If you notice uncharacteristic lumps in the cereal, then most likely a food moth has started in the kitchen cabinet. Having discovered this pest in the kitchen, you should immediately start getting rid of it. Otherwise, the moth will damage all your supplies. And the longer you delay, the more difficult it will be to deal with it later. So, let’s consider how to remove food moth? What means to use, how to deal with spoiled products and what to do to prevent recurrence.
Reasons for appearance and existence
Before starting a war with a kitchen pest, it is better to first understand where it appeared in your kitchen. The kitchen is the most comfortable habitat for moths, because there are so many sources of food for this pest. Do not hope that destroying the nest will help you. It is enough to simply throw away the affected item. Soon after, you will find a new place to live.
Eliminating food moths takes a lot of time. To do this qualitatively, and to reduce losses among products, you should know what she likes to “eat”. The moth mainly prefers legumes, cereals, muesli, cereals, baby food, dry herbs, pasta, flour, tea, coffee, cocoa. The reason for choosing such products is that they are stored in different containers with easy access: open bags or boxes. Products with a long shelf life and products with an expired shelf life are especially attractive to moths. To make a list of where to look for food moths, consider these points
It can appear from a variety of sources, for example, from store-bought bulk products or candies. At the same time, even a perfectly clean kitchen will not save you from this disaster. An adult insect will easily tear through the bag and get out, depositing food moth larvae.
It is the larvae that are the pests. An adult feeds only on water, so you can try to lure it by placing an open source of water in the intended place of residence.
Food is not only food for a food pest. An insect may well feast on clothes if it can move to other rooms. It is necessary to destroy the pest before it spreads throughout the apartment.
Pity the kitchen moth
Advice on the destruction of moths may seem wasteful to some, because most often it is necessary to get rid of almost all products and some things. But to make your determination stronger, let’s describe what damage the food moth carries in itself, and the amount of damage received.
Let’s start with the fact that insect larvae damage products, that is, sooner or later they will still suffer. When eating, they leave behind traces of vital activity, which are skins, husks, feces, corpses and eggs. Agree, it is not a very pleasant prospect to feed on insect waste. Eventually, the larvae develop into butterflies, which are actually harmless except that they lay new larvae. At the same time, they can do it in the most unexpected places.
To prevent is to win without war
In order not to think about how to deal with food moth, it is better to prevent its appearance altogether. To begin with, follow a simple rule: when buying loose products, immediately pour them into closed hermetic containers made of plastic, glass, or metal. No boxes, packages, etc. Ideally, the container should be transparent so that you can see the mole in time.
Maintain order in the apartment, and especially in the kitchen. Do not allow crumbs on the table, immediately remove leftover food in the refrigerator, do not keep products without packaging. Do wet cleaning every day. A clean kitchen is the most effective protection against food moths.
How to get rid of
If you find a food moth, do the following:
- Throw away all moth-infested produce. If there are too many of them, it is better to throw away those that seem normal at first glance. There is a risk that insects have already settled in them.
- Pour the remaining products into clean containers.
- Prepare a soapy solution and use it to thoroughly wash all cabinets and dishes in the kitchen.
- Treat all surfaces with vinegar.
- Ventilate the kitchen.
After completing such cleaning, be alert for at least 3 days. During this time, the food moth in the kitchen may appear again. Most likely, you simply did not notice one of the areas, or did not throw out all the affected products. Start all over again. In addition, you can use some means that help catch and destroy the remains of moths.
On sale you can find food moth traps with pheromones. They lure adults, who die of hunger. Take into account that the larva turns into an adult insect in 60 days, that is, the trap should stand for at least that many days. This remedy for food moths is still a chemical, so it is not recommended to use it in apartments where there are children and pets. Well, long-term use is also undesirable. In addition, there are various chemical tablets designed to destroy pests. But they absolutely cannot be used in the kitchen. Such means are suitable, for example, for giving in a period when there are no people there.
Folk remedies against food moths will be no less useful:
- Garlic. Peel the garlic cloves and add one at a time to the container with the cereals. Don’t worry about the smell, the garlic smell dissipates quickly, but repels the kitchen pest.
- Lavender. Place the twig in the kitchen cupboard.
- Dried geranium or geranium. They have a sharp smell that repels insects, but they are also allergens. Therefore, it is better not to use this method in a family with allergies.
Some may advise you to store all cereals in the refrigerator, as this supposedly helps to repel kitchen moths. In fact, the insect simply hibernates at low temperatures. Yes, the larvae do not act, do not reproduce, do not eat food, but as soon as the food gets warm again, they will wake up again and continue their damage. That is, in fact, the cold only postpones the problem.
So, let’s summarize. You can get rid of food moths, but only if you do not spare the products and immediately throw away everything that came into contact with the affected area. Well, cleaning, cleaning and cleaning again. Having faced this problem once, prepare for the fact that it will not be possible to solve it at once.