Moth or ? pests

[bobm]

Well, after my wife and I spent several hours of clearing out the pantry and THROWING OUT every grain product in the house and killing these pests for a few hours with only minor success due to that for everyone that we killed, two more showed up. I resorted to chemical warfare ! The chemical pesticide fog in a can type. ( I first used it to kill fleas and cockroaches when we bought this house about 2 years ago , worked GREAT). I set off the can, locked up the house, went out to lunch came back 4 hours later, opened all of the doors and windows, turned on all ( 6 ) ceiling fans to air out the house. Then went over to the neighbors house for a bbq and watch a football game. I will buy the " Safer" pheromone trap to eliminate any others that may hatch out. I got the gist of the true meaning of "organic " ... it contains EXTRA protein !!! Just why do some people get so giddy from seeking out and then paying more money $$$ for the " healthy, natural, pesticide free, organic" food , only to throw it out ? At the end of the day... Seems like false advertising, selling a DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS to unsuspecting customer, get a pest infestation then once killed off, come back again and again from newly layed eggs and have more work today and next week for the same infestation and have nothing to show for it other than an empty wallet and . Not to mention what price the grocery store has to suffer and pay for getting rid of these pests at the grocery store shelves, not only from the bulk bins, but also other packaged grain products. Just how " healthy " is that ?

 

[ninnymary]

Buying foods from the bulk bins is sometimes cheaper. Does this mean you shouldn't buy from them? How many of you do?

Mary

 

[ninnymary]

I would blame the bulk bins for whatever pests you have flying around your pantry, it's the nature of open storage to invite pests, not the fact that it's "organic".

Bobm, did you read this? I agree with thistle.

Mary

 

[ninnymary]

Can you check with the store and see if they will give you some sort of credit? Show them your receipt.

Mary

 

[canesisters]

Bobm, did you read this? I agree with thistle.

Mary

Me too. It's NOT that it was 'organic'. If they were selling peaches & cream flavored Quaker instant oatmeal by the pound out of a bin, it would get moths just as fast. If you buy bulk - organic or not - take steps to handle the pests that WILL come with it. Seal it up as soon as you get home. Freeze it if possible. Sift before using (good idea, moths or not, who knows what might also be in that bin....).

 

[catjac1975]

Well, after my wife and I spent several hours of clearing out the pantry and THROWING OUT every grain product in the house and killing these pests for a few hours with only minor success due to that for everyone that we killed, two more showed up. I resorted to chemical warfare ! The chemical pesticide fog in a can type. ( I first used it to kill fleas and cockroaches when we bought this house about 2 years ago , worked GREAT). I set off the can, locked up the house, went out to lunch came back 4 hours later, opened all of the doors and windows, turned on all ( 6 ) ceiling fans to air out the house. Then went over to the neighbors house for a bbq and watch a football game. I will buy the " Safer" pheromone trap to eliminate any others that may hatch out. I got the gist of the true meaning of "organic " ... it contains EXTRA protein !!! Just why do some people get so giddy from seeking out and then paying more money $$$ for the " healthy, natural, pesticide free, organic" food , only to throw it out ? At the end of the day... Seems like false advertising, selling a DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS to unsuspecting customer, get a pest infestation then once killed off, come back again and again from newly layed eggs and have more work today and next week for the same infestation and have nothing to show for it other than an empty wallet and . Not to mention what price the grocery store has to suffer and pay for getting rid of these pests at the grocery store shelves, not only from the bulk bins, but also other packaged grain products. Just how " healthy " is that ?

The poison you sprayed is a lot more harmful then a couple little bugs. I get the gross factor, however.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Canesisters, I have some similar feelings whenever I do my hunts through my beans and spices. As fascinating as I find all of the odd weeds and things that show up, and as useful as I find them for planting, I can never really entirely shake the knowledge that, as these are things packaged for people to eat these sort of things just shouldn't be there. Granted most are not as dangerous as the rosary pea I found in the bag of senna seed (or as legally iffy as the Thai coriander that proved chock full of hemp seeds) But bindweed, spurred butterfly pea, vetch, and many of the other seeds are still not things people should be putting in their mouths. And that's not including the mud, rocks, rodent droppings and bugs. I know that most of the stuff that goes through the "ethnic" markets is being bought by people who have been brought up to be canny enough to realize that picking through your food before you eat it is ALWAYS a smart idea, but I sometimes wonder what will happen the day some homegrown person who is used to food being idiot proof screws up, gets sick, finds someone to sue and creates a big enough stink to affect import policy.

 

[bobm]

ble nsiMe too. It's NOT that it was 'organic'. If they were selling peaches & cream flavored Quaker instant oatmeal by the pound out of a bin, it would get moths just as fast. If you buy bulk - organic or not - take steps to handle the pests that WILL come with it. Seal it up as soon as you get home. Freeze it if possible. Sift before using (good idea, moths or not, who knows what might also be in that bin....).

Mary, yea I read thistle's post. Cane, We have never had a moth invasion before with any purchased main stream commercial food items , that is until my wife specifically purchased the " organic " items. My wife placed the food items in plastic bags and used ties to close them shut. Then she placed the items in our pantry. Our freezer is full with 25 CornishX chickens. So NO room to freeze anything else. Why do I have to sift before using ? Pasta, coarse ground corn , etc.will not go through the sift mesh ! So WHY am I responsible to "take steps to handle the pests that WILL come with it." and NOT the producer / bulk packager for any pest / foreign matter that it may contain ? Just why does these type of producers get a PASS while the media , consumer, and lawyers sue every brand name producer at the slightest opportunity ?

 

[so lucky]

You are just gonna have to face the facts, bobm: If you want the unadulterated, untreated natural food, you give up the convenience of pristine packaging and sterile conditions. Some grain companies may fumigate their grain, or subject it to unnatural conditions to get it to that pristine state. So we have to decide which is more important to us. Processed food probably doesn't support bug life.
The vegetables and fruit you buy may have paraffin coatings to keep them from rotting as soon. They may have been sprayed or otherwise treated. Does that make organic home grown less attractive? Maybe to some people. It just depends on what is more important to you,
Around here, the bulk bins that used to be in grocery stores were suspect for being play bins for grubby 4-year old kids, and for being stale because no one wanted to buy food from a playground for 4-year olds. So we only see the bulk bins at the health food store, and they are protected from people's hands. I like to buy from them.