Grub Found in Seed- Bonus or Bummer?

[kscoleman]

Well, I just was feeding my gals for the night and put new seed in their cup when I noticed a grub like thing moving around in the cup! Is that a bonus for my birds or should I throw out the whole lot? I have 2 different bags of seeds (and 2 different types) I combined to try and get them use to a better quality seed mixture. I am not sure where the grub came from and if I threw out all the food it would be about $20.00 worth. I keep all the bags sealed and the combined seed is in a plastic jar with a snap tight lid so I think it came with the original seed. Anyone else ever have this problem?

[Crystal]

I have had this happen to me on several occasions. Sometimes it was moth larvae, sometimes it was grain beetles. Although these pantry pests are typically harmless, they can become quite a pain if they begin to infest YOUR food. Also, without knowing the identity of the 'grub' you found, it may be safer to err on the side of caution and remove it from the seed dish.

In the future, freeze all new bags of seed you purchase for a week to kill anything that may be crawling about inside.

Good luck!

[kscoleman]

Thanks for the freezing tip. I will do that from now on. Guess there is no need to throw out all the seed since it is for a bird after all! I did throw out the grub last night. Thanks for your help.

[tammieb]

I don't have room in my freezer but do keep all my seed in the refrigerator. I've never had any problems with bugs in my seed.

[Crystal]

The fridge slows bugs' metabolism down but it typically won't kill them. This is why live mealworms are "stored" in the fridge. They are slowed down so that they don't molt and grow, but they reanimate the second they warm up, even after a long time spent in the fridge.

[tammieb]

I realize the refrigerator won't kill them. But it does keep them from hatching out.