OT: Moth problem

TheGrog

Member
OK, these things are driving us nuts.

We have dozens of little (1/2") grey moths that are all over our house. We have cleaned top to bottom and can't figure out where they are coming from.

Being new to Florida from Illinois, we have never seen anything like this before. I have dealt with ants, termites, mice, Packer Fans, and roaches before, but never moths.

Any ideas on where to look to see where they are coming from?

Any tips on how to eradicate them short of swatting them out of the air whenever we see one?

Thanks
 
LOL, I've got the same thing in my shower! They look almost like tiny flies but they are grey months. I've only seen them in my shower so I'm guessing they like the damp areas.

As for now, I've only seen a couple and used the water to wash them down the drain.

Justin
 
If they are blind mosquitos, they come around from April til like November (iirc) and they like wet places. We used to live in an apartment in Sanford by lake Monroe and they were really bad there.
 
I'm not sure how you mistake a lovebug for a moth .. at least, I've never seen a grey lovebug.

Sometimes moths can be seasonal and florida has a lot of bugs. Once in a while a little bleach down the drain does the trick but are there any places where they could get in from outside you're not seeing?
 
Do those really look just like mosquitoes or do their wings have a sheen to them? Can't say I've ever seen them in swarms only the real deal that bites!

when i hear moth im thinking more like this http://www.ent.iastate.edu/images/lepidoptera/bcutworm/3936.106bcwormadult.jpg

maybe ID'ing whatever they are is the best place to start. So weird from where I come from on the SW coast everyone alwyas used blind mosquitoes and lovebugs interchangeably. Gues syou learn something new every day :)
 
They dont look exactly like them..kind of a cross between a moth and mosquito. They come in friggin masses! At our old apartment, they would get so bad, I had to keep a bottle of windex inside and outside the door and spray them to kill them so I could get in and out. Trucks drive around every year and spray to help keep them under control, but it doesnt do a whole lot of good.
 
They are definately not lovebugs. I know what they look like. They are starting to come out too.

I did some internet searches on blind mosquitos. That is not it. They definatley look like a moth with solid wings. Don't know if they are shiny or not (I'll look when I get home).

any more ideas?

Thanks
 
Grog,

Do a search on the net for the Rice Moth -Corcyra cephalonica.

Your description sound VERY MUCH like this. It is a gray/silver moth around 1 centimeter in lenght.

Check any packages of; dry pet food, dry grain (specially rice), dry pasta, or anything similar. You will find the larvae, adult moths, and some "stringy" residue in this food.

I will GUARANTEE, that if it is this moth, you will find it in a package of food somewhere in your pantry.

They are inofensive, but are really a pest, they get everywhere, and infect additional food. The only option is to find the infected package, and either throw it away, or put it in the freezer for about two weeks. Then vaccum the moths constantly until you erradicate them all. They hide really well in cardboard boxes and in pantry corners.

We have had them twice in our house. For about two weeks we looked like idiots chasing moths around the house with the vacumm cleaner.
 
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