High-quality moth control can be described by the name of the Soviet film - “Find and Neutralize.” But in order to find a moth before the damage it causes is minimal, you need to at least approximately understand where this insect may be located. At the same time, eggs can be in one place, worms in another, and butterflies - they fly wherever they want. Killing them is difficult and of little benefit: if she flutters out of the shelter, it means there is already a nest somewhere. We need to find him and destroy him.
Favorite places of moths
The food moth prefers groceries. She eats everything without exception:
- grain;
- cereal;
- hot spices;
- flour;
- cookies;
- sugar;
- breadcrumbs and other products.
Each species has its own food preferences, but often food butterflies do not disdain anything. This means that a pest can be found in any dry products. The larva eats the product and spins a silk cocoon. Rolls and lumps form in flour and cereals; nests with worms can be found in nuts.
Food moths fly poorly. She is not able to move between rooms on her own, and ends up in the apartment with things or food.
The food moth prefers groceries. She eats everything without exception
There are moths: what to do?
Once the nest of the pest butterfly has been found, you should immediately begin to destroy it. It should be remembered that the insect starts in dark places that are poorly ventilated. If you constantly ventilate things and cupboards with cereals, then you don’t have to worry about the appearance of a harmful butterfly. In cases where it is too late to engage in prevention, it should be taken into account that all insects cannot tolerate strong odors, so you can scare off adult insects from places that are attractive to them using drugs that have a pronounced aroma.
If the question of how to detect moths in an apartment has been resolved, and the insect was found in a closet with clothes, you need to go through all the things and take them out for airing. It is advisable to wash wardrobe items in hot water; if the material of the items does not allow this, they can be treated with chemicals and then washed at the appropriate temperature or cleaned. Fur items must be aired on the balcony so that they freeze out or receive a dose of ultraviolet rays.
The food moth can be destroyed only if you completely get rid of contaminated products. After an inspection of the cabinets, they must be washed with vinegar or insecticide solutions that will kill insects hiding in the crevices of the furniture. After treatment with chemicals, food cabinets and shelves should be thoroughly washed with clean water or a baking soda solution.
It should be remembered that eggs and pupae are reliably protected from the action of many agents, so it is important to carry out secondary treatment after 1-2 weeks. In order not to worry about moths in the cereals and what to do, it is important to place special traps on the shelves or place items with a pungent odor before storing food. Essential oils of cedar and lavender, which can be applied to cotton pads, as well as wormwood or juniper branches, are perfect for these purposes.
To prevent nesting of flying pests in wardrobes, not only natural substances in the form of aromatic essential oils are used, but also chemical ones. Naphthalene and tricarbonyl chlorine crystals are excellent at repelling butterflies. When using these drugs, they must be securely hidden from children and pets, since the substances are toxic and can cause harm to any living organism, not just insect pests.
What does a mole look like?
These are insects belonging to the order of butterflies. Their appearance directly depends on the species. Household pests are represented by the following types:
- food;
- wardrobe;
- grain;
- furniture butterfly.
The color is often inconspicuous - greenish, grayish. The sizes are small - up to 15 millimeters. An insect can place a nest in the house and in nature:
- rye;
- cabbage;
- apple
You can find out in more detail why moth larvae are dangerous by reading the corresponding article on our website.
Moths are insects belonging to the order of butterflies. The appearance of the moth directly depends on the species
Use of chemical compounds
If you find a fairly large accumulation of moth larvae at home, then traditional methods of control may not be enough. For this reason, experts recommend using synthetic agents to treat infected areas. The main thing is to take into account that the main damage is not caused by adults. First of all, you need to fight the voracious moth larvae.
Remember that toxic aerosols and sprays should never be used in the kitchen. This can lead to poisoning of the entire family. Do not hesitate to throw away spoiled cereals and flour. Products damaged by moths can no longer be used for food. What to do in the kitchen where a moth larva was found?
Detection of food butterfly
This type of moth caterpillar typically feeds on solid food:
- cabbage;
- leaves, stems;
- cereal;
- nuts.
In some cases, the adult does not have a mouthparts and lives for less than a week.
The nest should be looked for either in or near food. Often this is an apple tree, cereals, cabbage. First, a small nest is formed. It contains larvae.
The food moth caterpillar typically feeds on solid food.
Signs of insects living in the house
Food moths are easier to detect due to their limited mobility. It is found only in the kitchen (or in the pantry with food supplies), directly in the products, namely:
- cereals;
- tea;
- bakery and confectionery products, gingerbread;
- pasta;
- flour;
- nuts;
- dried fruits;
- chocolate;
- sunflower seeds;
- oatmeal and other cereals.
It lives within the package, where egg laying occurs. You can detect it by the following signs:
- lumps in bulk products (pictured) are a kind of cocoon that moths form with the help of crushed food particles;
- a cobweb by which you can identify insects in bulk products and on kitchen furniture;
- feces visible as fine black matter in food or powder on cupboard shelves;
- if the moth infestation area contains a large population of insects, a large number of dead moths and the remains of cocoons from which the larvae hatched are visible in the products.
Clothes moths reveal themselves at a late stage. When she appears to our thunderous applause, we clap our hands at the end of the performance: the winged insect multiplies very quickly and makes several clutches in the three weeks that she is allowed to live. She lays eggs in crevices, corners of cabinets, and on the bottom surface of shelves. If moths feed on furniture upholstery, then you should look for cocoons under the seats of chairs and armchairs, under the bottom of cabinets, on the legs of beds and sofas, etc. In all cases, eggs are laid on clothing, which the hatched worm will feed on.
The larvae begin to feed at a monstrous speed, since their life is limited by nature for a very short time and they need to make the most of the food source in order to calmly go into the pupa, and when emerging from the cocoon in the adult stage, have time to lay eggs. In clothes moths, larvae can be isolated from bald spots in carpets or at the borders of damaged tissue. In fur and fleecy fabrics, moths may not be as visible.
Signs of a pest
The presence of moths is indicated by the presence of eggs. But finding them is quite difficult due to their small size. In the closet, if you look carefully, you can see a large number of threads of cobwebs and pupae.
Flying insects usually do not go unnoticed. If there are 2 or more individuals in the apartment, you should immediately arm yourself with a flashlight and begin inspecting the premises. Carefully check in places where cereals are stored, in things made from natural fabrics, in kitchen furniture.
Finding moth eggs is quite difficult due to their small size
Why are moths dangerous?
There are several types of pests that live in apartments and houses. Each type can cause irreparable damage, namely:
- Furniture butterfly – destroys upholstered furniture. The larvae can damage the material with which interior items are filled and upholstery made of natural fabrics.
- Clothes moths grow in cloth and drape items, in which they eat the inner layer.
- Fur - will not ignore things and shoes that contain natural fur.
- Food butterfly - spoils food products that are stored outside the refrigerator.
It should be noted that insects that feed on natural fabrics can also destroy things made from synthetic materials if there is a lack of food for the development of larvae. That is why, if you find butterflies flying around the house, you should know how to find moths in your home in order to prevent the growth of a colony of pests.
Adults do not eat at all and live 4-6 days and are able to lay eggs on the second day of existence. As a rule, one individual lays from 60 to 100 eggs, from which caterpillars hatch after 4-6 days. This form of insect is dangerous. Larvae need substances found in natural tissues and materials to move to the next pupal stage, so they can destroy large quantities of food and quite impressive areas of tissue. If you kill a flying butterfly, there is no guarantee that the threat is completely destroyed. Finding a pest nest is very difficult, since the adult insect itself is small in size, and the eggs and larvae are even smaller.
How to protect your home
It is important to know how to protect yourself from moths. Prevention will help protect your apartment from pests. The following measures are worth noting:
- use of special repellents;
- checking all food products after purchase;
- purchasing only those foods that can be eaten during the week;
- You should not purchase products in places where the products are sold at a very low price.
For moths, there are no more dangerous herbs with a strong odor:
- rosemary;
- sagebrush;
- lavender;
- tansy.
You can also use:
- horse chestnut;
- essential oils;
- vinegar;
- orange peel;
- strawberry or laundry soap.
Moth repellent
As with other insects, eliminating moths requires a comprehensive approach. Therefore, you may have to use several means. Although, if you encounter a clothes moth, it will be easier to remove it, but after that protection or preventive measures are necessary.
The products available on the market are aimed at destroying adults or repelling them. After you achieve the disappearance of adult insects, you need to take care of protection and repellent methods from areas that are at risk of infestation.
It follows from this that a successful fight is possible if you correctly combine measures of destruction and deterrence.
In order to choose a remedy for moths, you need to familiarize yourself with the drugs presented in a wide range on sale.
Description, life cycle and reproduction
The moth looks inconspicuous: it is a small butterfly of golden yellow or straw color, the wingspan is 15 mm. The insect is afraid of daylight, so it leads a nocturnal lifestyle. During her life cycle, the female manages to lay about 300 eggs. Flying butterflies do not harm clothes. Their digestive system does not function; they only consume water. The danger is posed by small caterpillars - the larvae of household moths.
Knowing how the pest reproduces, you can take preventative measures. At home, the insect prefers to breed in the folds of clothing. Females love dry and warm habitats. After mating, the female is ready to lay eggs within four hours. The higher the temperature, the faster the larvae will hatch from the eggs. Moths in apartments feed on keratins, which they obtain from home textiles: woolen fabrics, fur coats, fabric pads in furniture, curtains and carpets. She is especially attracted to worn clothes with traces of dirt and sweat.
The larvae have a translucent or light yellow body color, due to this the entire contents of their stomach are visible. There are eight short legs on the abdomen; the caterpillar's head is brown. The larvae reach a length of 12 mm, have powerful jaws and a voluminous digestive system. Thanks to this, clothes quickly become unusable, leaving gnawed tracks on the product.
If you see a flying clothes moth, then it is a male. Females do not know how to fly, they stay in one place, and the males fly to them themselves, finding them by a specific smell.
