Moth in the house is a real disaster for the owners. If you do not declare war on this winged pest in time, both food and clothing will be constantly at risk. There are many ways to permanently get rid of moths. These are industrial chemicals, and for a long time proven means at hand.
How does a mole appear in an apartment?
It’s easy to find out that winged “guests” have appeared in the apartment. Adult pests do not hide from the owners, but shamelessly fly out of the closet as soon as the door opens. In appearance, the moth resembles a small butterfly with whitish wings. It is almost impossible to confuse with any flying insect.
The parasite does not start in a person’s home, it appears for several reasons:
- along with old things purchased at a thrift store or rented;
- with old furniture;
- migrates through ventilation shafts from apartments located one floor below;
- in flour and cereals, the kitchen moth starts in the store, penetrating the inconspicuous openings in the package.
If adult butterflies are easy to see with the naked eye and can even be slammed with a newspaper, then it is much more difficult to get to the pupae and especially the larvae. Caring females hide their offspring in the most inaccessible places: in the seams of stale clothes and furniture upholstery, in the smallest cracks of wooden furniture, in open and long-unclaimed bags of cereal.
How to deal with kitchen moths?
Kitchen moth "specializes" in spoiling food. Tiny eggs of the pest can be found in packages of cereals, flour, spices, the expiration date of which is nearing the end. Within a few days, larvae appear from them, which soon pupate and turn into butterflies.
To deal with food moth, you need to carry out the following activities:
- Carefully inspect the kitchen drawers and the supplies stored in them. The presence of moths can be judged by the thin cobweb from the inside of the lid of the plastic containers. Packaged groceries may also contain pest larvae.
- We need to explore the top of the kitchen cabinets - there will be found many cocoons of moths. The ceiling plinth and the ceiling area near the chandelier is also one of the favorite places for pests.
- Perform general cleaning. Throw away all loose products, vacuum the kitchen furniture using a crevice nozzle, wipe the furniture with a solution of laundry soap or a special food moth remover.
- Adults can be bred using pheromone traps.
Moth, like any living creature, is unable to live without water. Therefore, you should block all sources of moisture that are in the public domain, thoroughly wipe the dishes, close the ventilation and drain with a fine mesh. In the cabinets you need to put allspice or spread the bay leaf. The smell of these spices will scare away annoying insects.
Folk remedies for clothes moth
A clothes moth feeds on paper, felt, cotton and wool. In addition, getting to a food source, it can make holes and passages in polyethylene and other synthetic material. Do not think that the butterfly does the most harm - if you slam a couple of individuals, you will not be able to permanently get rid of the problem. The main damage comes from larvae and caterpillars, so the first thing to do is to look for and destroy the pest masonry.
If the larvae are not found, and the butterflies continue to appear in the apartment, the following measures should be taken:
- Shake up all the things and dry them on the balcony. Larvae are afraid of exposure to sunlight and cannot tolerate low temperatures. Therefore, the most suitable time to clean the wardrobe of moths is a hot sunny day or hard frost.
- Wash clothes that can be washed at a temperature of + 60 ° С.
- Vacuum the cabinets, treat the inner surfaces of the drawers with a 9% solution of acetic acid.
To combat moth larvae, it is very convenient to use a Karcher household steam cleaner. The temperature of the vapor, under the pressure ejected through the nozzles of this device, is + 140 ° C. If the stream is directed to a nest or to the supposed place of accumulation of larvae, there will be no trace of pests.
To finally get rid of the moth, you can use proven folk remedies:
- Fresh wraps of lemon, tangerine or orange are laid out in wardrobes. Moth moths cannot stand the smell of citrus fruits, so they will immediately rush to leave their homes and never return.
- The garlic spirit will scare away uninvited guests. Garlic is peeled and cut into rings, then put in gauze bags and hung or laid out in places of storage of clothes.
- Bouquets of tansy or wormwood are an excellent remedy against moths. Plants can be used both fresh and dried.
- The interior of the cabinet can be treated with vinegar pairs. To do this, remove all clothing from the cabinet and install a hot stand on the lower shelf. Pour 1 glass of 9% vinegar into a pan, bring to a boil, set it on a stand and close the cabinet doors. After 10-15 minutes of such processing, no living larvae will remain in the cabinet.
- Bags with various spices (allspice, cloves, coriander) are placed in a closet between textiles.
It has long been observed that moth does not tolerate the smell and taste of printing ink. To protect fur boots, a hat or mittens from being destroyed by a pest, you need to wrap them in a sheet of fresh newspaper.
Lavender from the moth
Lavender will contain aromatic substances that have a detrimental effect on the mole - the pest loses its ability to reproduce. The plant can be used in the form of sachets or oils, which manufacturers of industrial products from moths often include in their products.
In order to get rid of annoying pest at home quickly and forever, it is necessary to soak cosmetic cotton pads with lavender oil and put in places of the supposed accumulation of insects. Once every two weeks, the deterrent should be updated.
The dried sprigs of lavender are placed in small bags made of cotton or linen, and hung in a wardrobe. Simple, practical and inexpensive, besides, clothes will always be pleasant to smell of flowers.
Chemical substances
It is not always possible to get along exclusively with folk remedies. If none of the methods described above helps, you should turn to more effective chemicals.
Aerosols
Special insecticides in spray cans effectively fight moths. The chemical is sprayed onto clothing and inside the cabinet. The disadvantage of this tool is that you need to get to a specific place, which means that you will have to process all the folds of clothes and cracks in the furniture surface.
Aerosol insecticides are not suitable for people with allergies, as well as for families with small children.
Among the most popular drugs are "Raptor", "Armol", "Clean House".
Fumigators
Compared to aerosol, the fumigator is safer for people and animals. A plate with toxic substances is inserted into the device and, heating up under the influence of an electric current, emits vapors lethal to insects.
According to customer reviews, the most effective devices are DiK-3, Mosquitall and Raid.
Moth sections
These are special plates saturated with a toxic substance of a wide spectrum of action. As soon as the packaging is destroyed, the chemical begins to enter the air. After the necessary concentration of the poisonous substance inside the cabinet is reached, the destruction of adult individuals, larvae and eggs of the moth, and a protective barrier for new insects is created for five months.
Traps
The principle of the trap is as follows: the plate is impregnated with a special substance that attracts insects. Most often these are pheromones synthesized in the laboratory. Butterfly flies to the beckoning smell and gets on adhesive tape.
There are many ways to get rid of moths that have settled in a kitchen or wardrobe. To combat the pest, both folk remedies and chemical industrial preparations are suitable. The main thing, having started the struggle, is not to stop until there are not a single butterfly and not a single larva in the apartment.