Indian mealmoths in the gerbil treats

[qtoffer]

We've been seeing a lot of moths flying around both rooms where we keep the gerbils. I caught one and identified it as an Indian mealmoth - a common pantry pest.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_mealmoth

I flushed the two open boxes of homemade gerbil treats (sunflower, pumpkin, Cheerios, walnuts, almond, and banana chips down the toilet. They were webbed together and probably infested with the tiny larvae - yuck. We killed about 25 moths Saturday, 15 Sunday, 6 yesterday, and 3 today.

The cat has been credited with one confirmed kill so far - she chased a moth across the room, batted it to the floor, stomped on it, and ate it....eeeeewwww. Who knows how many she's been catching and eating while we've been away or sleeping?

Gerbil food, cat food, and our dry food are always sealed in Rubbermaid bins, so I'm sure that they are not contaminated or the source of this infestation. From now on, I'll be sure to keep the gerbil treats sealed up as well!

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Arwen (F) and Eowyn (F) 11/12/2011 - 20 gallon with 20 gallon topper
Goldberry (F) 11/12/2011 - 20 gallon with 20 gallon topper

[snowballandnugget]

Yikes!! So much food tossed away! Moth infestations are awful!! They can cocoon for up to a year so stay super diligent! I have to deal with them at my work sometimes and it has me constantly cleaning shelves so that they don't come back!!

[qtoffer]

Fortunately, I didn't have to throw away much - maybe 3 cups of seeds and nuts. When I mix up a big batch of treats, I dispense them into 2 cup plastic Gladware containers and store them in the fridge. I only have two containers out at any time.

I'm still seeing and killing moths, but only 2 or 3 per day - as opposed to 25 the first day. The gerbils probably kicked some cocoons into their bedding, so I expect to see them for another month or so. In the meantime, I'm checking the area daily and killing moths as I find them. Gerbil treats and regular food are sealed up tight at all times now.
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Arwen (F) and Eowyn (F) 11/12/2011 - 20 gallon with 20 gallon topper
Goldberry (F) 11/12/2011 - 20 gallon with 20 gallon topper