…because I’m engaged in an ongoing war with a horde of pantry flies.
Yes, I’ve cleaned out the pantry. TWICE. I’ve thrown out all the old pasta and cereal and tortilla chips. I’ve put all the flour and corn meal in the refrigerator. I’ve filled like eight pantry fly traps with dead flies. My pantry reeks of female pantry fly pheromone.
My latest theory is that they’re hatching and procreating in the dry cat food. And I don’t have space in my small, enviro-efficient fridge for 15 pounds of cat food. And since Rocky eats five pounds a week, and I refuse to shop for cat food more than once a month, I guess I’ll have to live with the damn flies.
From a positive perspective, they provide extra exercise for the kids, who chase them manically around the house, crushing them between their small hands. Good for hand-eye coordination too.
And pantry flies don’t bite, like bedbugs, which are supposedly making a comeback since we stopped spritzing the world with DDT. The pantry flies just flutter around and leave dusty black spots on the wall when I mash them there. And they provide extra protein right? Since my kids have chosen not to eat meat, extra protein, even in the form of hatching pantry flies, is good.
Back to the war. Maybe if I smoosh enough flies on the wall, it’ll look artistic. Like I painted it that way.
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We used to get those things in our old house pantry too - the big green tent things from Earth Fare would usually help - I always had to ask for them because they didn’t have them out.
These are insidious and almost impossible to get rid of. Have you checked your nuts? They love nuts and will chew threw ziplocks to get them. Hey, i have an extra plastic dog food container you can have for the kitty’s food. Want it?
I have read/heard that apple cider vinegar is helpful for catchin’ these pests. They will hide just about everywhere. When we moved to the first house we bought two years ago I had to vaccuum the little holes in ALL of our kitchen cabinets (the holes that hold the shelf supports) because there were little nests in all of them. I have also found them hiding in the little cracks between the wall/floor and baseboards. Good Luck!
and to think they almost cried over the dead one in the test tube. guess they got over it.
-lauren
uhhhh, restless, I think checking the nuts is E-spouse’s job.
I have the cat food in a big plastic bin, but, I swear that every time I open the bin a couple pantry flies come zooming out!
I know, Lauren. But the fruit fly was a science experiment, which I guess means it’s a special fruit fly. We have plenty of those around too.
Mine all finally died. I thought I was going to hang myself before they all just went away.