How to get rid of moths in products? What to do if food moth started up in the kitchen

Food moth in an apartment is a source of many troubles. Moreover, moths in cereals start up even in kitchens where perfect order and cleanliness. For effective fight with pests will be needed minimal knowledge about their life and, suddenly, completely different types of insects have chosen your kitchen?

Food moth - photo, description

An inconspicuous gray or brown butterfly, about a centimeter long, randomly flying around the room, landing on the surface of the ceiling, walls and products, annoyingly circling right before your eyes - this is a food moth. Her life is short only half a month, but the larvae quietly exist for two months, and it is they who pollute the products. An adult moth drinks water (therefore, it can be seen in a container of water or near the sink) and does not eat anything. But the harm from them is colossal, one moth lays up to four hundred eggs, from which the very larvae then appear, crawling in the croup.

Food moth - types:

• walnut,
• barn,
• mill fire,
• cereal and many others.

But if the moth lives in the kitchen, then it eats only food and is absolutely indifferent to clothes.

Moth in cereals and other products - harm from insects

Food moths can be seen in flour bags, cereal bags, tea, some spices, nuts, and even dog or cat food. Usually she appears in the apartment with products in which larvae have bred. It is not uncommon to buy such products in a store. This is due to poor-quality processing of goods, unfavorable storage conditions and other negative factors. The kitchen is warm and moths multiply at the speed of light, infecting other foods. In some cases, food moths enter the apartment through ventilation from neighbors, but such cases are very rare.

The larvae, in addition to eating food, easily gnaw on the bags in which they are stored, leave their skin and feces in them, and dead larvae remain there. Do not eat contaminated cereals and any other products.

Moth Remedies

How to get rid of food moths in the apartment completely

Getting rid of pests is a difficult process, but self wrestling can give positive results. Means used against food moths are divided into folk methods and chemicals. But before you get rid of food moths in the apartment, you need to identify the source of infection.

Before processing, you first need to find out which of the products caused the appearance of insects. Make an audit, pull out all the contents from cupboards and lockers. At the slightest trace of infection, throw away the products without regret. Pour what pests have not reached into jars or tightly closed containers, in extreme cases, determine for temporary storage in the refrigerator.

Wash the cupboard and shelves where the moth was found in the croup with soap and water, and then rinse. Carefully go over the surfaces with a sponge dipped in vinegar. Let the cabinet dry completely with the doors open.

How to get rid of food moths in an apartment using folk remedies

1. In the fight against moths, the first remedy is lavender. Bunches of grass need to be laid out in cabinets.
2. Cloves and bay leaves - the smell of spices is extremely unpleasant for insects.
3. The moth is afraid of the aroma of garlic and will leave its habitat if, after removing the husk from the vegetable, the cloves are laid out on shelves and in cabinets.
4. Another tool that nature gives us is mint. It also needs to be laid out in cabinets.

How to get rid of food moths in an apartment using chemicals

Moths in cereals can be destroyed with insecticides. The efficiency is high, but they need to be used with
extreme caution due to high toxicity and negative impact on health.

Moth Insecticides:

• "Eslanadez" in liquid form or concentrate
• "Breeze" emulsion
• "Armol"
• "Combat"
• "Antimol" tablets and aerosol
• "Raptor" aerosol
• "Dezmol" tablets
• "Prayer" records
• "Gela", "Arsenal", "Zitol", "Phytocide" records.

There are traps whose smell attracts moths, especially males, which reduces the population.

Food moth scares many housewives. At least once in her life, every lady has encountered unpleasant insects, in bewilderment trying to understand where the flying moths came from in the kitchen. Initially, it is necessary to find a source of reproduction of insects, then blunt to the destruction of uninvited "guests".

The process of getting rid of food moths is unpleasant, lengthy and costly. Be sure to study the rules for preventing the appearance of insects in your home, because preventing food contamination is much easier than trying to get rid of larvae, adults later.

What is food moth

The insect is a pest with a short breeding cycle. The food or grain moth belongs to the butterfly family. Adults are beige, sometimes light brown. There are also caterpillar-like larvae, the eggs are light. Larvae, depending on the type of insect, differ in size, sometimes reaching a length of two centimeters. It is this form of pest that is considered the most harmful to humans. The larvae devour food, envelop nuts, fruits and cereals with an unpleasant cobweb.

The maximum lifespan of an adult (butterfly) does not exceed a few days, then the insect lays eggs and dies. During the breeding season, the pest turns into a wingless butterfly, when it destroys a lot of food stocks. This period can last up to six days. The process of reproduction of grain moth is accelerated if environment warm and humid. Therefore, the absence of flying moths is not a reason for calm. At this point, the larvae can safely feast on your supplies.

Note! The most important thing in the fight against insects in the kitchen is to periodically check all containers with dry foods, and not just get rid of the pest once.

These questions are of concern to many housewives, because many believe that they themselves are to blame for the contamination of products with insects. You can't think like that, you can only take care of your kitchen, but you can't watch other people. Often, goods bought in a store (especially for a promotion) are already infected with moth larvae. Unscrupulous owners of wholesale depots neglect the rules for storing products. Insects also make their way into the dwelling through ventilation, through windows.

Favorite places for food moths:

• cereals. A favorite habitat for grain moths: rice, oatmeal, oatmeal, pasta, even portioned bags of cereals are not immune from pest infestation;
• nuts. The moth lives in peeled peanuts, under the shells of walnuts;
• dried fruits. Raisins, prunes, dried apricots are often covered with some kind of mold, due to the enveloping of the product with moths;
• carton boxes. Sometimes the larvae are found in unpacked packs of tea, corn flakes, oatmeal;
• if insects have been living in your kitchen for a long time, then perhaps they live under window sills, behind cabinets, there are rare cases of grain moths living even in household appliances, which has not been used for a long time;
• there is an opinion that insects are afraid of garlic, but some claim that they found larvae even in bags with vegetables;
• there are foods that the moth does not eat, but lives well in them (salt, soda). When revising the kitchen, pay attention to these bulk.

Caustic (vinegar) and viscous (honey, wait, jam) are not susceptible to infection, because insects simply drown in them.

It is impossible to panic when a pest is found, get together and immediately begin to destroy the grain moth.

Harm and danger

Many believe that the insect is absolutely harmless to humans, it's okay if it eats a couple of grains. It is strictly forbidden to believe so. The main problem of the grain moth is that an adult can lay about 500 eggs. Each larva changes its skin several times during a short life, infects food with its vital activity. In cereals, nuts there are many feces, chitinous cover (insect skin).

Regular consumption of contaminated foods, sometimes even one meal, can lead to sad consequences:

• food poisoning, serious intoxication of the whole organism;
• severe allergic reaction, up to Quincke's edema, which sometimes leads to death;
• malfunctions of the immune system.

All doctors and exterminators insist that after finding insects in the kitchen, you need to get rid of them very quickly. Food moth carries a special danger to children. A fragile organism can acutely perceive a meal of contaminated products.

General rules for insect control

• mistakenly put cereals in the refrigerator, low temperatures lead only to the fact that the larvae fall asleep. After returning to a humid and warm environment, insects will begin to actively multiply.
• larvae, eggs die only when high temperatures. It is allowed to steam the cereals in the oven for at least 20 minutes, otherwise some individuals may survive, the pest control will have to be repeated again;
• not for nothing that our mothers and grandmothers kept cereals, dried herbs in tin cans. Insects are unable to gnaw through metal, glass, wood and foil. But fabric, paper, polyethylene covers - easily. Store all edibles in tightly closed glass containers with special seals. So you can see the pest through glass jar, insects will not spread throughout the kitchen;
• wash all jars in which there was infected cereal in vinegar solution. Ordinary soap does not affect moths in any way, insects can even live in packs of powder. soap solution it is allowed to rinse after vinegar treatment for additional hygiene.

Important! No methods will help if you do not destroy all contaminated food. It is also recommended to thoroughly wash the furniture, the room itself, carry out general cleaning by adding a little table vinegar to the water for mopping.

Completely rid the kitchen of annoying insects help chemicals, which excludes the rescue of contaminated products. All remedies against grain moth can be divided into two groups:

• elimination insecticides. The products consist of chemical elements aimed at poisoning adults, larvae, death of eggs;
• repellents. The products include only natural ingredients that can repel insects. Products cannot destroy moths, but contribute to their resettlement to other territories.

Aerosols

How to deal with food moths in an apartment? One of the most effective means consider aerosols. Manufacturers produce a mass of products that are similar in composition and action, designed to rid the kitchen of food-eating insects in a short period of time.

Popular aerosols:

• Antimol. Permitted to use on kitchen furniture, tissues, the duration of action of the remedy is amazing - the effect lasts up to one year;
• Armol. The product is designed for the rapid destruction of moths, the product affects not only butterflies, but also has a prolonged effect on larvae;
• Combat. famous universal action, destroys all types of moths. Safe for pets and can be used on all surfaces.

For help choosing the right aerosol, contact a consultant in a specialized store. Consider the presence of children in the house. At the time of pest control, it is better to leave the premises, pick up pets, children, even plants. Then thoroughly ventilate the dwelling, insects cannot stand fresh air.

Traps

Flying individuals must also be destroyed to prevent the resumption of food contamination. To do this, some use a regular newspaper or slippers. The moth flies badly, it is not difficult to catch it. If this method is not to your liking, use purchased traps that attract insects. The means are lubricated with a special substance, the pest sticks and can no longer fly, and eventually dies.

The Aeroxon food moth trap has proven to be excellent. The adhesive surface of the product does not dry out for a long time, the special aroma attracts butterflies. The trap can be purchased at any hardware store, the cost of one package does not exceed 200 rubles. One trap should be enough to completely destroy adults, if this does not happen, get another tool.

Folk recipes

Proven remedies for food moths in the apartment: http://site/nasekomye/blohi/kak-izbavitsia.html and read about how to get rid of fleas in the apartment yourself.

Fighting cereal moth takes away a large number of time and effort, as highly effective drugs fast action not suitable for kitchen conditions. And, accordingly, housewives often have a question about how to get rid of moths in cereals and make sure that this pest does not return. Most often, repellents are used to combat these insects, which scare them away with their aroma, preventing them from multiplying.

Cereal moth breeds very intensively, so you need to quickly choose a means to destroy it.

Appearance

This pest looks very inconspicuous, as it has a discreet color and small size. When the wings of a butterfly are folded, the body length reaches 8 mm, and in this position it is very difficult to notice it even with a direct look, since it looks more like a small ledge than an insect.

Important! It is necessary to recognize the type of moth that you encountered, since all adults are very similar in appearance, only color distinguishes them. To determine who you are dealing with, you should pay attention to where the butterflies fly - in the kitchen or near the wardrobe.

Please note: food pests are also distinguished by several types, and their color can be varied.

Pest Control Methods

When starting to destroy moths in croup, you should know that it is necessary to fight both with young animals and with butterflies. Despite the fact that they are no longer capable of causing any harm to food, they should be disposed of with the same zeal. The fact is that adults reproduce very intensively and some time after the destruction of the young, you will again encounter numerous colonies of these insects.

Important! Do not use insecticides to kill caterpillars, as this can cause subsequent food poisoning. Therefore, having found an insect, you just need to throw all the infected cereals into the trash.

Butterfly destruction

If you've already thrown out contaminated food and the caterpillars are still crawling over your furniture looking for convenient place pupation, it is necessary to apply a method aimed at their destruction.

Advice! When treating furniture with aerosol preparations, you must first remove everything from the kitchen food products so that the agent does not get on them.

Prevention

In order not to look for information about that, it is necessary to be able to prevent its occurrence.

1. Don't turn your kitchen into a food warehouse by bulk buying cereals "just in case." Stick to the rule to buy products in such quantities that they are enough for a week, no more.
2. Upon arrival home, review the contents of the packages and pour the cereal into sealed glass or plastic containers.
3. Use natural scented repellents, such as citrus peels, dried lavender, mint, wormwood, garlic, bay leaves, or laundry soap bars, on your kitchen cabinet shelves.
4. Store food in a dry place and do not allow moisture levels to rise.

Remember that it doesn't matter to moths whether you maintain hygiene in the kitchen or not. She is attracted only by food products that are freely available to her, and packaging made of thin polyethylene for these pests is not an obstacle. And do not forget about preventive measures that can protect your apartment from the appearance of unwanted guests.

Ecology of life. Life hack: Moths in the kitchen are not only flying moths, but also their pupae, larvae and eggs. This means that in order to remove pests forever, you need to deal with them comprehensively - find and eliminate the outbreak, clean the furniture / ceiling, throw away everything that was infected and process potentially infected products.

Moths in the kitchen are not only flying moths, but also their pupae, larvae and eggs.

This means that in order to remove pests forever, you need to deal with them comprehensively - find and eliminate the outbreak, clean the furniture / ceiling, throw away everything that was infected and process potentially infected products.

Food moths are of different types. Most often in the kitchen in a city apartment you can find: flour moth, a little less often - cocoa moth (very similar to clothes moth) and southern barn moth (the fight against it is more difficult than with others). Where do they come from even in the purest kitchen cabinets?

Tiny, almost invisible eggs find their way into the kitchen in packages of cereals, cereals, biscuits, dried fruit, flour, spices and other groceries. Then, within a week, food moth larvae hatch from them, which subsequently pupate and turn into moths.

In this material you will find step by step instructions how to get rid of food moth, what preventive measures to take to avoid it reappearance and how to save food if it's a pity to throw it away.

Step 1. We are looking for a hotbed and infected products

Moth eggs look like small white grains stuck together, similar to semolina. The larvae first look like small whitish worms, and then they grow to 1.27 cm and have black or brown heads. Another clear sign of food contamination is cobwebs, as in the photo below.

Moth infested oatmeal

To get rid of food moths, the first thing you need to do is:

1. Inspection of kitchen cabinets and products. Inspect all the supplies that are stored in the kitchen cabinets - you need to find not only the source, but also the products already infested with larvae and eggs.

Do not forget to check unpacked groceries, because moths easily eat through cardboard, foil and polyethylene.

Pay special attention to the edges of the jar lids - they may have a moth cobweb.

Remember that not only groceries can be contaminated, but also animal feed, bird seeds, fishing bait, that is, almost everything that is not stored in the refrigerator.

2. Inspection of the ceiling. Ceiling, ceiling moldings, wallpaper edges and chandelier base. The moth loves to hide in dark crevices and corners.

3. Inspection of cabinet tops. Here you can also see moth cocoons.

By the way, if you doubt whether there is a mole in your kitchen at all or, say, whether it was possible to bring it out after cleaning, then inspect the room at night - adults will gather around a burning chandelier.

Step 2. We carry out a total cleanup

1. Eliminate the source and products that show clear signs of contamination. Once you find which product has been the source of the insects, wrap it tightly in plastic bag and throw it away immediately, or better yet, burn it altogether.

2. Do a thorough cleaning. Empty kitchen cabinets and take out the shelves, and then vacuum them and the inside walls of the cabinet, paying particular attention to the corners and crevices.

A vacuum cleaner (without a nozzle or with a small nozzle) will tighten the hidden moth and prevent unobtrusive eggs from remaining in the closet. This method is very effective, so if you do not have a vacuum cleaner, you should ask your friends for it. The main thing after the procedure is to throw out the bag or freeze it in freezer for 3-4 days.

3. Wash all containers and jars. This can be done with vinegar solution or laundry soap. The container in which the contaminated products were located should be frozen for 3-4 days or heated in the microwave for 5 minutes.

4. Vacuum the ceiling. If you find moth settlements on the ceiling, ceiling plinths, tops of cabinets, near the chandelier, and also under the edges of the departed wallpaper, then vacuum these places too.

Step 3. Kill the adults and put up the traps

How to catch adults who have already scattered to the corners of cabinets and kitchens? Males (by the way, harmless, but fertilizing females) can be caught using a glue trap (photo below). The principle of its operation is simple - a trap treated with female pheromone attracts males and “catches” them, and, of course, the mole cannot reproduce without males. Thus, pheromone traps will help prevent the re-emergence of insects.

glue trap

The females will have to be killed. traditional methods- a fly swatter or a folded newspaper, since they fly poorly and slowly, it is not so difficult to do this.

Step 4: Handling Potentially Infected Products

So you've thrown away the source product and the food with clear signs of contamination, but what about the rest of the supplies that appear to be clean or slightly contaminated?

The easiest way is to throw them away, but if you want to, you can save potentially contaminated food in the following two ways:

After sifting and sorting out cereals, flour or other product, keep it in the freezer or on the balcony (in winter time) at least 3-4 days.

After pouring the product onto a baking sheet, heat it in the oven at a temperature of 60 degrees for at least 40 minutes. Before warming it, of course, you need to clean it.

Keep in mind that the first processing method, although longer, retains all the vitamins and nutritional properties of food.

Step 5. We carry out prevention and protect products

1. New or cold/heat processed food (including pet food) should be poured into glass, thick plastic or metal containers/jars with tight-fitting lids. This will protect the supplies from the penetration of moths and prevent them from escaping outside the container. Recall that cardboard, paper, foil and plastic bags are easily eaten by it.

How to properly store groceries

2. In the fight against moths in the kitchen, it will come in handy and folk recipe– storage of products with natural repellents:

With a couple of leaves bay leaf;

With peeled, but not cut garlic (a couple of heads are enough);

With orange peels.

Bay leaf to protect flour from moths

3. On the shelves, you can also lay out one of the following, either: lavender twigs, birch leaves, geranium, wormwood, rosemary, laundry soap or strongly smelling essential oils. For example, fir oil is suitable, with which you can moisten a cotton pad and leave it in the closet.

Remember that these folk remedies they will scare away the adult moth, preventing it from laying eggs in food and on the shelves, but they will not work on the larvae. Moreover, if you suddenly put a package of infected cereals on a shelf with lavender, then the moth larvae will not die in it, and the butterflies that will appear later will no longer be afraid of the smell of lavender. That is why it is necessary to deal with domestic pests comprehensively.

And a little more about prevention

The following tips will help you avoid moth recurrence:

Try not to store food 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 that you can eat them within a couple of months.

Buy groceries only from well-known manufacturers and if possible, check the quality of goods in the store. For fidelity, freshly bought cereals, cereals, flour, nuts, dried fruits and other products, freeze for 3-4 days (in dry form).

Pet food, such as bird seeds or, say, bait for fishing, do not store in the kitchen.published

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This will be of interest to you:

Kitchen moth tends to multiply very quickly and spoil food, so you need to start fighting it immediately after it appears. Once a kitchen moth has started up in your house. It just needs to be fought with, as it spoils food and multiplies very quickly. How to get rid of food moths, you will learn by reading this article.

• • What does a kitchen moth look like
  • Prevention
  • Destruction of insects in the closet
  • Butterfly Fight
  • Conclusion

What does a kitchen moth look like

Kitchen moth is active at night

This insect is a small nondescript butterfly that moves in a chaotic manner. Most active at night. It lives only a few weeks, but during this time it produces many of its own kind.

What exact signs can be called in the appearance of a kitchen moth? First of all, it is:

• butterflies on the ceiling and walls;
• cocoons in flour, cereals and other products;
• caterpillars crawling imperturbably around the closet.

Moth in the kitchen does not live long, but leaves behind a huge offspring

The appearance of larvae in bulk products and caterpillars in the cabinets - a signal for action!

If the moth settles in the croup, it will immediately begin the process of active reproduction and lay a large number of eggs. They will later hatch into food moth larvae. It is worth remembering that she can start breeding at any time of the year, since in this case she does not have any specific season.

Interestingly, the adult does not eat anything at all, only drinks water. Only its larvae feed on cereals and other products.

Where does the moth come from in the kitchen

This insect usually enters the room in one of the following ways:

• through ventilation and small gaps;
• along with cereals that have not been subjected to the correct sanitary standards;
• through a window that doesn't mosquito net.

Using a mosquito net will partially protect your kitchen from moths.

Types of food moth

Based on this, it can be understood that the measures to combat each type of moth may differ in one way or another.

Barn moth prefers nuts in its diet

Flour moth absorbs exclusively flour products

Prevention

If you don't want to lose all the products in own house, then you need to use preventive measures. For this you need:

• all containers with products are required to be inspected monthly;
• jars with products in winter periodically put on the balcony;
• heavily contaminated food is best destroyed;
• using a soap and soda solution, regularly rinse the cabinets;
• if the flour is only slightly contaminated, then it must be sifted through a sieve.

How to get rid of food moths if the usual prevention no longer helps? This is difficult to do, but if you follow all the recommendations correctly, it will be quite possible.

Prevention of the appearance of moths in the kitchen (video)

Traps

Unfortunately, various chemicals are completely incompatible with products. Therefore, their use in this case is prohibited. But moth traps are more justified. For humans, they are absolutely harmless. But their manufacturers do not promise a complete disposal of all problems. The fact is that this remedy does not work on the larvae. The advantage is that the caught butterfly will no longer be able to continue the genus.

The use of traps is effective only for adult moths, their function does not apply to larvae

Lavender in the house

It is believed that moths can be fought strong odors which she cannot bear. Therefore, it is recommended to place lavender in the kitchen. In addition to it, from folk remedies suitable:

• Bay leaf;
• chilli;
• sagebrush;
• mint;
• geranium in a pot.

Fight with citrus peels

Of course, the peels of oranges, lemons or grapefruits will definitely not decorate the interior of the house. But that is not their purpose. Citrus peels require aromatization of the room. They can be put both in the closet and in a jar of cereals, where the moth started up. The main advantage of this method is that citrus fruits will not leave their smell, for example, in cereals.

The peel of a lemon or grapefruit does not leave its smell in the products, unlike garlic

Wiping surfaces

Kitchen moths can also be dealt with by simply wiping surfaces. Shelves and cabinets are completely washed different formulations, which can both scare away and completely kill harmful insect. If speak about means prepared independently, we can name the following:

• composition of water and lemon juice;
• composition of water and lavender oil.

Destruction of insects in the closet

If you want to completely clean your house from moths, then remember that the eggs of these insects can be stored even in the slightest crack. Therefore, in the closet, you need to deal with them exclusively with the help of chemical substances. In its turn, these drugs can be divided into:

Aerosols against moths must not be used in food cabinets

• repellents;
• insecticides.

Especially popular are insecticidal aerosols. The most effective are:

• Raptor "Protection from moths". Its effectiveness is on average about a year, it perfectly helps to destroy both larvae and adult moths in the closet.
• Aerosol "Armol". The term of its operation for six months, effectively and quickly kills moth butterflies.
• Antimol "Raid". Kills larvae and adult insects, can be used throughout the year.
• Aerosol "Combat Super Spray". It is completely safe for animals, eliminates larvae and butterflies in a short time.

The most important thing is not to spray these aerosols in the cabinets where food is kept.

Sections from the moth

The moth section is one of the most productive ways to kill moths. They may not smell at all, or they may come with some kind of smell. For example, lavender.

Despite the fact that the section is more intended for the elimination of moths in ordinary wardrobes, it is still often used in the kitchen. It contains substances that deprive an adult moth of the opportunity to reproduce.

The main and most effective sections are:

• Globol;
• Raptor;
• Mosquitall.

The term of each section is from 4 months to six months.

How to get rid of moths (video)

Butterfly Fight

Getting rid of an adult moth is much easier than removing its larvae.

There are situations when the larvae were completely destroyed and thrown away with spoiled food, and some individuals of moth butterflies survived and fly as if nothing had happened. If you do not bring the matter to the end, then there will be at least one adult capable of reproduction. And in this case, you have to start all over again.

It is worth noting that it is much easier to bring them out than the larvae. There is no need to resort to any special means or drugs. It will be quite possible to get by with an ordinary fly swatter or a folded newspaper.

Harm caused by food moth

Food spoiled by food moths can cause irreparable harm to your health

Eating foods spoiled by moths can lead to a severe allergic reaction.

For some reason, many people believe that food moths are practically harmless to the human body. Unfortunately, it is not. These insects can cause:

• severe allergy;
• problems with the immune system;
• intoxication of the human body.

Getting rid of food moths (video)

Conclusion

If you have a food moth, then this is a real test. You need to deal with it correctly:

• comply with all preventive measures;
• try to kill her in every possible way.

If you do this, then such trouble will bypass you, and the moth will not start again.