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| Gopher-crazed Bill Murray in one of his less violent moments in the movie “Caddyshack.” |
Remember Bill Murray as the crazed golf course groundskeeper on Caddyshack? “Come here, little gopher!” he wheedled, attempting over-the-top, increasingly violent, unsuccessful capture attempts to rid the course of gophers (click here for a Caddyshack clip of it).
I get it, even if we’ve gotten off fairly lightly.
To date, we’ve found the following unwelcome creepy crawler guests aboard, in order of appearance.
Product | Origin | Critter | Discovered When… |
Bok Choy | Castries St. Lucia Farmer’s Market | Slug | Veggie bleachwater rinse, prior to bringing on board |
Paprika | Not sure… (something international – Badia?) | Moth larvae (something webby) | After opening sealed bottle |
Oatmeal | Regional off brand (Bought in Dominica) | Moth larvae (something webby and little larvae) | Before opening sealed package |
Pancake Mix | Aunt Jemima (Bought in Tortola BVI) | Weevils | Before opening – box w/in ziplock bag |
Crushed Red Pepper | Goya (international brand) | Moth larvae (something webby) | Previously opened bottle |
Flaxseed Granola | Waitrose (international brand) | Moth larvae (something webby) | After opening – bag w/in ziplock bag |
While the fast-moving pinhead-sized black weevils were the scariest, they were isolated and removed before they had a chance to make themselves at home and spread out.
The slug was the most beneign, kinda cute (click here for photo), definitely slow moving. Technically didn’t quite make it aboard, as at the point, I was doing my product rinsing on the docks, before bringing anything aboard.
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| Luckily this box was kept in a ziplock before opening. Who would expect Aunt Jemima to be a carrier? This package cost only 50 cents; easy come, easy go. |
The most persistent are the moths (click here for blog post on their first appearance). Finding them in oatmeal or granola, not that surprising. But they’ve shown up iin bottles of paprika and crushed red pepper! They taunt me, nearly every eve one or two, tiny little moths, fluttering around in our cabin, easily hiding in its evening dimness. Slippery devils, they often survive repeated hits. Wayne and I are sometimes successful, but they’re still around.
Eventually, we will bug bomb the boat. How effective will it be for critters that apparently manage to worm their way into unopened packages and closed ziplock bags? Dunno.
In any case, I’m keeping a sharp eye out for anything that doesn’t flow right that’s multihued when it’s supposed to be monochrome. Bay leaves are now in or getting added to anything that’s flour-y, as rumor says they’re prone to weevils, but repelled by bay leaves.
Gives a whole new meaning to “watch what you eat.” Yeah, I’m a protein-craver, but am a bit more particular of the form it takes.
Look on the bright side…no rats or mice (so far)! 🙂 Ethereal
Agreed! These are pretty minor as far as pests go. Once again, good excuse for some overdue spring cleaning. Again, thorough;).
We were startled by a "mahogany bird" several days ago. I trapped it under a glass, but it squirmed out just before release outside the boat. Guessing it flew over from the island we're anchored so close to right now.
First one we've seen. We haven't seen it since nor evidence of its taking roost here. We've taken some precautions and will take more, just to play it safe.
I'm going to have to google "mahogany bird" now…doesn't sound like the kind of visitor you want! Ethereal
Ewwww….no you don't want them! Ethereal
Nope. The euphemism for them is much nicer;). Fortunately still no sign since of it. Fingers crossed. Regardless, definitely on the lookout.