Worm infestation in plastic equipment

[Accidic]

I'm not even sure how to ask this one... Has anyone ever had an outbreak of worms on their equipment while in storage? I had a bin of hose, funnels, and other such plastic things that had never even been used and I hadn't touched in a couple years. I went to get something out of it (had some hose that needed replacement) and it looks like a scene from aliens. From best I can tell they're eating it (I have a large hose that they're packed into moving around like it's a worm jungle gym). I've had the occasional pest incident with grain from time to time but there is none of this here. Just tons of plastic equipment, a few stainless implements, nothing more. Has anyone else ever seen this? Even if I did manage to clean it I can't help but think it'd never be right again.

 

[Mothman]

I don't have any advice for you, but damn.... that sounds nasty. lol Not a pleasant surprise!

 

[soccerdad]

It IS an alien thing. They are from another solar system. Earthy wormy things do not attack plastic.

 

[Lefou]

Quick, hit the little b***ds with a flamethrower before they decide they like eating stainless steel ... and maybe replace your hoses.
I've had my food-grade hoses for about two years now and am considering replacing them soon.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

By worms, do you mean actual worm or larval stage of perhaps a fly? If say a mouse died in your storage container, that could be a source of maggots. Eventually they crawl away to pupate and transform into flys. Anyway, I think I'd just ditch the tubing and anything that cannot be properly cleaned and sanitized.

 

[Vandulus]

My guess is that they're maggots. Before I started double-bagging by spent grain, I would have maggot infestations in the trash especially during summer.

 

[BrewZer]

Quick, hit the little b***ds with a flamethrower before they decide they like eating stainless steel ... and maybe replace your hoses.

Best to take off and nuke the whole site from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

 

[MaxStout]

Kill it with fire.

 

[GHBWNY]

There's a species of worm known as a waxworm that is known to have an appetite for plastic, specifically polystyrene, i.e. "styrofoam". Can't speak for the composition of your plastic tubing these particular worms are eating.

 

[Accidic]

Waxworms were spot on. More disturbingly they apparently eat polyethylene. According to the interwebs they come from moths of which we see many. May try to salvage some of the metal pieces. But there are tiny holes in the thin part of my favorite funnel. 😣

 

[jodell]

I'm pretty sure using your fermenter will make true beer (tm) @fredthecat

 

[GHBWNY]

So, apart from ditching some of your equipment, the simple solution going forward is to store stuff in a moth-proof container.

 

[MaxStout]

Whatever you salvage, sanitize the crap out of it. The worm carries certain kinds of gut bacteria (which allows the worm to biodegrade the plastic). Yuk.

 

[brewbama]

Thread them onto a fish hook. Wax worms are great fish bait.

 

[madscientist451]

There was a thread recently about a brewer that hooked his brewing system to a drain and sewage backed up into it. If you could meet up with him and use your maggot hoses you could make something really special.

 

[Accidic]

Not sure what is moth proof. That was an air tight container (albeit a foam sealing ring).

 

[Lefou]

Amusing, but sorta scary. I've never heard of such a bug and now I have to find out more.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Amusing, but sorta scary. I've never heard of such a bug and now I have to find out more.

Nature always find a way. Imagine the benefit to science. An organic means of breaking down plastics at a rapid pace.

 

[passedpawn]

OK, how many times do we need to go over this people...

PICTURES!!!!

 

[MaxStout]

OK, how many times do we need to go over this people...

PICTURES!!!!

.

 

[Accidic]

Will snap a picture when I get home. Got frustrated yesterday but picking up new container of oxyclean to hit it with worms and all this afternoon.

 

[Accidic]

It's at its worst at the bottom. No foodstuff whatsoever save for plastic, steel, and a bit of cloth (carboy cleaning rod).

View attachment 1510621077886.jpg

 

[Accidic]

The funnel had a huge clod of them but I knocked it out prior.

 

[BitterSweetBrews]

That is all pretty nasty. I would probably trash it all. Vinyl hose is cheap and a new funnel only a couple bucks.

 

[Accidic]

Yeah, that's the plan mostly. I'm hoping the carboy cleaner is salvageable (the stand should be fine after a date with the pressure washer) and the stainless stuff should be ok. More irritated at this point than anything else.

 

[Oldskewl]

I had a minor encounter with these critters this year. Didn't realize they ate plastic though. My bottling bucket has a hole in the lid for an airlock. I never sealed the hole and stored odds and end in it like hoses, hydrometer, flask, etc. I had a lot of moths in the back of the garage this summer. I opened the lid a couple months ago and had a hand full of them crawling around inside.

 

[Accidic]

I didn't know they ate plastic either til someone pointed out what they were and I started reading. I started noticing the small holes shortly after. A few small in the thin part of the funnel but the majority in the thin bags. There is a good bit of goop on the hoses and it seemed like they nested inside them but I don't know whether they were eating it or not. Seems polyethylene was their target but I could be wrong.

Btw, @BrewBama, if you're near Montgomery you're welcome to them. Not sure of the qty. But I would honestly estimate at least two of the larger red wiggler containers full. Tho I do love to fish and I helped my daughter set up a worm farm... once the worms went in I was done. I do not EVER do worms. Traumatic experience with water moccasins as a kid and the revulsion level is epic just due to minor resemblance.

 

[Brownalemikie]

Sounds similar to mice chewing the insulation off wires in a car or motorcycle. The insulation is made with vegetable base plastic.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Mothra !

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

Damn, that's crazy ! hard to imagine worms eating plastic.

 

[passedpawn]

Mothra !

oh man I loved that one.