Various insects can start in apartments. One of them is food moth. First you need to determine the source of reproduction of insects, and then you can proceed to destruction. The procedure for deliverance is unpleasant and lengthy. You also need to know the rules of prevention in order to prevent infection. How to get rid of food moths in an apartment is described in the article.
Description
Food moth is an insect with a short breeding cycle. It belongs to the butterfly family. Adults are beige, sometimes light brown. There are also caterpillar-like larvae, the eggs are light. The larvae differ in size, sometimes they can be 2 cm long. This form is the most harmful to humans.
The larvae eat food, cobwebs cover nuts, fruits, cereals. The maximum life span of an adult is no more than a few days, and then the insect lays eggs and dies. During breedingthe pest becomes a wingless butterfly when food stocks are destroyed. This period lasts up to 6 days.
Food moth reproduction is accelerated by warm and humid environments. Therefore, the absence of flying insects does not mean that they are no longer indoors. During the struggle, the main thing is to regularly check the dishes with dry products.
Reasons
Why does the parasite appear and where does it live worries many housewives. Often store-bought products are already infested with moth larvae. Unscrupulous owners of wholesale depots do not follow the rules for storing products. These insects enter the dwelling through ventilation, through windows. Favorite pest habitats include:
- Grains. Moth can start in rice, oatmeal, oatmeal, pasta. She also appears in portion bags.
- Nuts. Insects infest in shelled peanuts, under the shells of walnuts.
- Dried fruits. Pests appear in raisins, prunes, dried apricots, covering products with mold.
- Cardboard boxes. Often, the larvae are located in closed packs of tea, corn flakes, oatmeal.
- If the pest has been wound up in the room for a long time, then they can be under the windowsills, behind the cabinets. They also live in household appliances that have not been used for a long time.
- There is an opinion that the food moth is afraid of garlic, but some believe that they found the larvae in bags of vegetables.
- There are foods that moths cannot eat, but are able to live in them. This refers to s alt, soda.
Caustic and viscous products are not able to become infected, as insects drown in them. This applies to vinegar, honey, jam, preserves. When identifying a pest, you should not panic. You need to learn how to get rid of food moths in the apartment.
Danger
Many believe that the moth is safe for humans. But this is an erroneous assumption. The main problem is that an adult lays about 500 eggs. All larvae during a short life repeatedly changes the skin, infects products. In cereals, nuts there are a lot of feces, chitinous cover.
Regular consumption of contaminated foods can cause:
- food poisoning, body intoxication;
- severe allergies, including angioedema;
- immunity failure.
Doctors and exterminators believe that the food moth in the apartment should be destroyed as quickly as possible. An insect is especially dangerous for children, which is associated with their fragile body.
Wrestling Rules
How to get rid of food moths in the kitchen? First you need to check the products. Do not regret throwing away foods, as they can be harmful to he alth. It is also necessary to get rid of those cereals or dried fruits on which there are no noticeable signs of insect habitation. Parasites are packed in a bag, tied up.
How to remove food moth in an apartment? There are a few tips for doing this effectively:
- Do not put cereals in the refrigerator, low temperatures lead todormancy of the larvae. When they return to a moist and warm environment, they will actively breed.
- Larvae, eggs die only at elevated temperatures. You can steam the cereals in the oven for more than 20 minutes, but since some individuals are able to survive, the pest control will have to be done again.
- Before, cereals, dried herbs were stored in tins. Insects cannot gnaw through metal, glass, wood, foil, but fabric, paper, plastic covers are easy. All edibles should be stored in sealed glass containers with seals. So it will be possible to detect a pest through a glass jar, pests will not spread throughout the room.
- Banks, where there was an infected cereal, should be washed in vinegar solution. Classical soap does not affect moths, insects live in packages with powder. After that, wash with soapy water.
No method works unless contaminated food is destroyed. You also need to thoroughly wash the furniture, the room, perform a general cleaning, add a little table vinegar to the water. The sooner you start exterminating insects, the faster you can get rid of parasites.
Chemicals
How to destroy the food moth in the apartment? Chemical means are capable of doing this, which eliminates the rescue of contaminated products. All moth remedies are divided into 2 groups:
- Elimination insecticides. The products contain chemical elements aimed at poisoning adults, larvae, and the death of eggs.
- Repellants. The products contain only natural ingredients,that repel insects. Products are not capable of destroying moths, but can relocate them to other territories.
Each tool comes with instructions for use. Careful cleaning and the use of special products will eliminate these unpleasant insects.
Aerosols
How to get rid of food moths in an apartment with aerosols? Many products are produced, similar in composition, action, which in a short time eliminate insects that devour food.
Popular aerosols include the following:
- "Antimol". The remedy for food moths in the apartment is suitable for use on kitchen furniture, fabrics. The effect lasts up to 1 year.
- Armol. The product is designed to quickly eliminate moths, it affects not only butterflies, but also has a prolonged effect on larvae.
- Combat. It has a universal effect, destroys different types of moths. Safe for pets and can be used on all surfaces.
There are other types of means to eliminate food moths. Before processing, read the instructions. Then it will be possible to completely remove these pests.
A consultant will help with the choice. It is important to consider the presence of children in the room. For the period of disinfestation, it is advisable to leave the premises, pick up pets, children, plants. Then you need to thoroughly ventilate the housing.
Traps
How else to deal with food moths in the apartment? Flying individuals are also necessarydestroy to protect against food contamination. To do this, some use a regular newspaper or slippers. The moth flies badly, it will not be difficult to catch it. If this method is suitable, then you should choose purchased traps that attract insects. The funds are treated with a special substance, the pest sticks and cannot fly, and eventually dies.
The Aeroxon trap works great. The adhesive surface of the product does not dry for a long time, the special aroma attracts insects. The trap can be bought at a hardware store, the price is no more than 200 rubles. One trap will be enough to completely eliminate adults. If there is no result, then another remedy should be chosen.
Folk methods
Eliminate food moth in the kitchen with proven means:
- Bay leaf that repels insects. The sheets should be laid out around the perimeter of the cabinets, in jars.
- Smell of geranium, carnation. Cotton pads should be soaked in ethereal oil, spread around the room.
- Natural camphor has the ability to repel pests.
These are the basic methods for getting rid of food moths in an apartment. Folk remedies are not only safe, but also effective. They are often used in conjunction with professional pest control methods.
Prevention
To reduce the harm from the life of a moth, to prevent its appearance in the house, it will be possible thanks to the following recommendations:
- Before buying productsmust be looked at. This should be done especially carefully with promotions, since usually the goods are damaged.
- In the kitchen cabinets, you need to lay out cotton pads that are moistened in lavender oil. Bags with this plant (after drying) can be an excellent home for moths.
- Products should be stored in glass containers with a lid, temperature and humidity should be controlled.
- It is necessary to frequently check food stocks. Spoiled cereals, fruits, nuts should be thrown away, the shelves should be wiped with a solution of water and vinegar.
- You should not stock up on a lot of dried mushrooms, fruits, cereals, you should buy enough food for 2 weeks. Pests often appear in excess.
Following these preventive measures will protect your home from food moths. Also, they can prevent the appearance of other pests. The food moth is a nasty insect that often appears in residential buildings. Effective methods will eliminate pests. And with the help of preventive measures, it will be possible to prevent them.
