Uh oh! You've got some work ahead of you, little brother! You might want to attachment poke around all of the cracks and crevasses with your vacuum cleaner's attachment, first. Don't forget the ceiling. Check throughout the whole house for those tell-tale cocoons along the ceiling and walls. Vacuum. NO CHEMICALS! A thorough wash with soapy water can come next. Then put up your pantry moth traps. They work very well. You'll need to dispose of anything that is badly contaminated, of course. Freezing for several days can help kill larvae, though I'm not sure about the eggs. If you don't have a large freezer, then I strongly suggest that pantry items be purchased in smaller containers so that they will be used quickly. Perhaps some things could be repackaged at home so that they could be stored in the freezer or fridge. If you place contaminated items back on the shelf, you'll never, ever get rid of the problem. Some time ago, I helped a friend with her mothy pantry. It was then that I learned that ziplock bags were virtually useless for protecting food from these critters. She had a BIG pantry, but had carefully zipped everything up that she thought might be a problem. We found larvae inside every single bag, in every single possible food source, including unopened products and closed jars. Her main problem was that she had sooo much stuff in there that had been forgotten about for ages. So much for shopping at Costco! Okay, let's talk about possible food sources: any packaged dry food, opened or otherwise, dry animal food, bird seed, tea, coffee, closed jars of peanut butter (!), cones and pods and other craft items, potpourri, spices, dried peppers, nuts, chocolate, herbs, etc. Seems like the only things they can't get into are canned! Once you have eliminated all possible food sources, they will disappear. Continue to use the traps to find the adults and, of course, clean off all of the little cocoons as you find them. If you have the space, I strongly suggest that you purchase an inexpensive chest freezer. Double bag your food and store them in the freezer! Air tight containers with secure lids 'might' be good enough. They aren't the same critters that eat your clothes or other belongings. Look for those in your bedroom closets, not your pantry. And if they were too awfully harmful to our health, we'd all be dead because if you think YOU'VE got problems with these things, just think about where the grains, flours, and all of those other food items are stored by the ton! Insect parts and pieces are in just about everything we eat, believe me. There's even a USDA 'accepted level' for insect parts in our food. Personally, I have a zero tolerance level for anything that I can see moving. ;-) I purchase pantry items in small amounts and keep much of them in a small chest freezer along with the bird seed and cat food. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. You can absolutely get rid of them and prevent their return.

I have lots os Squirrels in my yard but ever since I set up two feeding stations for them in two different trees they don't bother my bird feeders. I put a mixture of Song Bird food & Squirrel food in their feeders & also have a couple of the holders that hold an ear of corn. Don't think you could put a lesser quality of food in their feeders & expect them to stay off the bird feeders if something better is offered there. It doesn't seem to take much to keep them happy & full, after all they are on the bird feeders because they are hungry just like the birds. I was surprised, they don't eat as much as I thought they did when they were on my bird feeders all the time. I found this recipe on the Garden & Flower Crafts Forum for making a Birdseed Wreath, plan to make some for Christmas gifts. I'm sure if you have a mold you could make any shape you'd want. I plan to use Songbird mix [sunflower seed, shelled peanuts, Safflower seed, dried raisins & dried cherries] in the wreaths I make. Here's the recipe if anyone is insterested, copied from this thread Birdseed Wreath Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups water 4 1/4 ounce pkgs. Knox unflavored gelatin 8 cups birdseed Boil 1 1/2 cup water. Empty the 4 packages of gelatin into 8 tablespoons of cold water in a large bowl. Let the gelatin sit for 1 minute. Add the boiling water and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the gelatin has dissolved. Stir 8 cups of birdseed into the gelatin, mixing thoroughly. Let the mixture set for a few minutes, then stir again. Repeat this process a few times allowing the seed to absorb the liquid. Spoon the mixture into a greased bundt pan and put in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Remove the wreath from the mold by inverting the pan and tapping along the bottom. The pan may need to warm to room temperature before the wreath will come out. Allow the wreath to dry overnight or longer if necessary. (I found it needs to be on a cooling rack to let the air circulate.) Use several strands of raffia to form a loop to hang the wreath.

Beautiful birds and photos!!! I can't wait until they get to Michigan. Karen

Hi Barb! Thanks for sharing...Im over here north of Muskegon so I wont be visiting anytime soon, but I bet I can order stuff?? NOW lets make a deal! We invited you to share so you have not broken any rules, SO will you allow us to help educate people that come to your store? Especially about next boxes and how to keep them safe and also the dangers of ornamental bird houses? We only have 2 wild bird stores in our area and I am so upset with them. Neither of the owners knows as much about birds as I do and I only know what I have learned on these forums for the last 5 years, scarry eh? I really think every nesting box should come with a small insert saying "please go to www.sialis.org to learn about the birds that may use this box and how to keep them safe". Maybe offer a handout.(or suggest a good book) Also ornamental boxes should all have warnings in them to "block the hole as this house is a decoration and is not safe for nesting birds". I have asked the folks in the 2 shops here to do this...they dont care, they just want to make a sale. I refuse to shop there. I will send you my business if you will do this. Can you send me some meal worms? LOL ;)