How to get rid of fruit or food moths in the kitchen?

How to save dried fruits from moths

In order to enjoy compote from dried apples or pears all winter, you need to think in the fall about how to preserve dried apples from moths. You should use a few simple tips:

• Packages in which you plan to put dried apples must be hermetically sealed. After storing last year's harvest, these dishes must be disinfected;
• Dried fruits should not be stored in pouches - the materials from which they are made are not strong enough. All it takes is the slightest hole for insects to enter. Dried fruits do not “breathe”, lose their aroma, and wither;
• The optimal storage method is glass, wooden or metal containers with a tight-fitting lid, or thick linen bags. The inside of the containers should be covered with paper. A dry sheet of paper should be placed on top of the sprinkled dried fruits (change it regularly so that it is not wet).

It is much easier to store dry apples in a container or bag - they can be conveniently placed inside wall or floor cabinets and shelves

It is important to monitor air humidity to avoid mold growth. The cabinet must be regularly ventilated, maintaining dry air, and treated with a weak solution of vinegar

No matter how well the drying is packaged, you should inspect it regularly in case a pest was able to get into the supplies.

It is very important that the dryer is processed after each serving of fruit. In winter it should be stored separately from food

Like other insects, moths are afraid of the smell of certain plants: laurel, lavender, oregano and acacia, so the fight should include using this “weakness”: placing parts of these plants next to packaged apples. It is permissible to replace them with citrus peels, the smell of which is also unpleasant for winged parasites. The basic rule is not to put odorous mixtures in a container with dried apples, otherwise foreign odors will be absorbed.

Moth repellents in dried apples

In summer, storing dried apples at home is somewhat easier, since you can take them out onto the balcony. To preserve all the taste properties and protect them from damage by food moths and other insects, it is recommended to put dried fruits in wooden boxes and cover them with several layers of gauze - this way the apples can breathe.

Preventive measures

We told you how to deal with pest infestation in the pantry if they have already infested. But to prevent this from happening, it is easier to prevent their occurrence by fulfilling simple requirements:

• To prevent an adult insect (2.5 cm) from entering the room, you need to protect all ventilation windows with fine mesh grilles;
• do not buy goods by weight in the markets; vacuum packaging does not give the insect a chance of survival;

• have a separate storage container for each type of dried fruit;
• constantly check the stock status;
• if possible, immediately after purchase, dry the fruits in the oven with the door open;
• do not make large purchases of dried fruits; small stocks can be stored in the refrigerator;
• The pantry must be frequently ventilated and kept clean and tidy.

Advice. To repel moths, you can use folk remedies: tobacco, dried lavender, and from ordinary means - fumigators or traps.

The food that comes to our table brings us energy - to live and work, vitamins and microelements - to be healthy and beautiful, pleasure - to remain satisfied with our fate. But food with a wormhole can destroy all this forever, ruin it. Someone said, cleanliness is the key to health, so take care of this guarantee, and keep food supplies clean, be healthy.

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.

Support the project - share the material with your friends on social networks:

Features of the insect

Getting rid of fruit moths is difficult - this voracious insect is not so easy to detect at the very beginning. The fact is that adults are already flying around the kitchen, but they don’t eat anything at all. Their main goal is to find a secluded place and lay eggs there, from which moth larvae will hatch in a few days. It is they who turn delicious dried fruits into real dust.

You can recognize fruit moths by the characteristic stripes on the tips of their wings. It is small in size, only about 1 cm long. Look at what the fruit moth looks like in the photo, so that if it appears, you can identify the enemy by the appearance of the moth butterfly. The grown larvae can be seen with the naked eye; they do not look like small worms. They hatch from eggs hidden in a cocoon, as if made from a cobweb.

food moth

Fruit moths can appear not only in dried fruits. An excellent habitat for it are bags of cereals or flour. Moth larvae prefer to eat sweet fruits, but the butterfly can lay eggs in a dry place next to them, and the hatched larvae will crawl to the delicacy on their own.

Fortunately, they do not crawl long distances, so fruit moths can appear in an apartment only in one of the following ways:

• fly through the ventilation ducts and settle in the food cupboard;
• entering the house with a new batch of low-quality dried fruits;
• fly into an open window, especially in the evenings when the lights are on in the windows.

Therefore, it is quite possible to protect yourself from its appearance and it is much easier to do than getting rid of moths in dried fruits.

Prevention

Having completely gotten rid of moths in dried fruits, you need to think about preventive measures. To prevent the parasite from returning to your kitchen, you can do the following:

• try to constantly maintain perfect cleanliness in the kitchen, which will prevent the appearance of not only moths, but also other insects;
• store food only in closed glass containers;
• it is better to cover hoods and vents with mesh to avoid the penetration of parasites from neighboring apartments;
• When you come home from the store, always check your food products - sort through dried fruits, add grains.

Now you know how to recognize fruit moths, remove them and prevent their reappearance. Remember that food parasites will only fly in the kitchen. If you notice small butterflies in the closet, then this is a completely different type of pest, which you can learn about from other articles on our website. For example, if you want to protect your winter wardrobe from small pests, we recommend reading the article: What means can you use to protect your fur coat from moths?

Dried fruit compote is very healthy and is an excellent alternative to packaged juices, which are usually full of dyes, preservatives and sugar. Therefore, those who care about their health always have dried apples, pears, dried apricots and other fruits in their homes. But if you store them incorrectly, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise: one fine day, a flying insect appears in the closet - a fruit moth.

Folk remedies

The use of chemicals in the kitchen to combat insects is extremely undesirable, as there is a risk of poisoning the products, and through them, people. Therefore, many are looking for alternative ways to fight. There are many folk remedies for fighting fruit moths. You can use several methods at once or choose one that works most effectively.

• Moths do not like the smell of garlic. Therefore, you can place peeled fresh cloves of this vegetable in your cabinets. It must be borne in mind that gradually the moth gets used to it and stops reacting to such an aroma. Then we need to move on to other methods of scaring.
• In the same way, the smell of lavender, wormwood, peppermint, catmint, oregano, and sweet clover will repel insects. You can hang bunches of herbs in the kitchen or place bags of these aromatic herbs in the cabinets.
• Bay leaves and cloves also help get rid of moths. You can put laurel leaves on top of jars of cereals. Then the insect will not lay eggs in these containers.
• It has long been noted that the smell of citrus fruits repels moths. Do not throw away the peels of oranges and tangerines. It should be dried and the peels should be placed in jars and bags with dried fruits, cereals, flour, and simply placed on the shelves of cabinets where food is stored.

Fruit moths easily adapt to odors and stop reacting to them. Therefore, you should not immediately use all of the listed means - it is better to use them in turn, periodically changing one to another.

How to fight moths

There are a lot of means to combat fruit moths. Moreover, here, not industrial methods, which contain poison that is harmful to humans, are better suited, but folk methods. But first of all, you need to empty all the cabinets and carefully double-check all the contents.

Folk remedies for moths

After all damaged products have been thrown away and properly packaged into new ones, you must thoroughly wash all surfaces of the cabinet (not just the shelves!) with regular food vinegar diluted in half with water. Particular attention should be paid to the far corners and the back surface of the shelves - this is where fruit moths most often lay cocoons with eggs.

Then you need to put on the shelves the products that fruit moths really don’t like:

• dried orange or tangerine peels;
• bags of spices: allspice, coriander, cinnamon;
• dry bay sprigs or bags with leaves;
• bags with herbs: lavender, mint, wormwood, oregano;

Moreover, it must be taken into account that all these folk remedies for moths do not kill, but only repel the insect and over time the larvae can adapt to them. Therefore, in order to guarantee the preservation of products, it is better to alternate them approximately once every 2-3 months.

It is useful to place an open container of salt in the cupboard. It will absorb excess moisture, creating a microclimate that is too dry for moths. At the same time, salt will fight the appearance of mold and prevent dried fruits from becoming damp. Following these simple rules will reliably protect your home from fruit moths, and you will always be able to enjoy your favorite delicacies.

Protection of dried fruits

If moths have already laid eggs in pieces of fruit, the product will have to be thrown away. It will be necessary to carefully examine the grain, flour, pasta, and cereals standing nearby, since food moths and its varieties can also be found there: flour, fruit, grain. If worms are crawling in some of these products, all these packages must also be thrown away.

If there are few larvae, you can fight for food. Like all insects, moths are afraid of low or high temperatures. Therefore, dried fruits, carefully selecting spoiled slices, need to be dried in an oven heated to 70 degrees for half an hour.

You can also kill moths and their larvae with frost: simply take dried fruits out onto the balcony in winter or leave them in the freezer overnight.

Food moths and their larvae prefer high humidity and warmth. It is difficult to take her out of a home where conditions suitable for her are maintained. The ideal way to get rid of moths is through thorough ventilation, drying corners, and eliminating damp foods.

Sometimes housewives prefer to use chemicals, but this method will not get rid of moths for long. Knowing how to deal with food moths, you can protect your supplies from voracious pests and cook apple compote for your children all winter.

Knowing how to deal with food moths, you can protect your supplies from voracious pests and cook apple compote for your children all winter.

How to preserve dried fruits

When moths appear, many people want to know how to get rid of them. But more experienced housewives prefer to figure out how to protect dried fruits from food moths.

The following preventive steps will help you learn how to protect and protect dried fruits from food moths::

1. Products (dried fruits) should be stored in sealed glass or tin containers.
2. Supplies must be periodically sorted out and heated in the oven for 5-6 minutes.
3. Periodically thoroughly clean cabinets using a vinegar solution, and you can also use special repellents.
4. Place special traps, tablets, cassettes against moths and their larvae next to cereals and dried fruits.

It is important not to miss the moment of infection. After all, when there are already a lot of moths flying around the kitchen, then most likely an impressive amount of dried fruit has already been spoiled

Harm caused

It doesn’t matter what type (barn moth, cereal moth, flour moth, nut moth, fruit moth) has settled in your kitchen, the harm is the same. In any case, you need to get rid of it as soon as you notice the first butterflies.

Food moths eat almost everything - the larvae are found in cereals, sugar, flour, bread, dried fruits, nuts, dried mushrooms, tea, pasta, seeds, and pet food.

In addition to eating, the larva weaves cocoons from silky threads reminiscent of a spider's web. They look like wool balls and pellets. She sheds her skin several times, changing her skin. Don't forget about defecation products and dead larvae.

All this makes food unsuitable for consumption unless you want to develop severe intoxication, a severe allergic reaction, problems with the immune system, or cause other harm to the body.

Adult butterflies, constantly flickering before your eyes, have the unpleasant property of getting into cups of drinks and pots when cooking.

The longer you wait, the harder it is to get them out later.

How to store your own dried fruits

Experienced housewives, who have never thrown away spoiled fruits, try to prepare them on their own and preserve them for a long time. To ensure that they are stored properly and for a long time, we recommend taking certain measures.

Store different fruits and nuts in separate containers

Drying rules and preparation for storage:

1. To ensure that fruits dry evenly, you need to cut them into equal pieces or slices.
2. During the drying process, the finished dried fruits are put in a cooler place, the remaining chopped fruits are turned over and tossed, bringing them to the required drying.
3. Select storage containers that are hermetically sealed: dense but breathable bags, containers with lids or glass jars.
4. Before packaging, the containers must be sterilized; containers, if they are not heat-resistant, are disposable.
5. Fill them with dried fruits to 2/3 of the height, leaving room for air.
6. Containers are stored at a temperature of about +10 degrees.

During the entire storage period, it is necessary to check the condition of the product, taking into account humidity and the presence of pests. The main insects that attack dried fruit are fruit moths and aphids.

Dried fruit protection

You can prevent the appearance of fruit moths if you take care in advance about the proper storage of food. To do this, it is necessary to prevent a sexually mature individual from laying eggs.

How to save dried fruits from moths?

Favorable conditions for moth reproduction are temperature +250C degrees and humidity within 50%. Infection can be eliminated if you prepare food for storage, select containers and determine the location.

Preparation for storage

To prevent moths from infesting dried fruits, you must first check their quality. To do this, you need to sort through them and remove everything that causes suspicion. Then, as a preventive measure against mold and insects, you should additionally dry them in the oven at a temperature of +60-800C for half an hour.

Attention! The shelf life of dried fruits is 12 months. After this period they should be disposed of.

Selection of containers

To store dried fruits, you must use hermetically sealed glass containers. After pouring the product into them, you need to put a paper napkin on top, which will absorb moisture.

Determining the storage location

Dried fruits must be stored in a dark, dry place where sunlight does not penetrate. The best option may be a shelf in a pantry or closet.

Protective measures

To preserve dried fruits and protect them from moths, it is necessary to check them regularly throughout the storage period. If stickiness appears, dry it in the oven. Also, to prevent high humidity in the storage area, you should place containers with salt nearby, which will absorb excess moisture.

Description of fruit moth

The fruit moth is a small and unremarkable butterfly: its body is approximately 1 cm long, and there are horizontal stripes on its gray wings and body, slightly different from the main color. It is easier to notice the pest in the evening, because the insect is characterized by a nocturnal lifestyle. Active years begin in the dark, while during daylight hours the insect prefers to hide in secluded corners, and you can see the fruit striped moth only by accident, for example, by opening a cabinet with supplies where it is hiding.

The life of an insect is short: it lasts on average 2–14 days. The female dies after laying eggs in food. Soon, voracious larvae will hatch from the clutch, which harm the food. Adults do not feed, so they pose a danger only as continuers of offspring.

Appearance

The fruit moth goes through several stages of development. In everyday life, a moth is usually called a nondescript moth of a gray, brownish color. The size does not exceed 3 cm with open wings. Butterflies are active in the dark, but you can periodically notice moths fluttering during the day.

On a note!

Moth eggs are extremely small and almost impossible to notice with the naked eye. One female lays up to 100 pieces during the entire life cycle - 3-14 days under favorable conditions.

The larvae are white caterpillars or worms with a dark “muzzle”. The food inside is visible through the translucent covering of the body.

The moth larval phase ends with the formation of a cocoon, pupation. After 2-3 days, a moth appears. There are no significant differences in the appearance of females and males. The fruit moth is pictured below.

Lifestyle and reproduction

It is not difficult for fruit moths to get into an apartment: you can hardly notice its clutches in a package with the coveted dried fruits. In nature, it lives in the tropics, so it definitely won’t fly in through a window or ventilation. But in large warehouses, where the assortment is represented by nuts, apples, and dried fruits, this is a frequent guest.

True, given the huge number of related species, some other species that flew through a window or escaped from neighbors through the ventilation system could easily settle in a bag of dried apples or nuts.

One fruit moth butterfly can lay up to 350 eggs, from which white larvae hatch. Quite often they can be found in dried apricots or figs, but home-dried apples are also susceptible to this scourge.

How does food moth appear and what is it?

Visually, the kitchen moth is similar to the clothes moth familiar to many - a small grayish butterfly, sometimes reaching one centimeter in size. The insect feeds on cereals, bread, flour, and cereals, so it tends to be close to food.

Adult moths rarely appear in the kitchen. Most often the larvae appear first. You shouldn’t be surprised at this cycle disruption: you often bring them from the store yourself.

Most often, you bring food moths yourself

There is an opinion that moths can only appear in kitchens where cleaning is neglected. This is far from true. The main source is store-bought cereals and groceries that were improperly stored. They may contain larvae, which over time develop into adults and begin to actively reproduce.

Adult moths can enter the kitchen through a ventilation hole from neighbors. It should be noted that in the butterfly stage the insect causes almost no harm - it lives no more than a week, does not eat anything, but only drinks water. However, during its life cycle, one butterfly can lay up to four hundred eggs, from which larvae hatch.

They are the ones who destroy food supplies, leaving waste products in them. The latter can be dangerous to the health of people, especially those with allergies. That is why it is very important to prevent food moths from appearing in your kitchen, and if they do appear, remove the parasites as quickly as possible.

What does this butterfly eat?

Fruit striped moths can lay eggs in any food; the larvae can feed on nuts, seeds, and cereals. Since dried fruits contain sugar, that is, a substance that is most easily digested, she prefers bags and jars with dried fruits for her offspring as the main place for nursing. As soon as the larvae hatch, they immediately begin to eat dried fruits, gnawing holes in them. During the growth process, molting products - chitinous scales, toxic substances of vital activity, thereby clog dried fruits from the inside. Therefore, such dryings, after the appearance and detection of these parasites, are thrown away. Eating them is dangerous - you can get seriously poisoned.

Larvae or eggs of fruit moths may end up directly on the surface of the shelf and if other food products appear in this place, uncollected parasites can also infect them

That's why it's so important to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Dried fruits affected by moths should be destroyed immediately

How to get rid of moths

If there are moths in dried fruits and cereals, first of all you need to check all the contents of the cabinets and get rid of all food packages where they were found. After this, you need to thoroughly wash the cabinets with soapy water and vinegar.

To repel insects in the future, all surfaces of the cabinets can be wiped from the inside with a vinegar solution, especially carefully treating the joints of the walls. There is no need to spare money. It is best to use a strong vinegar solution - essence. To avoid chemical burns, handle surfaces using rubber gloves. After this, ventilate the room thoroughly for an hour.

There are effective means to combat moths - Raptor moth traps, Aeroxon and adhesive tapes. When installing traps, care must be taken that they do not come into direct contact with the products.

You can learn how to use chestnut to fight moths.

Fighting methods

If the presence of fruit moths is detected, it is not recommended to use chemicals against them, because harmful components can cause damage to the human body. It is necessary to carefully check all the bags and vessels in the closet where the moth left its offspring.

After the audit has been carried out, the closet or other storage must be completely emptied and vacuumed. Next, you should take a strong vinegar solution (essence) and carefully wipe the walls of the storage room with it, especially in the corners and joints.

If at least one larva is found, then you need to throw away the entire grain.

Do not forget that this product has a very harmful effect on the skin, so the use of gloves is mandatory. It will not be superfluous to protect the airways with a gauze bandage. Upon completion of the procedure, the room is ventilated for an hour. There are special chemicals against moths: traps, adhesive tapes and aerosols.

Their effectiveness is not inferior to vinegar, but the safety of food storage leaves much to be desired. When installing traps and tapes, you must ensure that they do not come into contact with food storage containers.

To ensure that the problem with fruit moths disappears from your home, you should take a number of certain actions:

1. Rinse the jars with vinegar and wipe the bags with it. The use of chemicals in this case is strictly prohibited.
2. It is advisable to leave the cereals in the microwave or oven for 10 - 15 seconds at a temperature of +50...+70 °C.
3. If the damage is high and the entire kitchen or pantry is affected by moths, the room should be completely disinfected. Non-professionals should not do it, as they may get poisoned or the effect will be insufficient. It is highly recommended to contact an exterminator.
4. You should contact a pest control service if the vinegar procedure does not produce results.

It makes no sense to repeat it again, since the larvae can acquire immunity to this substance. For more information about food moths, watch this video:

The only thing that can help is powerful chemicals.

Actions to take when a pest is first detected

Moths do not appear on their own. Most often, you yourself bring it into your home with food; less often, an adult may fly into a window or an open door. As a rule, contamination occurs as a result of violation of the storage conditions of the product, and this can happen both in the factory warehouse and in the store itself.

1. If you purchase dried fruits in original packaging, then carefully check its integrity before purchasing. If you find even one minor hole, set the product aside.
2. But since dried fruits are often sold by weight, you need to carefully sort them out when you get home.
3. If you haven’t purchased dried fruits for a long time, but butterflies still appear, then sort out the dried fruits that have been stored for quite a long time.
4. If you find even one larva, you must throw away the entire batch of product. The rest of the small caterpillars may be hiding inside the fruit, and you simply won’t see it. In addition, the product will be contaminated not only with maggots, but also with eggs, and by throwing everything in the trash, you will be able to avoid contaminating other food products in your kitchen.
5. If there are no signs of fruit moths, the contents of the package must be transferred to glass jars and tightly closed with a lid.

We talked in detail about moths in cereals and the fight against them in a separate article: How to get rid of cereal moths?

External characteristics

If you have observed repeated appearances of butterflies over the course of three weeks, this is evidence that the infestation is quite serious and it is necessary to immediately take steps to eliminate the insects.

The winged moth is no longer capable of causing any harm, since their oral organ is reduced upon reaching sexual maturity. Parasites are their larvae, which, having powerful jaws, feed quite intensively and accumulate energy reserves so that upon reaching the adult stage they have the opportunity to reproduce.

Interesting fact! The absence of a proboscis is due to the fact that, upon reaching sexual maturity, the moth loses not only the ability to feed, but also to digest food. Therefore, they simply do not need this organ.

The caterpillar's head is brown. As a rule, infestation of dried fruits and vegetables with this type of moth will be indicated by small, neat nests and a thin cobweb around them. The larva will be inside the nest.

How to prevent damage

It's a shame when a lot of food goes to waste. To prevent this from happening, you must follow a few simple rules. Below are the rules by following which you can get rid of food parasites and avoid unexpected losses:

• Store products in tightly closed jars.
• Prevent fruit moths from appearing in your home. Destroy physically!
• Place pots of geraniums on the windows. The essential oils released by this plant repel these insects.
• Periodically check the food in the kitchen and pantry. Contaminated products are a source of parasite spread. Such products are simply thrown away.
• Wipe shelves with vinegar solution. Vinegar destroys the eggs of this insect. As a result, the probability of larvae appearing drops to zero.

The fruit moth reproduces very well: it lays many eggs, the larvae grow quickly and new individuals emerge from them.

Where does it come from?

The appearance of fruit moths in the house can be explained as follows::

1. An insect enters through an open window. A moth flies towards the light. Indoors, it selects a suitable place to lay eggs and dies after 2-3 days. It is difficult to notice one moth. The fact that an infection has occurred becomes clear from the appearance of voracious larvae.
2. During the drying process, pest eggs may end up on apples or pears. Over time, the drying material is placed in a dark place (cupboard, pantry), which is a favorable place for the development of the larvae.
3. Sometimes fruit moths are brought into the house with store-bought products. If drying ends, the fruit moth can lay eggs in cereals, flour, tea, and nuts. The only things this parasite is not attracted to are coffee and spices.

Even closed containers and sealed bags may contain eggs, larvae or butterflies.

Fighting methods

To destroy food moths, first of all, you should pay attention to gentle methods. It is not recommended to immediately use insecticides in the kitchen, as there is a possibility of the chemical getting on food

First, try traditional methods that can not only get rid of pests, but also prevent their reappearance.

Heat treatment

Once you have discarded all contaminated dried fruit, the remaining fruit can be heated at relatively high temperatures. To carry out this operation, the fruits are freed from packaging and laid out on a baking sheet. Set the temperature in the oven to no less than 50°C and no more than 70°C and heat the product for 3 hours.

At the end of the procedure, the fruit must be placed in glass containers with a hermetically sealed lid and put in the refrigerator or on a shelf in a cabinet. When you notice that adults stop appearing, the products can be returned to their permanent storage location.

Using improvised means

For the second method you will need:

• soap solution;
• table vinegar;
• lemon, eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil;
• Bay leaf.

The process sequence is as follows:

• completely empty wall cabinets, bedside tables and pantry of food and any objects;
• using a small vacuum cleaner attachment, treat the interior surfaces of the cabinets;
• Using a soft sponge soaked in a hot soapy solution, wipe the shelves, doors, hinges and corners of the furniture;
• containers intended for dried fruits must also be treated with soap and water;
• dry everything thoroughly and wipe with vinegar, to which you should first add a few drops of essential oil;
• Place a bay leaf on the bottom of each container.

Methods of pest control

To save your supplies, you need to know how to get rid of fruit moths in your home. Fighting insects is not easy, because you cannot use the most effective means - chemical insecticides. They are toxic, therefore the treatment of food with pesticides is strictly prohibited: this can cause severe poisoning in humans.

Therefore, it remains to use harmless means. Traps and adhesive tapes designed to kill flying insects can help reduce the number of adult fruit moths in your home and prevent them from laying eggs. They should be placed near where dried fruits are stored, for example, near a cabinet or pantry.

First actions

As soon as larvae are noticed in food, you need to immediately take measures to prevent other food supplies from being damaged:

1. Anything that turns out to be infested with pests must be thrown away without regret, because such dried fruits are unsuitable and even dangerous for consumption.
2. It is necessary to treat the jars in which the food was stored with a vinegar solution.
3. Also, vinegar essence is used to treat the shelves and walls of the cabinet with affected dried fruits. If there are eggs or larvae left there (they may be in crevices and hard-to-reach places), they will infect new products that they put in the cabinet.

Thorough treatment with vinegar essence should be carried out with gloves to avoid chemical burns to the skin of your hands. It is better to leave the vinegar on surfaces for up to half an hour to ensure complete destruction of pest residues. The substance has an unpleasant odor, so you need to leave the cabinet to ventilate with the window open until the excess aromas disappear.

Folk remedies

Over the entire history of human struggle against pests, folk remedies for fruit moths have been developed. They are simple, easy to use and, most importantly, safe for health. After all, these are natural products whose smell is unacceptable to most insects.

Effective against fruit moths:

1. Lavender. The grass has a strong aroma, which is not tolerated by all moths, including fruit moths. Therefore, fabric bags with dried lavender have long been placed in closets to protect clothes and food supplies from this insect. Alternatively, you can use dried mint and lemon balm, which also have a rich scent.
2. Bay leaf. A few leaves placed in the closet will repel the pest. But the effectiveness of laurel is lower than that of lavender.
3. Citrus zest. It is saturated with essential oils, which also smell strongly. Aromatic substances quickly evaporate, so the crusts must be constantly replaced with new ones.

All types of pelargonium (geranium) contain a large amount of essential oils, which creates unfavorable conditions for the insect.

Prevention

To reduce the risk of fruit moths appearing in your home, it is recommended to do the following:

1. Store food in tightly closed jars so that butterflies cannot get in.
2. Check the status of supplies regularly.
3. About once a month during the warm season, wipe the inside of the cabinet with a solution of vinegar essence.
4. Physically destroy moths that have flown into the house.

If you do not follow these simple rules, you may miss the moment of infection. The pest will be detected only after it has spoiled an impressive amount of dried fruit.

The fruit moth is a pest of human food supplies, preferring dried fruits. It infects them and turns them into dust. But folk remedies, together with preventive measures, can prevent moth activity and save food from insects.

Destruction of moths

Methods for killing moths

The moth is not distinguished by its quick reaction or strong flight abilities. It's easy to slam him. But there is no guarantee that this is the only or last butterfly in the room, so you should play it safe and use effective moth repellents in the apartment and in the kitchen in particular.

• Sticky tapes are hung around the kitchen, anti-moth tablets and special traps are used in cabinets.
• Among the folk remedies, herbs such as lavender, peppermint, chamomile, and geranium will help repel the pest. These plants repel moths with their scent. Orange peels and garlic are also excellent repellents.
• Ventilating the kitchen for 20 minutes every evening during cold periods reduces the activity of moths and creates unfavorable living conditions for them.
• In case of severe infestation of the premises, aerosols and moth sprays are used. Initially, they carry out cleaning to destroy the larvae, wipe down the cabinets, and hide the food in airtight containers. Disinsection is carried out. Use any insecticidal agent - Raptor, Raid, Antimol, Clean House, Dichlorvos. After 20 minutes, ventilate, carry out wet cleaning by adding baking soda and laundry soap to the water. An alkaline environment completely neutralizes the effect of the insecticide.

Not only does dry fruit attract moths into the house, any food supplies can become contaminated if the insect gains access to them. Preventative measures are extremely important to prevent infection.

Signs of appearance and damage caused

Usually, the appearance of fruit moths can be noticed when the products can no longer be saved: during the period of intensive growth of the larvae. They are the ones who leave behind dense lumps of excrement, pieces of cobwebs, and gnaw passages in dried fruits or nuts. And in general, it’s hard not to notice white worms scurrying around in a bag or package.

The harm from fruit moths is actually colossal: after all, the insect does not limit itself in food preferences.

Having accidentally appeared in an apartment, it is capable of destroying any food: cereals, cookies, flour. If you store dried fruits together with other food products, you can probably run out of supplies.

How to prevent fruit moths from appearing in the house?

It is always easier to prevent the appearance of an insect in the house than to get rid of it.

There are simple measures that can help significantly reduce the likelihood of fruit moths.

There should be nets on the windows; they will protect you not only from moths, but also from many other types of insects. The ventilation holes should also be covered with a grille, and the smaller the cells, the better.

As soon as you see a fruit moth in the house, you need to kill it immediately so that the insect does not have time to lay eggs and reproduce.

It is better to store food not in a bag, but in special sealed containers. They will not only protect food from the appearance of larvae, but also maintain its freshness.

Food supplies should be checked periodically and any contaminated items should be thrown away.

In warm weather, once a month it will be useful to wipe the inside of all cabinets with a solution of vinegar essence.

Fruit moths are a pest that cause you to throw away food. To protect your home and food from insects, follow simple precautions and, if necessary, apply the tips we described. And then your house will be clean, and all food supplies will be intact.