How to deal with moths? This question arises when a gray butterfly of an unpleasant appearance is found in kitchen supplies or traces of its activity on clothes.
Simply catching the insect and destroying it is ineffective, because the victim will be a completely harmless male.
Moth: a real disaster for things and products
The biggest problem is the voracious caterpillars, which actively destroy household products and ruthlessly ruin things in cabinets. All day is enough for such a larva to gnaw through a hole in a woolen sweater. In everyday life, about 30 types of moths are distinguished, and all of them are harmful to humans. How to deal with moths in the apartment?
The moth that lives in closets does not like fresh air and bright light, so it does not touch things that are worn often. But with regard to winter clothes, she is not picky,feeds on felt, wool, natural velvet, fur. In an effort to get to food, it easily gnaws through plastic bags and synthetic fabrics encountered on the way. Caterpillars of the “fur coat” moth can withstand temperatures as low as 0oC and can go without food for a whole month.
How to deal with moths at home
There are many ways to fight moths: both time-tested folk methods and modern drugs are effective. At one time, naphthalene was considered the most famous anti-moth agent. However, the large-scale use of such a tool has led to the development of resistance to it in some moth populations. In addition, it was found that the drug causes great harm to human he alth, because it is a carcinogen - a factor that causes the occurrence of malignant tumors. How to deal with moths in other ways that do not pose a threat to he alth?
Folk remedies against moths
How to deal with moth folk remedies? Of the folk remedies, tobacco is effective, the pungent smell of which is absolutely not tolerated by insects. In a live flowering form, this plant should be kept on the windowsill, periodically placed in a closet with moths.
Or use dry leaves, which are placed in fabric bags and hung (or spread out) in places where moths are present. An analogue of tobacco in the fight against moths is dried lavender. Additionally, in order to enhance the result, it is recommended to place pieces of laundry soap in the pockets of clothes. To protect the kitchenfurniture and products apply fresh orange peels.
Growing indoor live geranium will also scare off unpleasant butterflies with its smell. Fresh leaves of the plant are recommended to be laid out on the shelves of lockers.
However, such natural remedies are just repellents - repellent substances. With the mass presence of moths, chemical preparations should be used, the range of which on the consumer market is presented in various forms.
Against moths - aerosols
How to deal with moths with chemicals? Aerosols and sprays ("Antimol", "Clean House", "Armol", "Raptor", "Extramit") are solutions of powerful insecticides in a cylinder under high pressure. Sprayed in a room or wardrobe, they have a toxic effect on the larvae and adults of the moth. Easy to use, such drugs are characterized by rapid action and low cost. True, insecticides during and after treatment will have to be inhaled not only by moths, but also by humans. It is especially difficult in this case for allergy sufferers.
The use of aerosols is, perhaps, the most time-consuming in comparison with other anti-moth products. When destroying moths, in addition to the surfaces of cabinets, it is required to process all clothes, furniture upholstery, carpets. Often, one bottle with the drug is not enough for such a volume. After a few hours, the room needs to be cleaned, and things should be washed and ventilated with high quality. Processing performed in full accordance with the instructions,will completely get rid of clothing, furniture and fur coat moths.
Sprays are very limited in the kitchen. They can process cabinets and bedside tables, previously freed from products. The places of concentration of larvae in food stocks themselves cannot be treated with such insecticides.
Simple and durable fumigators
Fumigators (DiK-3, Raid, Mosquitall) are quite easy to use: you just need to plug the drug into the outlet and forget about it. An extension cord can be pulled into the cabinet. The action is somewhat extended in time: the effect occurs over a period of 3 days to 2 weeks. But the accumulation of insecticides in the air will be several times lower than when treated with aerosols. The principle of operation is to heat the aromatic insecticidal plate and evaporate the poisonous substance when the fumigator is plugged into the outlet. Sometimes the plates are replaced with special fluids that act in a similar way. The dimensions of the fumigators are relatively small, approximately 956050 mm; effective area up to 30 m2.
The advantage of this method is low cost and long term of use. In canteens and kitchens, the fumigator should be used carefully, avoiding the accumulation of chemical vapors in cabinets where food is stored.
Anti-moth sections
How to deal with moths in the apartment? In addition to aerosols and fumigators, there are special sections for moths (Mosquitall, Raptor). Are characterizedpreventive action and are intended to repel adult insects rather than destroy their larvae. Therefore, the use of such devices is recommended before the appearance of a winged pest in the house. Available in the form of hanging and attached plates with various scents that repel insects: chamomile, tangerine, lavender. The anti-molding action of 2 sections extends to ½ m2 of the cabinet area. Replacement with new ones is made after about 4 months. It is recommended to store the chemical agent out of the reach of children, separately from food.
How to deal with domestic moth to get rid of it forever? In combination with natural and chemical methods, it is required to get rid of moths in a physical way. Fly traps are used to catch butterflies. If insects are wound up in the cereal, and their number is not terrifying, then the grains can be sorted out and heated in the oven at 60 degrees for 40 minutes. The nest found in the closet should be eliminated, its location thoroughly vacuumed, shake all things out of the closet and placed in a cold place for a day (for example, on the balcony).
Food moth: how to get rid of
Food (grain) moth settles in cereals, flour, dried fruits; its larvae in the caterpillar stage are capable of spoiling almost all edible stocks. Adults do not have a mouth, so they do not feed at all. Despite the short lifespan (no more than a week), butterflies manage to lay up to 100-150 eggs. Under favorable conditions (high humidity, warm temperature and lack of ventilation)Insect reproduction goes on in a continuous cycle. How to deal with food moths in the kitchen?
Get rid of food moths very carefully, in several stages. It is necessary to check all stocks of cereals, flour, sugar. If you find an insect with damaged products, you will have to say goodbye or ignite in a pan and sift.
- Treat food storage areas with fumigators and anti-moth aerosols, put repellent preparations on the shelves: garlic, lavender, orange peels.
- Hang up sticky tapes from flies, and destroy flying moths by hand.
Preventive measures
To prevent the appearance of moths in the household, it is recommended:
- Store all groceries in tightly sealed containers.
- Regularly ventilate and clean the room. Once a month, clean upholstered furniture and carpets with disinfectants.
- Winter clothes need to be washed and cleaned before storage. Moth prefers to wind up on things with sweaty and dirty spots. After cleaning, woolen and fur things are recommended to be placed in plastic bags, fur coats - in thick paper cases, sprinkled with anti-molding preparations beforehand. Some storage items can be wrapped in newspaper: butterflies and moths cannot stand the smell of printing ink.
How to deal with cabbage moths
Outdoors, in summer cottages, the cabbage moth is operating. Inconspicuous in appearance, it deals significant damagehorticultural crops, in particular cabbage. After hatching, caterpillars feed only inside cabbages and other cruciferous crops. Gnawing through intricate tunnels, they infect the plant and are able to completely destroy it.
How to deal with cabbage moth? It is required to deal with it comprehensively, because the pest is characterized by the ability to develop resistance to drugs that were effective in the previous season. Chemical treatment is required. The best means are:
- "Aktellik". Available in 2 ml ampoules, toxic, has a 2nd hazard class. Spraying is carried out with a solution of 30 ml diluted in 10 liters of water.
- "Bitoxycilide" and "Lepidocid". The result is evident after 2 days from the moment of processing the garden crop, the protective effect lasts about 2 weeks.
In parallel with the chemical treatment of caterpillars, it is necessary to collect manually. This method will protect against the mass appearance of adults laying eggs. It is imperative to remove weeds and dig the ground well in the place where the cabbage grows. This is necessary in order to prevent overwintered individuals from getting to the soil surface.
Fight against mining moth
There is also such a type of moth as a miner. The small insect got its name from the ancient word "mine", which implies the creation of hidden passages. It is in this way that the caterpillars of the mining moth damage the leaves of plants from the inside. And outwardly a pestit is very difficult to identify: only the death of the plant indicates its presence.
The caterpillars of the mining moth feed on almost all types of fruit and berry plantings, flowers, weeds, ornamental and medicinal plants. If a mining moth is found on the site - how to deal with this pest? What techniques should be applied?
In the fight against "miners" the use of chemicals is effective, namely: "Bi-58", "Karate", "Dimilin", "Confidor maxi", "Aktara", "Aktofit". If there are several generations of leafminer moth, spraying should be carried out repeatedly.
How to deal with moths during the summer? To do this, in greenhouses and open ground, it is required to hang plates, boards, pieces of yellow plastic smeared with glue, placing them at the level of the main leaf mass along the rows of plants. Before the start of the flight, attach adhesive belts to tree trunks. It is also important to remove the affected plant parts and then destroy them manually. In autumn, it is imperative to clean under the tree and compost the fallen leaves, and carefully dig up the tree trunks.
