Moths are one of the household pests that can cause significant damage to humans. There are a large number of varieties of insects. By the name of the species you can understand where the pest lives and what it feeds on. Thus, carpet moths lay eggs in carpets, and the larvae that emerge after a while feed on their natural fibers. The cabbage moth damages cabbage heads, the poplar moth feeds and reproduces on poplars, the furniture moth eats products containing keratin, and the food moth prefers to spoil products. It is found in cereals, flour, dried fruits, nuts, tea leaves and even spices. This article will talk about how to get rid of meal moths.
What does the pest look like and signs of its presence?
Flour moth One of the largest types of moth is the flour moth. Its wingspan can reach up to 2-2.5 cm. The silver-gray insect is active at night. Adults do not spoil food, but only crawl on it to lay eggs. From where, after some time, moth larvae appear, the size of which is up to 13 mm in length. It is they who pose a real threat to food supplies: flour, baked goods, cereals and even vegetables. Caterpillars build cocoons from nutritional material, in which they spend up to 5-6 weeks. The lifespan of a winged moth is about a month.
On a note!
You should not eat foods contaminated with flour moths, as they contain feces, chitinous scales and the remains of dead insects. All this can not only lead to problems with the immune system, but also cause a severe allergic reaction and intoxication of the body.
You can understand that flour moths live in the house by the following signs:
- The presence of butterflies sitting on the ceiling and walls;
- Larvae, as well as insect waste products, can be found directly in the flour itself;
- Caterpillars crawling in the kitchen cabinet are further evidence of the presence of meal moths in the kitchen.
Prevention
Housewives are interested in how to store cereals and things in the house so that moths do not appear.
There are a number of rules for this:
- You should not buy a lot of cereals, nuts, tea at once. It is better to replenish supplies as needed.
- Cheap loose cereals may contain insect larvae, so you need to purchase cereals in hermetically sealed packs and bags.
- Periodically check existing supplies for the presence of the parasite and its larvae.
- It is worth storing provisions in glass or metal containers.
- You need to place bunches of aromatic herbs on the kitchen shelves and in the closet. They need to be changed as the smell dissipates.
- After purchasing the cereal, you should immediately bake it in the oven. Old stocks that are not visually infected are also kept there for about 15 minutes. In winter, grains can be frozen as an alternative.
- It is not recommended to create significant accumulations of garbage in the house in the form of old things, carpets, pillows.
Sources
- https://dezplan.ru/vopros/mol-v-krupe
- https://obnaruzhil.ru/mol/pishhevaya.html
- https://FB.ru/article/268051/mol-v-krupe-kak-izbavitsya-sovetyi-po-borbe-i-hraneniyu-krup
- https://parazitdoma.ru/mol/mol-v-krupe
- https://Dezoff.ru/mol/pishchevaya-mol/
- https://KatalogPoleznogo.ru/dom/pishhevaya-mol-na-kuhne-32-sposoba-vyivesti.html
- https://apest.ru/mol/vse-o-moli/zavelas-mol-v-krupe-kak-izbavitsya/
- https://GdeKlop.ru/mol/kak-izbavitsya-ot-moli-v-krupah/
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Routes of penetration
Even the cleanest housewife is unable to insure herself against the appearance of flour moths in the house.
- Moths can enter the home in flour purchased at the market or in a store, which was produced in violation of standards or stored under improper conditions.
- Winged moths can enter an apartment through a window or ventilation hole that does not have a mosquito net.
On a note!
You can minimize the likelihood of the spread of flour moths by heating the brought food in the oven or destroying insect eggs by freezing.
What does the pest eat?
This question worries many housewives, as it is the key to answering which products need special attention. Most often, moths are found in cereals and flour, dry food. This could be nuts and chocolate, dried fruits, tea and spices. Even animal food is quite suitable as a breeding ground for voracious caterpillars. But most often moths appear in cereals. We’ll talk about how to get rid of it now, but for now let’s decide how this insect gets into the house.
How to get rid of a pest
Flour moth
Before you start fighting flour moths, you must:
- Conduct an audit of the kitchen. It is important to determine the source of the pest: flour or any other product with which the moth has come into contact should be mercilessly thrown away;
- Products that do not have obvious signs of the presence of a pest should be sorted out and heated in the oven (at a temperature of no more than 60 degrees) or in the microwave;
- Products in surviving packages can be disinfected by placing them in the freezer for 2-3 days;
- Good lighting and general cleaning will help to scare off the uninvited “tenant”. The inner walls of kitchen cabinets must be washed with soap and soda solution and treated with vinegar;
- It is better to store flour, cereals and other bulk products in dry, clean containers with hermetically sealed lids;
- Use folk remedies to combat meal moths.
Preventing the appearance of cereal moths in the house
It’s a shame to constantly throw away food, so it’s better to prevent insect pests from appearing in the kitchen. Follow simple rules that will help you forget about cereal moths for a long time.
- Do not buy cheap cereals by weight. Manufacturers often try to sell contaminated products at bargain prices.
- Check flour, cereals, and muesli immediately after purchase for the presence of eggs and larvae.
- Store groceries in glass or plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Please note that kitchen moth larvae can bite through a plastic bag. Muesli is at high risk, so immediately after purchasing, place this product in the refrigerator.
- In a jar of cereal or flour, place cloves of garlic or orange peels, the aromas of which insects cannot tolerate. The larvae simply will not be able to hatch from the eggs.
- Place herbs or foods that repel butterflies on the shelves of your kitchen cabinets. Folk remedies against kitchen moths include the following:
- lavender;
- mint;
- tobacco;
- black pepper;
- Bay leaf;
- carnation;
- garlic;
- citrus zest.
We also recommend that you grow (buy) geraniums and place the pot in the kitchen on the windowsill. The plant will delight you with lush pink flowers and at the same time repel food moth butterflies, mosquitoes and midges.
Folk remedies
The question of how to get rid of flour moths in the kitchen worries every housewife who has discovered an insect in her home. For these purposes, you can use folk remedies.
Garlic
To prevent moths from getting into the flour, you need to put a couple of cloves of garlic in a container with flour. Its specific smell is not to the taste of pests, so the female simply will not want to lay eggs in such a product.
Laundry soap
An excellent deterrent is laundry soap. It is used to treat the interior surfaces of kitchen furniture. It is enough to grate it on a coarse grater and mix it with water in a 1:1 ratio. Treat the surface with this soap mixture, then rinse it off and wipe it thoroughly.
Vinegar
Vinegar will help get rid of moth eggs undetected in crevices. It should be used after treating the cabinet with a solution of laundry soap. For convenience, you can use a brush. You can also use lemon juice for this purpose.
Folk remedies for flour moths
Lavender
You can protect food from pests with the help of lavender. Moths cannot tolerate the smell of this plant, so they will not settle where its branches lie. Wormwood, mint, tansy, bay leaf and chili pepper have a similar effect.
Oranges
An equally effective remedy for flour moths is the peel of an orange, lemon or grapefruit. It is enough to place it in the corners of the kitchen table or cabinet and the pest will not fly there. It is only necessary to replace the crusts with fresh ones as they dry out.
Tobacco and camphor
Insects will not lay eggs if tobacco is placed on the grocery shelf. Camphor has a similar repellent effect.
On a note!
All of the above methods have a strong odor, which only repels flour moths. However, it is not able to rid the product of larvae and eggs. Moreover, by placing a package of contaminated flour on a shelf, adult individuals will soon emerge from the caterpillars in it, who will get used to this aroma and will no longer be afraid of it.
It is not advisable to use insecticidal agents to combat meal moths, since products treated with them are dangerous to eat.
Comprehensive moth control
Despite the fact that the adult does not touch the food, it is capable of laying new larvae that will spoil the food again.
Therefore, it is worth considering comprehensive methods for controlling flying insects. For this purpose, purchased products are suitable, which can be found in abundance in household chemical stores. The most popular are: aerosols, fumigators and anti-moth sections.
General instructions for use
- Be sure to sort through and check all the food. Throw away spoiled food.
- Wash and dry the food container thoroughly.
- Treat the surface of the cabinets.
- Be careful when cleaning. The product should not get on food.
- Be sure to get rid of adults using any of the above methods, or manually.
- Remember that you need to get rid of moths comprehensively.
Aerosols against moths
Aerosol Raptor “Protection against moths”
A common and inexpensive aerosol. The advantage is that it kills moths at any stage of development, that is, both butterflies and larvae. But if you believe the reviews, then its action is not always effective. Another disadvantage is its pungent odor. Be careful when using and follow the instructions. Spray the aerosol at a distance of 20-30 centimeters from the object, then ventilate the room.
Ekaterina, 27 years old, Kazan. “When my husband and I moved to a new apartment, moths haunted us, a nice gift from previous neighbors. In the store I bought the first thing I came across, and the name is always on everyone’s lips. But the rush was in vain. Not only did we almost get poisoned from this pungent smell, but the moths didn’t leave us either.”
"Armol"
Aerosol is not so advertised, and therefore its price is lower than the others. This product is sprayed for about 1 minute until the surface is completely moistened, then ventilate the room for half an hour. The product protects against moths for about six months. Armol is considered a more effective aerosol compared to other drugs. Its downside is the pungent odor and special sensitivity to it in children.
This is also interesting: How to remove food moths from the kitchen? Traditional ways and methods
"Clean house"
Standard aerosol, but very difficult to find in stores. Very convenient to use thanks to its spray tube. But it is very poisonous. So when spraying, it is recommended to use protective gauze and rubber gloves. The product is quite effective and has good reviews.
Svetlana, 20 years old, Yekaterinburg. “I encountered moths for the first time, so I decided to approach this issue thoroughly in order to get rid of the parasite once and for all. I surfed the Internet and chose this product. I ordered it online without any problems, the price is not bad. I didn’t regret it.”
"Extra Meat"
This remedy for food moths is similar to the drug “Armol”. "Extra Meat" is simple and standard to use, it has a fairly low price, but it is not as widespread as aerosols from other manufacturers.
Fumigators for killing moths
Such methods of struggle are for the patient, since their effect lasts three days, and not several hours, like aerosols. But their main advantage is that they are not so toxic.
The operating principle is simple. A plate or a can of liquid is inserted into the fumigator, and the device itself is plugged into an outlet. Installation in a cabinet is problematic; to do this, you need to extend the extension cord.
Fumigator DiK
An ordinary fumigator, and very cheap. But as it turned out, it breaks down quickly, so it won’t last more than a week.
"Moskitol"
This product is sold as a kit, which includes liquid and fumigator. The price is above average, but the result will meet expectations. It kills both flying moths and caterpillars. The liquid is odorless, which is very important. The advantage of this product is that it has a fairly large damage radius. Judging by the reviews of Mosquitol, the product is popular.
Alexander, 36 years old, St. Petersburg “Mole is a rather troublesome and confusing problem, so I bought something in the store that would require a minimum of effort from me. I plugged the fumigator into the socket, fortunately everything was included, and three days later I didn’t even notice how the insect had disappeared.”
"Raid"
A copy of the DiK fumigator, but more expensive due to the well-known brand.
Aeroxon moth trap
A very popular trap that is a bit overpriced. It is considered absolutely harmless to humans. The set includes two strips. Simply tear off the protective film and stick it to the moth’s habitat. This product is odorless and lasts about 6 months. The only precaution that manufacturers report is that if the sticky layer gets on your skin, wash it off immediately.
Elena, 41 years old, Lipetsk. “Moths are a fairly common problem, so I always have a few moth trap strips hanging in my kitchen cupboard. Very often they are not the only ones caught with it, so I have long forgotten about parasites. The only drawback is that I often touch my hand when I climb into the far corner.”
"Raptor"
Absolutely the same trap as the previous manufacturer, only an order of magnitude cheaper. The only noticeable drawback is that the sticky layer dries quickly. And this is not very convenient if you are gluing strips for prevention.
This is also interesting: Which trap to use against food moths? Expert advice and customer reviews
Moth sections
Many people choose sections as a means of fighting moths due to the fact that this is the only non-chemical remedy for the problem of parasites. And the smell is more pleasant than other products. However, the disadvantages here are more obvious:
- The range of one section is very small, so you have to buy several pieces for just one cabinet.
- Using sections you can only get rid of butterflies. They are harmless to the larvae.
This product does not destroy moths, but only repels them!
Raptor moth sections
Inexpensive moth repellent. The advantage is that you can choose a record with or without a smell. But the validity period is very short, only 4 months.
Galina, 34 years old, Tver. “In the summer at the dacha there is no peace from insects, especially since sorting through products for moths is very annoying. I needed a reliable option, but one that would not harm the children. The moth sections fit perfectly.”
"Mosquitall"
This manufacturer offers two types of sections. Some are simple paper ones, like the previous brand, the other are in the form of small plastic containers with powder inside, which are attached to the wall of the cabinet.
Nowadays, remedies for food moths are very common, both folk and store-bought. You can choose any one, depending on your preferences.
Preventive measures
Flour moth
The following recommendations will help prevent the appearance and spread of flour moths.
- Regular ventilation is the key to the absence of winged pests in the house.
- You should not purchase flour and cereals in damaged packages, or stock up on groceries for future use.
- Store-bought products should be carefully inspected for signs of contamination. Use the heating or freezing method to destroy moth larvae and eggs.
- Store flour, cereals and other grocery products in airtight containers.
- Cover ventilation holes and windows with mosquito nets.
- Use garlic, fragrant herbs and other folk remedies, placing them on cabinet shelves.
By following storage rules and preventive measures, flour moths will not appear in your kitchen.
Reasons for appearance
Of course, the parasite does not appear out of nowhere. Where do moths come from?
The most common reason for the appearance is contaminated products brought from the store.
Most of the larvae are in bulk products: flour, cereals, dried fruits, nuts, herbs.
Therefore, if you want to avoid this problem, purchase such products from trusted stores and carefully check the tightness of the packaging.
Another source of infection is neighbors. If they have this problem, it is likely that some of the moths will move to you in search of a more varied diet.
Moths may fly into the window - however, this case is considered quite rare, so there is no need to worry.
And a little more about prevention
The following tips will help you avoid the recurrence of moths:
- Try not to let food sit for more than 2-4 months and, of course, do not store supplies that have passed their expiration date.
- Store foods you rarely use in the refrigerator.
- Buy dry foods in small quantities so you can eat them within a couple of months.
- Buy groceries only from reputable manufacturers and, if possible, check the quality of the goods in the store. To be sure, freeze freshly purchased cereals, cereals, flour, nuts, dried fruits and other products for 3-4 days (in dry form).
- Animal food, such as bird seeds or fishing bait, should not be stored in the kitchen.
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