They can get into containers made of paper and cardboard. They usually can't infiltrate plastic or metal. It is best to take all of the products out of the pantry, thoroughly clean and disinfect the inside surfaces of the pantry, and throw out all the old grain based products. When you restock, you should transfer flour, cereal, and other grain (including pasta) products that come in cardboard or paper containers into plastic or glass containers.

Other posters are correct. They sometimes already present in egg or larval state in products when you buy them. Always sift your flour and cornmeal before adding it to recipes! Once they hatch they can infiltrate other products in your pantry or cupboard.

No they can not get into a tin can,

Yes they can get into a cardboard box given time,

Yes they can get into paper and plastic flour bags.

As mentioned above, sometimes the moth eggs are inside the food before it gets sealed up. We eat a lot of insects every year that sneaks into our food.

Flour, corn meal, cereals, oatmeal, and all other milled grains tend to be favorite bug chow. Once upon a time, straining out the flour bin for weevils was common. Today bugs usually are kept out for 6 months or so, whether by the chemical additives or by the packaging.

The eggs are in the flour, corn meal and food when you buy it. They get in the food where the food is processed.

When the larvae and bugs crawl out of one package, they can go into opened cereal boxes.

More often than not, the eggs or larvae of anything you find in your food (especially boxed cereals) did not "get in there" they CAME in there....without soaking the fields with so much insecticide it would make the crop toxic, it's all but impossible to grow & harvest almost any grain, rice or cereal without ALSO harvesting lots & lots of bugs and bug eggs...

What is much more important is they can get into your WALLS! You will have them everywhere. Clean out the pantry GOOD! Google Gardens Alive! and get pantry moth traps. If you store bird seed get rid of it! Buy new seed and store outside of the house in a shed.

Here's a bit more information on food moths: http://www.raidkillsbugs.com/en-us/bug-i...

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I went to pour myself some lucky charms this morning and was greeted by some larva in the bowl (noticed them before I bit down, thankfully).

I did some research on the type of larva, and deduced that they're pantry moths.

I hear they can get into a LOT of things.

But I was wondering,

Can they get into cans?

How about factory sealed boxes and bags (I have an unopened box of cereal).

How about unopened bags of flour and stuff like that?