How to poison butterflies in a warehouse. How to remove food moths from the kitchen? Folk ways and methods. What does food moth look like: description and photo

The name “food moth” is popularly understood to mean several types of moths - small butterflies whose caterpillars feed on cereals, nuts and groceries. Each of these species has its own characteristics, however, despite the fact that outwardly different types of food moths differ well from each other, no one particularly wants to understand them and is simply looking for ways to get rid of these pests as quickly as possible.

At the same time light and universal instructions, how, no - due to the specific feeding habits of these butterflies, conventional methods such as aerosol insecticides are not suitable (after all, the poison can get into food). Therefore, the fight against food moths is always quite a troublesome and resource-intensive undertaking.

This is interesting

Before the development of human civilization, all types of moths were fairly inconspicuous participants in natural biocenoses, and their caterpillars fed on the seeds of grasses and trees. But with the advent of granaries, barns and warehouses, and especially with the beginning of active transportation of goods between countries and continents, food moths quickly spread throughout the world and became a real cosmopolitan, equally effectively infecting grain in Argentina, China and Chad. And even today industrial methods Fighting food moths does not always cope with its destructive activities.

Types of food moths and features of their morphology

If you look at the photo different types food moths, one may be surprised how they are generally confused and combined under one name. For example, in the photo below there is a flour moth, one of the most common types of food moths in an apartment:

But the southern barn moth, which has beautiful drawing on the wings. Getting it out is often the hardest thing to do:

And in the photo below you can see what the cocoa moth looks like - a common food moth, which can easily be confused with a clothes moth due to the inconspicuous light yellow color of the wings:

But in general, any food moth looks inconspicuous, even despite the pattern on the wings of some of its species. All of them are butterflies of discreet colors and small sizes.

Usually the length of their wings does not exceed 7-8 mm, and when sitting on the surface, the insect folds them and becomes like a small protrusion on the surface. It is not surprising that the simple glance of a city apartment resident is usually not able to discern the difference in the color of these butterflies.

On a note

For an unprepared resident of a big city, food moths and clothing moths are very similar. The easiest way to distinguish them is by their meeting places - clothing moths rarely catch your eye in the kitchen, while food moths, on the contrary, do not favor wardrobes and bedrooms with their attention.

But the larvae of food moths all look the same. These are small (up to one and a half centimeters) white-yellow or white-pink caterpillars without any hair or outgrowths on the body. Usually by appearance It is impossible to determine whether a caterpillar belongs to one or another moth. Fortunately, they can all be hatched using the same methods, and it is not necessary to determine the species of the larvae for this.

For example, in the photo below is a larva of the meal moth:

And in the next picture is a cocoa moth larva. Even despite the obvious differences in the color of adult butterflies, their larvae are very similar:

On a note

Food moth larvae lead a secretive and sedentary lifestyle. They are usually encountered either in contaminated products or when crawling out of cabinets to pupate. In this case, they move along the walls and greatly attract attention. The photo shows an adult food moth larva ready to pupate.

Food moth: a little biology

Food moth is a pest with a fairly short reproduction cycle. At suitable temperature and humidity, it takes about two months, and sometimes six weeks, from egg to egg.

The optimal conditions for the development of food moth butterflies are a temperature of about 25°C and a humidity of about 50%. At these air parameters, they develop most quickly, and it turns out to be very difficult to remove them.

Adult food moth butterflies do not feed at all: their oral apparatus is not developed and the digestive system does not function. And they don’t live very long - about a week, mating literally on the first or second day after emerging from the pupa. The females devote the remaining few days to laying a hundred to one and a half eggs where future offspring will find enough food, and the males look for other females or die.

In general, taking into account the larval stage, the food moth lives for about a month and a half. Of these, a week or two is spent on metamorphosis in the pupal stage.

Almost always, food moths reproduce in the same place where their larvae live. Only in some cases do adult insects mate away from the grocery store, and the females then return to the feeding environment.

Pest in an apartment: how does it get here, where does it live and what does it eat?

Food moth larvae feed on groceries. Moreover, food moths eat almost everything indiscriminately: cereals, flour, sugar, cocoa, nuts, dried fruits, bread, crackers, cookies, not very hot spices, unground grains, etc.

Food moth larvae are especially numerous in grain warehouses, which can cause significant damage. Each species has its own food preferences, but in general the range of food products for each moth is wide. In an apartment, any type of food moth feeds on almost any grocery product.

Thus, wherever there is dry food, food moths can appear.

The photo shows dry apricots, among which the larvae of food moths are visible. In case of mass infestation of large volumes, it can be extremely difficult to remove moths from such a product:

Each food moth larva not only eats the product in which it lives, but also constantly weaves itself into a cocoon of silk. This is how “incomprehensible” lumps and pellets appear in cereals or flour, and neat nests with a worm inside appear in nuts.

It is important to understand that food moths are very poor fliers. Spread between houses, and even more so between food warehouses And she can’t live in apartments herself, and in the apartment food moths are taken only with purchases and products from the supermarket. Food moths also breed in industrial warehouses: their larvae are transported in grain from one warehouse to another, and their descendants already master the abundant food sources.

Harm from food moths

The main harm of food moths is food spoilage. Moth-infested groceries are no longer edible, and in industrial warehouses, contaminated food is unsuitable for sale.

If there is a serious infestation in a warehouse, food moths are dangerous big losses product and a strong decrease in its quality.

On a note

It is moth-infested and secondary purified products that enter the market at bargain prices - after all, they need to be sold somehow. And by buying them, an ordinary city resident risks bringing a pest into his home with them.

Food moths do not eat clothes and are not dangerous to the wardrobe. This, however, does not mean that if there are food moths in the room, you should not worry about things: clothes moths and food moths do not interfere with each other and can easily coexist in the same apartment, while mainly food moths will be seen. In any case, you need to remove the moth from the first signs of its detection in the house.

Fighting food moths: measures and means

It is necessary at all stages of its development. It is incorrect to say that if only the larvae are harmful, then only them need to be destroyed: each flying female moth lays eggs in different places up to 160 eggs, from which new caterpillars will hatch within a week.

Therefore destroy food moth it is necessary comprehensively:

A good tool for catching butterflies is the Aeroxon food moth trap. It attracts butterflies with its smell, and its adhesive surface does not dry out for a long time. You can buy such a food moth trap online or at some hardware stores. Its cost is about 200 rubles:

More simple methods control of food moths has not yet been developed. On industrial enterprises against moths, phosphine-based fumigators and grain spraying with contact insecticides are used. Conduct similar treatment food products indoors is not allowed.

Measures to protect your home from food moth infestation

Knowing how to kill food moths is useful, but not enough to protect the premises from the pest. It is much wiser not to let him into the house at all, taking several steps to prevent infestation of the apartment with food moths. Among these measures:

thorough check of all products upon purchase
avoidance of grocery products with obviously low prices
purchasing food that will be eaten within one week
use of moth repellents.

To comply with the last point, it is useful to know. Among the substances that repel her are strong-smelling herbs (wormwood, tansy, lavender, rosemary), essential oils, fresh orange peels, laundry and strawberry soap, vinegar, horse chestnut cones.

Various pests can appear in the house if special measures are created for them. favorable conditions. One of the insects that become frequent guests in the kitchen is the food moth. It multiplies quickly and can spoil many products that become unfit for consumption.

If traces of the presence of food moths are detected, it is necessary to take action as soon as possible. The approach to pest control must be comprehensive. First you need to find and eliminate the source of infection, carry out a thorough cleaning, and then treat the food and all surfaces.

Causes of the pest

Adults live only about 1 week. But during this time they manage to lay up to 400 eggs. These will hatch into larvae, which are the main food eaters. The butterflies themselves drink only water.

If food moths are found in the house, this does not mean that it is not kept clean. Larvae can get into products before they are purchased. This may be due to improper storage in the warehouse or violation of processing rules.

How to remove food moths? There is no universal remedy that can cope with insects forever. The fight against moths must be consistent and comprehensive.

Finding the source of infection

The first step is to discover where the moths lay their eggs. They are sticky grains similar to semolina. The larvae are small worms up to 12 mm. Everyone is examined first kitchen cabinets and the products that are stored in them. Explore open grocery stores (tea, coffee). Pay close attention to the lids of the jars; you may find cobwebs on them. All containers with cereals must be inspected. Pet food and fish bait can also be contaminated if they are not stored in the refrigerator.

After checking the kitchen cabinets with food, you can begin to inspect the ceiling, baseboards, edges of wallpaper, and chandeliers. Food moths prefer to hide in secluded dark places (corners, crevices). You can inspect the room at night by turning on the lamp. Adult moths will congregate around the light source.

Total purge

After identifying the source of infection, you need to get rid of it. Contaminated cereals and groceries must be destroyed or thrown away. It is better to burn such products. All kitchen cabinets should be emptied and their inner walls should be vacuumed. Clean corners and crevices especially carefully. After cleaning, throw away the vacuum cleaner bag or freeze it for several days so that the eggs and larvae that get into it die. Then wipe all furniture with vinegar or soap solution, you can use special means from food moths (Raptor, Antimol). Leave cabinet doors open to allow surfaces to dry. All containers in which food was stored must be washed, heated in the microwave for 5 minutes or frozen for 3 days. These measures will help get rid of moth eggs and larvae.

Destruction of adults

To attract adult male moths, you can use special traps impregnated with pheromones. They flock to the attractive aroma and fall into a trap. Females, accordingly, will not be able to reproduce without males. When using such traps, it is advisable to leave the windows closed so as not to attract moths from neighboring living spaces.

On a note! Industrial moth repellents are produced in the form of aerosols and solutions. But spraying them is not recommended in the kitchen where food is stored. It is better to place repellents in the form of tablets and plates around the kitchen that will repel insects (Prayer, Dezmol, Arsenal).

Prohibited actions

It is better to take care in advance that food moths cannot multiply in products than to throw them away later after infection.

General rules and features of care indoor rose described on the page.

Go to the address and read about how and what to clean a carpet at home.

do not stock up on food for future use;
check them after purchase for pests;
store cereals and groceries in tightly closed glass containers or food-grade plastic;
Store fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator;
conduct regular ventilation premises;
After purchase, it is better to heat cereals in the oven at 60 degrees or freeze them for 3 days;
place sections or bags with repellent aromas (lavender, garlic, Bay leaf, orange zest);
thoroughly wipe kitchen surfaces from excess moisture;
Periodically wash cabinets with vinegar solution.

The first reaction of any housewife to gray butterflies flying around the apartment is shock and confusion. How to get rid of food moths quickly? We are all literate and understand that a global audit of all cereals, flour and other food supplies is coming.

Washing and disinfecting kitchen cabinets and shelves. Cleaning ceilings and checking cracks not only in the kitchen, but throughout the apartment. Wherever the gray scoundrels can hide.

And this is time-consuming and a lot of trouble. It’s good if the winged rubbish disappears the first time along with its vile worm larvae. What if you have to carry out destruction more than once or twice? It is better to draw up an action plan in advance to get rid of food moths quickly and forever.

Where does it come from

Where do food moths come from in the kitchen, where it would seem that perfect cleanliness reigns? Are all the products in jars and bags, is everything wiped down and washed in a timely manner?

Most often, we ourselves bring contaminated products from supermarkets, coveting discounts. Or we stock up on excess food. They most often harbor worms, from which gray butterflies will appear.

How to get rid of food moths quickly if there are signs of food contamination? How does it reproduce and at what stage will control methods be more successful?

Microscopic eggs of food moths end up in our kitchen with products such as biscuits, cookies, flour, and spices. We bring them home in packages of cereals, nuts, and bags of dried fruits. Food moths also appear in food for animals, fish, birds, seeds or bait for fishing.

Within a week, the eggs will develop into larvae and worms will appear. They will pupate, hatch, and only then will you see flying food moth butterflies in your home.

Each butterfly will lay up to 500 eggs and the entire process of infecting food in your kitchen will go in circles. The only barrier for butterflies is thick tin cans. bulk products and glass jars or containers with tightly sealed lids.

Neither a plastic bag nor store packaging will stop food moths. Even plastic lids You need to check on glass jars. Sometimes you can find a thin cobweb in the gap between the neck of the jar and the lid.

View purchased cereals directly in the store. If you notice sticky grains resembling semolina, put the packaging aside and bring it to the attention of the staff. This is what colonies of eggs laid by food moths look like. Very soon they will turn into mealy-colored worms.

How to remove food moths

If you want to quickly get rid of food moths in your apartment, carry out a general inspection not only in the kitchen. Check all food or feed storage areas. Throw away anything that only arouses your suspicions. Otherwise, all the work will go down the drain, and you will have to remove food moths again and again.

Look through all the cracks in the ceilings and above the windows, moths love to hide there. And it will definitely get out after you consider the work of removing it completed.

By the way, when you decide that you have done everything, make sure of it. Turn on the overhead light in your kitchen at night and see if any hidden butterflies flock to it. Remember - one butterfly will hatch five thousand new larvae and everything will start all over again.

The appearance of any pests in the kitchen is not just unpleasant, it is dangerous for the health of the household. Just imagine for a moment that the waste products of larvae, worms and butterflies will end up in food. Abomination, right? How to quickly get rid of food moths if there are any in the kitchen?

Inspecting the kitchen

View all packages and sachets. At the slightest suspicion, throw away all packaging without sparing it in a large, thick plastic bag. Carefully pour the contents from contaminated containers into the same bag.
If possible, burn everything that was rejected and collected for disposal, along with packaging and a plastic bag.
If this is not possible, tie it tightly and throw it away. In winter, three to four days in the cold are enough for all the larvae to die.
Remove all shelves and shelves from your kitchen cabinets. Arm yourself with a vacuum cleaner. Use a narrow nozzle to go over all cracks and surfaces. Hidden butterflies and spilled infected cereals will end up in the dust collector, which must be cleaned immediately.
Go over the surfaces of the cabinets with soapy water, and moisten all the cracks around the perimeter with vinegar. After processing, rinse everything thoroughly and dry thoroughly, leaving the doors open.
You can additionally dry all hard-to-reach places with a hairdryer. We don't need the remaining moisture.
Do not forget to thoroughly rinse all containers and containers where food was stored. Rinse with vinegar solution, then clean water and dry in the sun or in the microwave. You can put it in the refrigerator, but it will take a couple of days, which is not very convenient.
All existing furniture should be wiped with vinegar or a Raptor-type product. Ventilate the room well.

Note

You will have to do the same cleaning in the apartment: with a vacuum cleaner and wiping the cabinets inside and out. In order not to spoil the furniture, check that the disinfectant will not harm it.

Set up store-bought traps for food moths. They will only attract males, as the sticky substance contains female pheromones. But there will be no males, no fertilized females, and therefore no more eggs will be laid. The breeding cycle will be interrupted.

The old ones will have to cope with female butterflies old-fashioned methods: folded newspaper and fly swatter. They are easier to kill, they are rather sluggish and clumsy. There are also adhesive strips on sale that can be easily attached to the walls of kitchen cabinets.

All these methods will help get rid of food moths quickly. Provided that you do not:

try to save money and do not leave contaminated cereals or products;
do not leave any storage container unattended and thoroughly processed;
Don't miss a single crack in the room.

Prevention measures

In order not to arrange an unscheduled general cleaning in the kitchen and apartment, and not to fight the nasty gray butterfly and its offspring, do not store excess cereals, flour and other products. If you need to store pet food supplies in bags, store them in the cold.

It is better to have the required minimum supplies and constantly monitor how tightly the containers are closed. Is it possible for food moths to get into the narrowest loophole? Please note that it easily chews through bags, cardboard and paper.

The instinct for procreation is strong and she will lay eggs in any case, she will gnaw through even thin foil if necessary.

In times of total shortage, cereals were stocked up for future use and large quantities. Cold storage, aromatic dry herbs, regular sifting and manual sorting helped protect supplies. Remember the fairy tale about Cinderella and her evil stepmother?

It's easier for us. We can buy exactly as much as required. Heat suspicious packages in the oven, spilling their contents thin layer on a baking sheet. True, they will lose some beneficial properties, but, as an option, the method is not bad.

And we also have refrigerators where you can put suspicious packages for several days. In the cold, products will not lose quality.

Later, you will decide for yourself how to use these cereals and products. Perhaps the alarm turned out to be false and there was nothing in them. Or, after sorting, the contents can be used for their intended purpose. Or everything will go to animal feed. Or, Alas! - in the trash can.

The main thing is that you didn’t let this infection multiply in your kitchen and you didn’t have to start a war with food moths in your apartment.

And we can only wish the housewives that the question of how to get rid of food moths quickly and forever never arises. Take care of the health of your household and prevent pests from appearing in your kitchen.

Moths in the kitchen are not only flying moths, but also their pupae, larvae and eggs.

This means that in order to eliminate pests forever, you need to deal with them comprehensively - find and eliminate the source, clean the furniture/ceiling, throw away everything that was infected and process potentially infected products.

Food moths come in different types. Most often in the kitchen of a city apartment you can find: flour moth, a little less often - cocoa moth (very similar to clothes moth) and the southern barn moth (fighting it is more difficult than others). Where do they come from even in the purest kitchen cabinets?

Tiny, almost invisible eggs end up in the kitchen in packages of cereals, cereals, biscuits, dried fruits, flour, spices and other groceries. Then, within a week, they hatch into food moth larvae, which subsequently pupate and turn into moths.

In this material you will find step by step instructions about how to get rid of food moths, what preventative measures to take to avoid their reappearance, and how to save food if it’s a shame to throw them away.

Step 1. Looking for the outbreak and contaminated products

Moth eggs look like small white clumped grains, similar to semolina. The larvae first look like small whitish worms, and then they grow to 1.27 cm and have black or brown heads. Another clear sign of food contamination is cobwebs, as in the photo below.

To get rid of food moths, the first thing you need to do is:

Inspection of kitchen cabinets and products. Inspect all supplies stored in kitchen cabinets - you need to find not only the source, but also products already contaminated with larvae and eggs.

Don’t forget to check unpacked groceries as well, because moths easily eat through cardboard, foil and polyethylene.
Pay special attention to the edges of the lids of the jars - there may be moth cobwebs on them.
Remember that not only groceries can be contaminated, but also animal feed, bird seeds, fishing bait, that is, almost everything that is not stored in the refrigerator.

Inspection of the ceiling. The ceiling, ceiling skirting boards, the edges of the wallpaper and the base of the chandelier. Moths love to hide in dark crevices and corners.
Inspect cabinet tops. Here you can also see moth cocoons.

By the way, if you doubt whether there are moths in your kitchen at all or, say, whether you managed to get them out after cleaning, then inspect the room at night - adult moths will gather around a burning chandelier.

Step 2. We carry out a total cleanup

Eliminate the source and products showing obvious signs of contamination. Once you find which product has become a source of insect spread, wrap it tightly in plastic bag and throw it away immediately, or better yet, burn it completely.
Clean thoroughly. Empty kitchen cabinets and shelves, then vacuum them and the inside of the cabinet. Special attention paying attention to corners and crevices.

A vacuum cleaner (without an attachment or with a small attachment) will attract hidden moths and prevent unnoticeable eggs from remaining in the closet. This method is very effective, so if you don’t have a vacuum cleaner, you should ask your friends for one. The main thing after the procedure is to throw away the bag or freeze it in freezer for 3-4 days.

Wash all containers and jars. This can be done with a vinegar solution or laundry soap. The container containing the contaminated food should be frozen for 3-4 days or heated in the microwave for 5 minutes.
Vacuum the ceiling. If you find moth settlements on the ceiling, ceiling skirting boards, tops of cabinets, near the chandelier, and also under the edges of peeling wallpaper, then vacuum these places as well.

Step 3. Kill the adults and set up traps

How to catch adult individuals that have already scattered into the corners of cabinets and kitchens? Males (by the way, harmless, but fertilizing females) can be caught using glue trap(photo below). The principle of its operation is simple - a trap treated with female pheromone attracts males and “catches” them, and without males, the moth, of course, will not be able to reproduce. Thus, pheromone traps will help prevent the reappearance of insects.

You can buy such a trap for 200-300 rubles in online stores and household chemical stores.

Females will have to be killed using traditional methods - with a fly swatter or rolled up newspaper, since they fly poorly and slowly, this is not so difficult to do.

Step 4. Process potentially contaminated products

So, you've thrown out the source product and items that show obvious signs of contamination, but what about the rest of the supplies that appear clean on the outside or were only slightly contaminated?

The easiest way is to throw them away, but if you wish, you can save potentially contaminated food in the following two ways:

Having previously sifted and sorted out the cereal, flour or other product, keep it in the freezer or on the balcony (in winter time) at least 3-4 days.
After pouring the product onto a baking sheet, heat it in the oven at 60 degrees for at least 40 minutes. Before warming it up, of course, you need to clean it.

Keep in mind that the first processing method, although longer, retains all the vitamins and nutritional properties of the food.

Step 5. We carry out prevention and protect products

New or cold/heat processed foods (including pet food) should be placed in glass, thick plastic or metal containers/jars with tight-fitting lids. This will protect supplies from penetration by moths and prevent them from escaping outside the container. Let us remind you that cardboard, paper, foil and cellophane bags are easily eaten by it.

In the fight against moths in the kitchen it will also be useful folk recipe– storage of products with natural repellents:

With a couple of bay leaves;
With peeled but not cut garlic (a couple of heads is enough);
With orange peels.

You can also place one of the following on the shelves, either: lavender sprigs, birch leaves, geranium, wormwood, rosemary, laundry soap or strong-smelling essential oils. For example, fir oil is suitable, which you can moisten a cotton pad with and leave it in the closet.

Remember that these folk remedies will scare away adult moth, preventing her from laying eggs in products and on shelves, but they will not affect the larvae. Moreover, if you suddenly place a package of contaminated cereal on a shelf with lavender, the moth larvae will not die in it, and the butterflies that appear later will no longer be afraid of the smell of lavender. That is why it is necessary to combat domestic pests comprehensively.

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 famous manufacturers and, if possible, check the quality of 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.

Food moths frighten many housewives. At least once in her life, every lady has encountered unpleasant insects, perplexedly trying to understand where the flying moths came from in the kitchen. Initially, it is necessary to find the source of insect reproduction, then suppress the destruction of uninvited “guests”.

The process of getting rid of food moths is unpleasant, lengthy and expensive. Be sure to study the rules for preventing the appearance of insects in your home, because preventing food contamination is much easier than trying to get rid of larvae and adult insects later.

What is food moth

The insect is a pest with a short breeding cycle. Food or grain moths belong to the butterfly family. Adults are beige in color, sometimes light brown. There are also larvae that look like caterpillars; the eggs are light-colored. The larvae vary in size depending on the type of insect, sometimes reaching a length of two centimeters. It is this form of the pest that is considered the most harmful to humans. The larvae devour food and envelop nuts, fruits and cereals in an unpleasant web.

Maximum lifespan adult(butterfly) does not exceed a few days, then the insect lays eggs and dies. During the breeding season, the pest turns into a wingless butterfly, when it destroys many food supplies. This period can last up to six days. Reproduction process grain moth accelerates if environment warm and humid. Therefore, the absence of flying moths is not a reason for peace. At this moment, the larvae can safely feast on your supplies.

Note! The most important thing in the fight against insects in the kitchen is to periodically check all containers with dry products, and not just get rid of the pest once.

These questions worry many housewives, because many believe that they themselves are to blame for the contamination of food with insects. You can’t assume that, you can only take care of your kitchen, but it’s impossible to watch other people. Often, goods purchased in a store (especially on sale) are already contaminated with moth larvae. Unscrupulous owners of wholesale warehouses neglect the rules for storing products. Insects also make their way into the home through ventilation, through windows.

Favorite places for food moths:

cereals Favorite place habitats of grain moths: rice, oatmeal, rolled oats, pasta, even portioned bags of cereals are not immune from pest infestation;
nuts. The moth lives in shelled peanuts, under the shells of walnuts;
dried fruits. Raisins, prunes, dried apricots are often covered with some kind of mold due to moth enveloping the product;
carton boxes. Sometimes the larvae are found in unpacked packets of tea, cornflakes, or oatmeal;
if insects have been living in your kitchen for a long time, then perhaps they live under window sills, behind cabinets; there are rare cases of grain moths living even in household appliances, which has not been used for a long time;
There is an opinion that insects are afraid of garlic, but some claim that they have found larvae even in bags of vegetables;
There are foods that moths do not eat, but live in them well (salt, soda). When inspecting the kitchen, pay attention to these bulk items.

Caustic (vinegar) and viscous (honey, wait, jam) are not susceptible to infection, because insects simply drown in them.

You shouldn’t panic when you discover a pest; gather yourselves and immediately begin destroying grain moths.

Harm and danger

Many people believe that the insect is absolutely harmless to humans; it’s okay if it eats a couple of grains. It is strictly forbidden to think so. The main problem with grain moths is that an adult can lay about 500 eggs. Each larva changes its skin several times during its short life and contaminates food with its vital activity. Cereals and nuts contain a lot of feces and chitinous covering (insect skin).

Regular consumption of contaminated foods, sometimes even one meal, can lead to dire consequences:

food poisoning, serious intoxication of the whole body;
severe allergic reaction, including angioedema, which sometimes leads to death;
malfunctions of the immune system.

All doctors and exterminators insist that after discovering insects in the kitchen, you need to get rid of them very quickly. Food moths pose a particular danger to children. A fragile body may react acutely to a meal of contaminated foods.

General rules for insect control

it is a mistake to put cereals in the refrigerator, low temperatures only lead to the larvae falling asleep. After returning to a humid and warm environment, insects will begin to actively reproduce
larvae and eggs die only when high temperatures. It is allowed to steam the cereals in the oven for at least 20 minutes, otherwise some individuals may survive and the disinfestation will have to be repeated again;
it was not for nothing that our mothers and grandmothers stored cereals and dried herbs in tin cans. Insects are unable to chew through metal, glass, wood and foil. But fabric, paper, plastic lids - easily. Store all edibles in tightly closed glass containers with special seals. This way you can see the pest through glass jar, insects will not crawl throughout the kitchen;
Wash all jars containing contaminated cereals in a vinegar solution. Regular soap has no effect on moths; insects can even live in packets of powder. It is allowed to wash with a soap solution after vinegar treatment for additional hygiene.

Important! No method will help unless you destroy all contaminated food. It is also recommended to thoroughly wash the furniture, the room itself, and general cleaning, adding a little table vinegar to the water for washing floors.

Completely rid the kitchen of annoying insects will help chemicals, which eliminates the possibility of saving contaminated products. All remedies against grain moths can be divided into two groups:

eradication insecticides. Products consist of chemical elements aimed at poisoning adults, larvae, and killing eggs;
repellents. The products include only natural ingredients that can repel insects. The products cannot destroy moths, but contribute to their migration to other territories.

Aerosols

How to deal with food moths in an apartment? One of the most effective means aerosols are considered. Manufacturers produce a lot of products, similar in composition and action, designed to rid the kitchen of food-eating insects in a short period of time.

Popular aerosols:

Antimol. Authorized to use on kitchen furniture, tissues, the duration of action of the product is amazing - the effect lasts up to one year;
Armol. The product is designed to quickly kill moths; the product affects not only butterflies, but also has a prolonged effect against larvae;
Battalion commander Famous universal action, destroys all types of moths. The product is safe for pets and can be used on all surfaces.

For help with choosing the right aerosol, contact a consultant at a specialized store. Consider the presence of children in the house. During disinfestation, it is better to leave the premises, take pets, children, even plants. Then ventilate your home thoroughly; insects cannot stand fresh air.

Traps

Flying individuals must also be destroyed to prevent the resumption of contamination of food. To do this, some use regular newspaper or slippers. The moth flies poorly, catching it is not difficult. If you don't like this method, use commercial traps that attract insects. The products are lubricated with a special substance, the pest sticks and can no longer fly, eventually dying.

The Aeroxon food moth trap has proven excellent. The adhesive surface of the product does not dry out for a long time, and the special aroma attracts butterflies. The trap can be purchased at any hardware store; the cost of one package does not exceed 200 rubles. One trap should be enough to completely destroy adult individuals; if this does not happen, purchase another product.

Folk recipes

Proven remedies for food moths in the apartment:

How to get rid of it? Read useful information.

Prevention of occurrence

You can reduce the damage caused by moths and prevent their occurrence in the house using the following recommendations:

Grain moths are a nuisance, but you can get rid of them. Stick to it useful rules, if necessary, engage in pest control.

Food moths start very easily, but are very difficult to remove. If you notice centimeter larvae in your kitchen white or fluttering insects - take immediate action. Which? Watch this helpful video: