How to deal with food moths
Food moth is an ubiquitous pest that can quickly destroy all grocery stocks in the house. The insect is dangerous primarily for cereals, beans, flour, sugar, dried fruits and nuts. The products he likes turn into dust, become unusable. We will tell you what a food moth is, how to deal with a pest with folk and professional means.
You can fight food moths using natural remedies: wormwood, lavrushka, tobacco
A type of moth called food moth is a nondescript butterfly up to 1 cm long with gray or brown wings. Unlike the wardrobe relative, who spoils clothes, curtains, upholstery and fur products, it is smaller and darker.
It is difficult to track down the kitchen moth: it is active at night, it camouflages well. The butterfly lives only a week, but during this time it manages to lay over a hundred eggs. The caterpillars that emerged from them are distinguished by their gluttony. They eat any food, including seeds, cocoa, tea, chocolate, pepper, bread.
Important! If the larvae are not visible in the products, this does not mean that they are not there.
Indirect signs of infection are cobwebs, gray pellets glued into lumps of grain.
To prevent the appearance of moths, regular wiping of kitchen cabinets with a vinegar solution allows. Bulk products should be bought by weight or in transparent bags. You need to store them in a closed container, periodically inspecting the contents. Cereals purchased for future use must first be calcined in the oven.
How to get rid of food moths
A fire butterfly that has flown in can be swatted or caught with sticky tape. The grocery should be examined carefully. All spoiled food is thrown away. The remaining cereals are fried for a quarter of an hour in the oven at a temperature of 60 degrees. The flour is sieved and also heated.
Another way to disinfect food is to put it in the freezer for 48 hours.
How to deal with food moth folk remedies? The insect does not tolerate strong odors. You can scare off a moth:
- garlic cloves;
- a bouquet of wormwood, tansy, wild rosemary;
- fragrant cloves (spice);
- indoor geranium;
- lavender, rosemary, fir oil;
- leaves of laurel, tobacco, walnut;
- natural camphor;
- citrus peel.
Sachets with dry herbs or spices must be laid out on the shelves of the cabinets. Place camphor, zest, or garlic in an open container. Cotton pads or paper napkins are impregnated with essential oils.
Chemicals such as insecticidal plates or fluids heated with a fumigator also help effectively control food moths. For prevention, you can use special sections for moths. Aerosol is considered the most powerful disinsector, but it is better not to use it in the fight against food insects.
So, the threat to groceries is not so much the moth butterfly as its larvae. You can get rid of the pest with insecticides, pungently smelling herbs, oils, seasonings.