The prosecution: Margaret
Damien doesn’t agree that his dog’s food is to blame for the moths, and he refuses to seal it away
We’ve had a really bad infestation of pantry moths in our kitchen for some time now. Every time I come downstairs for breakfast I will see what looks like a new one hanging upside down in our cupboards, and at night they seem to follow me around the kitchen like little shadows. They are very distinctive – brown with white and grey patches on their backs.
We don’t know how they got into the house, but I suspect it was Damien’s doing as he orders in dog food for his pitbull, Betsy, and I have read that they often come in via pet food.
We are now in the throes of the second infestation. After the first one, I cleaned out our cupboards very thoroughly, wiped all the surfaces, got rid of any cocoons I could see hanging in corners and threw out every open bag of food. The moths feed on dried foods, so I got rid of all my expensive muesli, which was heartbreaking, and all the baking items. I thought we were rid of them, but about two weeks later Damien got a shipment of dog food and within a few days I noticed moths fluttering around the house again. This time I was better prepared, so all the pastas and grains were stored in glass jars. But Damien remained nonchalant. He didn’t accept that the dog food was the culprit and he didn’t make any attempt to tie up the bag after feeding Betsy.
I’ve asked him to seal everything up each time, but he is very careless. He rarely seals the food he stores in the cupboard for himself, either.
Damien says it’s “too much effort” to decant everything into glass jars and plastic boxes, but I told him it’s necessary to cut off the moth’s food supply, so why isn’t he more bothered? He’s 24 and just bone idle. It takes 30 seconds to tip some Coco Pops into a jar, but he won’t do it. Now the moths are back and they are having a field day.
Damien says I am “accusing” him of making the situation worse. Both he and my husband say I’m paranoid. But if Damien doesn’t change his view, the moths are only going to get worse.
The defence: Damien
Mum is paranoid – the dog food isn’t the problem. And if I do eat a moth’s egg, they’re not harmful
There’s no proof that the pet food I buy for Betsy created the moth issue in our house. We’ve had them for ages now and I don’t know why it’s being linked to me. My dad agrees with me. We even did some research online and it turns out these moths could have come into the home in various ways, including via Mum’s cereal or her packs of flour. She bakes a lot and the moths love sugar, so why isn’t Mum examining her own role in this? I don’t think it’s fair that I’m getting all the blame.
Yes, I could be better at sealing up the dog food bag, but Mum is now so paranoid about it all. She will literally hear the rustle of the bag from upstairs and then come running into the kitchen shouting about doing it back up, and inspecting the walls for these moths. She will shout: “Another one!” and get the tea towel out and try to swat them away. It’s all pretty dramatic and they are only tiny things. I don’t really see the harm in them and I don’t like being told that I am the reason for their existence.
I’ve even Googled whether eating moth eggs is harmful, and it turns out it’s not. Obviously it’s not super-hygienic, but my point is the moths aren’t a big deal. I would say that at any given time in the kitchen, you can only see a couple of them. And Mum has now tipped every single dry food item into a jar or plastic container, so the moths will die out.
I don’t deserve the blame for the moths being in Betsy’s food. They have cocoons right in the corner of the kitchen ceiling and Mum may have missed some when she was clearing out. I can try to reseal Betsy’s food bag, but I won’t be decanting it as it’s 15kg and that would just be a waste of time. Also, we’ve never actually seen any moths flying in or out of the dog food bag – or I haven’t – so I really think she’s jumped to conclusions.
The moths are a pain but they aren’t the end of the world. I can make more of an attempt to seal up my cereal but if I end up eating a moth egg I’m honestly not that bothered.
The jury of Guardian readers
Should Damien seal up the dog food to help seal the moths?
Margaret has no evidence that the moths are attracted to the dog food, and accusing Damien won’t help resolve the issue. Damien should, however, smooth things over by sealing the dog food. It requires little effort and will validate his argument if the moths remain. And no one wants to eat moth eggs!
Jenny, 30
Moths are probably the thin end of the wedge. If there is an unprotected food source it will eventually attract pests. Would Damien be so nonchalant eating the droppings of cockroaches or mice? They’re probably not far behind the moths.
Ian, 54
Damien is definitely guilty. He should stop being so hung up on blame and do his bit to help his poor mum get rid of the moths.
Leah, 24
Even if there is a disagreement about where the moths are coming from, Damien should do as his mum asks and store his dog food carefully. Presumably it is his mum’s house and he should respect her wishes and stop accusing her of overreacting, even if he doesn’t agree with her.
Jane, 59
While the source of the moths is uncertain, Margaret has worked hard to get rid of them. It takes two minutes to decant food into a sealed container and by doing so, Damien would help keep moths away and maintain household harmony.
Eleanor, 30
Now you be the judge
In our online poll, tell us: should Damien protect his food better?
The poll closes at 10am on Thursday 16 November
Last week’s result
We asked whether David should show more appreciation for the gifts Lua gives him.
1% of you said yes – David is guilty
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