, ’cause it had another 30 minutes to go. This is not the first Netflix movie that has claimed to be 1 hour 30 minutes on the sleeve, and then ended up being quite a bit longer.
In any case, it’s not bad. I love me some Jodie Foster, because she’s one of the few child stars who has her shit together as an adult. Also, she strikes me as extremely competent – if you were friends with her and you had a problem, she’d totally roll up her sleeves and get in there and fix it.
Please don’t tell me she’s a flighty mess in real life. I don’t think I could handle the heartbreak.
My baby.
Previously
2007: She became entirely liquid somehow, and flowed through my fingers and across the room, ending up under the bed.
2006: I think that the next thing Apple should create is a cell phone/ iPod player.
2005: Yes, I use the same kind of lotion as my CAT.
2004: No entry.
2003: Anyway. Enough about my underwear.
2002: You’ve been warned, skank hos out there who would swoop down upon my husband in his grief and get him to marry you.
2001: Yeah, that’s me, not giving a shit if they can see me or not…
2000: Really, what other journaller will thrill you with pictures from the litter box?
He is evil looking there’s no doubt. See, that’s *why* I think he’s so great to watch. I mean his acting is great too, but it’s especially great when he does that sexy looking stare. Have you ever seen Red Eye? It’s so terrifying and HOT. (Ok, maybe I have a problem? I always think the villian is sexy.)
But if you want to see a movie where he doesn’t look nearly as evil, you should see either Intermission or The Wind That Shakes the Barely. The first is hilarious, dark and quirky and the second is emotionally devasting but a very good drama.
Pretty Poo. Wow, those are two words I wouldn’t think would go together.
Here’s my question for tomorrow: Do any of the KATG ‘characters’ get on your nerves?
I don’t know what it is about Matt Bray but the second I hear his voice, I can’t listen to the episode. I don’t know if it’s the sound of his voice or if it’s that he’s a little bit condescending and smart-alecky but he just ruins the whole show for me when he’s on.
Question: Where the hell did all the gnats in my house come from and can I borrow McLovin’ or one of the girls for a week or so to take care of them for me?
I promise to take many photos of Ninja Chicken.
We had a similar moth problem and we had to go to extreme measures to rid our house of them. Ours were indian moths and they lay their eggs in the folds of cardboard boxes (they esp. like pet food boxes/bags, that is how people tend to bring them home). They eat grain products. We kept cleaning out the pantry every few weeks thinking we were done with them, but every two weeks (long enough for the eggs to hatch) we would see a new set. I would suggest opening up your cardboard boxes (like cereal boxes) and looking in the corners for egg sacks. Now we have no cardboard in our kitchen, all our food is in ziplocs and tupperware. But we have been moth free for a couple of months.
Good luck. Our cat thought the moths were beneath her so my husband and I were the ones running after them constantly. I am sure it amused her greatly.
Amy
Wow, it’s like you were channeling my day all the way across the country! I spent three hours of my life cleaning out the pantry because of some damn ants. I guess it wasn’t so bad after all because I found a few things at the back that were older than my 3 year old daughter. I now have the prettiest pantry in the West!
Can I share a quick pantry story? When we sold our last house I was in a hurry when I made the flyer that goes in the yard for interested folks. I meant to write “With an Extra Large PANTRY” but in my haste I wrote “With an Extra Large PANTY”. I’d refilled the box twice before I noticed it.
When is the grand opening of Crooked Acres Cat Sanctuary?
Here’s something for you to puzzle on: Every few years (anywhere from 2 to 5), my mother will discover – out of nowhere – a pile of maggots on her kitchen floor, about half of which are dead and half alive. Not always exactly the same place, but close – within a foot or so. In the middle of the floor, not close to any cupboards, cabinets, or walls.
They went so far, several years ago, as having the entire floor retiled, thinking that despite the floor being apparently water-tight and uncracked there must be a tiny crack somewhere through which the larvae were coming. Removing the tiles showed nothing under the floor, no evidence of any water seepage (and if water can’t get down, nothing else should be able to get up, right?), and no evidence of insect life under the tiles. The original tiles were replaced with larger tiles (I don’t know if they’re terrazo or ceramic or what), but a year or two or three later, there was another pile of maggots – in the center of one of the new tiles.
The first time or two it happened, they had two cats, so my mom thought the cats must have found something maggot-infested and brought it to that spot and eaten it, leaving the maggots behind; however, they were catless (entirely indoor-pet-less, in fact) the last several times it’s happened. My mother, I should add, is almost Germanic in her cleanliness, so it’s not a question of a dirty house.
i’m just curious if stephanie had anyone who was interested in the house because of the extra large panty. was the lack of panties an issue at closing?
Lisa – Nope, no issues at closing… but they did negotiate for our extra fridge pretty heavily. Maybe they wanted to make their own!
Yah, I have similar difficulties with the moths. I ended up having to open up/peer into EVERY box of food, no matter how odd it may have been. Yes, I even had the larvae in a box of SALT. SPICES are another real harvest site for the worms, so check every spice container you have! Pet food, pet treats, and the like is a huge breeding ground for them. We ended up putting pet stuff into glass containers. With tight fitting lids. If you put infested spices into the freezer, for a few weeks, it will kill off the larvae. (Spices are too expensive to throw out!) I vacuumed the edges of each shelf (and used cans of spray air for good measure). It can be very tough to eradicate these little buggers. I toyed with the idea of getting those little indian moth kits (sticky paper that attracts the moths) but did not go that far.
Ooh Elayne that for some reason reminded me of the fly scene from Amityville Horror. Maybe your mom has a maggot demon in the house. 🙂
Two questions: #1 How did the name Crooked Acres come about and #2 Did you not at one time refer to one of the Kitties as Stanley or have I lost what little is left of my mind?
Questions:
1. How often do you go into “town” for groceries, appts, and what not? How long does it take to drive there? Does this ever seem inconvenient or do the benefits of Crooked Acres make it all worthwhile?
2. Can you explain to me and other non-pet people why you prefer cats to dogs? It seems to me the appeal of a dog would be that they are more affectionate than cats. It seems like cats are more independent and hide a lot, so they aren’t as interactive–is this true?
3. What pets did you have growing up and before you married Fred?
4. You mentioned that you originally wanted to get the lap band surgery but you had to do the roux en y instead (not sure how to spell this). What are the differences, advantages/disadvantages between the two??
Those are Pantry Moths, actually. My mom had some great success getting rid of hers with “Pantry Pest” remover – I think you can get it through King Arthur Flour and also do a search online.
Good luck!
And, get some French jars for your dry goods (my husband got me some great ones at The Container Store) – the pests can get into everything except those kinds of jars with the seals on them.
Questions? Oh, I have questions-all cat related-and purely
for fun, so if you’d rather not answer-not a big deal.
1. Which of your cats, if they were human, would you actually want to hang around the most?
2. If this were possible, which cat would it be easiest for to sit on your lap on a plane trip to Maine?
3. Which of your cats would find it easiest to be adopted?
4. Which cat would your mother like the best? And why?
5. If the sky fell in and you and Fred had to have just one cat, which one would it be?
Thanks!
I think it’s a myth about cats not being affectionate. Sure, some aren’t, but I grew up in a house that always had from one to three cats and they ALL were affectionate. They would curl up on you nearly every time you sat down. They slept in my bed with me, let me carry them around, cry in their fur when I was upset, and follow me around like dogs. But they use a litter box, unlike dogs. They bathe themselves and don’t smell, unlike dogs. They’re calmer, usually, than dogs, and sleep a lot, too. Seems like, though I can’t say for sure, that they’re a lot less “work” than dogs. Easier to take care of, as they can take care of themselves.
Most of our cats were raised from a kitten, so that helped with the affection, because I smothered my cats with affection so they had no choice but to grow up being affectionate back. But some found us, too. One of the sweetest cats we had was a huge striped tomcat. Fabulous cat, that.
Dogs seem so needy, and in your face. And smelly. And not as smart. And loud. And yes, I grew up with dogs, too, but not ones in our house as they were too dirty and smelly.
For Elayne – I had a similar maggot problem. I THINK the cause might have been a leak in the dishwasher (underneath). It is an incredibly disgusting thing to find maggots in your home and I never thought I would share my shame. But by sharing your mom’s story, I find hope. It really wasn’t me or my housekeeping.
Phew.
So anyway – have her see if there is any plumbing near by. The momma flies get thirsty and the babies can live on the water and other stuff that accumulates in corners.
Good luck.
Gina
I went through the same thing with moths 3-4 months ago. Cleaned everything up, sprayed everything with insecticide every freaking day and the fuckers were still there.
I fixed it placing dry bay leafs on the cabinets and spraying EVERYTHING with eucalyptus oil mixed with water. After using that I discovered that eucalyptus oil is great for all kinds of bugs; I even got rid of fleas in our house with that. Now I spray EVERYTHING with that mixture once or twice a week and haven’t seen a moth, worm, flea or roach ever since.
I have cleaned shelves, gone through and discarded flours, cereals, grains, and just when I think
I’ve solved the tiny flying moth problem, I take down a jar or box of something and … ewww, a nasty
little wiggly surprise nestled in it. Or the jar has those dampish webby things on the sides. Or,
worst of all, you’re starting to cook some grain and … a dead moth floats up to the top of the water when it begins to boil.
I’ll check the King Arthur Flour site for that pantry-moth killer. I didn’t know there was such a
thing. I always thought the things were called flour weevils. Whatever, since scrubbing and tossing
isn’t doing the job, and there’s a new generation of them every time I think the problem’s gone,
any suggestion is a good one.
We got invaded by the moths as well. They were in anything grain related, as well as well… they were not picky! I thought I had checked everything, or so I thought, and just pulled out a box of cake mix and they were in there, too. dammit. I removed all pasta from boxes and double bagged it. I finally didn’t have anymore downstairs, but I started to see a moth or 2 upstairs in the bedroom. I was thinking there wasn’t anything up there for them, then a couple weeks later remembered some chocolate I had hidden in a drawer and there they were. *sigh*
I found them in everything from crackers to pasta, cake mix to chocolate. I even found some in the dog’s raw hide!!! The first place I noticed them was in a jar of dog treats. Even after the goodies were removed from upstairs, the larvae were still alive and I still find them in the odd article of material upstairs. Yikes! I did not know they liked spices as well. I didn’t check there. Hopefully they never come back.
Thanks for the tip on eucalyptus oil, Cherry. It seems I heard of a similar mix to spray in ceiling corners to ward off spiders, too. Will definitely go get some later! The oil, not the spiders. *shudder*
I love Jodie Foster too. And I’m 110% behind her insistence to keep her private life private. It just kills a gossip-lovin’ friend of mine that Jodie will neither confirm or deny her sexual orientation. Live and let live and keep your nose out of someone else’s bedroom! Respect is a 4-letter word in the entertainment industry, I swear! Oh, and like you, I was appalled at People magazine and likewise canceled my subscription.
And Cherry, I echo the thanks for tipping us off to the miracle that is eucalyptus oil!
Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Kristina! You reminded me of the grossest story EVAH!
One year we made popcorn strings for the Christmas tree. When we took the tree down, my mom – being the thrifty sort that she is – rolled up the popcorn strings and put them in a series of plastic bags – probably trash bags since I think this was before grocery store plastics or cheap Ziplocs.
Next year, we take out the Christmas ornaments. My brother and I pulled out the popcorn strings, and one of us thought, “MMM! Popcorn!” so we started eating them. Now, I’m always picky about my popcorn so I was picking a few of the “puffier” pieces here and there, but my brother was just indiscriminately stuffing handsful into his mouth.
And that, of course, is when we noticed the maggots! Or weevils or whatever they were, I don’t know for sure, but they were white wiggly things, and my brother had a mouthful of them. My mother like ta’ DIED.
(And Gina: No plumbing within a few feet; this always happens right out in the middle of the floor, not close to anything. No trash cans, etc. If it were MY house, there’d be any number of potentially contributing objects within a 12-inch radius, but not hers! But anyway, no, your housekeeping is not at fault.)
(Also, is my mother like the Maggot Queen or something? I’m sure she’d LOVE me telling all these maggot stories to complete strangers. Y’all don’t tell, okay?)
Have you been to this website?
http://www.olddurhamroad.com/category/cat/a
Some of the product descriptions are priceless!
I was munching on a salad when I came to read; I wish I had missed the maggot story!
When are we getting together for a Bald-BitchyCon fest?
Elayne – check the ceiling? It seems to me that they might be falling from there, if they’re ending up in the center of the floor.
I am SO GLAD I haven’t had any maggot or moth problems in my house so far. EEEUU. I’d definitely be getting more cats.
Can’t help but notice your 2006 entry. I am loving my iphone right now. 🙂
And another creepy-crawler story…
I had bought one of the large size containers of raisins for cookies at Christmas time (no cookies yet) and when I went to peel off the mylar inner seal… out fell a lil’ inchy weevil that was just in the curled under edge. The expiration date is next year and after desposing of inchy I opened the lid. Raisins looked fine with no crawlies, but into the trash they went. Maybe products are being sold pre “bugged”?
I have a question…First, my cat, Angel, is a little OCD, so it’s possible that there is nothing wrong with her. I noticed the last few days that she has been scratching a lot. When she occasionally gets fleas, I have to cut her claws down to keep her from scratching herself bloody AFTER the fleas are gone, but she doesn’t seem to have fleas this time. She’s mostly white, so I can see the little buggers when they crop up. ANYWAY, she’s scratching and I can’t SEE anything wrong, but she’s kicking up dander something fierce. Is it possible that she’s having the same problem that I am? (Super dry warm air inside, cold wet air outside)I’ve actually scratched MYSELF raw, it’s pretty bad. Does that sound right to you?
Bri,
I used to have a dog who’d get “hot spots” like that – we lived in a tropical climate so dry skin wasn’t a problem, the vet said it was something akin to eczema. The only thing that’d make them go away was a tapering course of oral steroids (the animal equivalent of a Medrol Dosepak). Maybe your vet can suggest something similar.