How to get rid of moths in the kitchen forever in 5 steps

A moth in the kitchen is not only flying moths, but also their pupae, larvae and eggs.

• This means that in order to remove pests forever, it is necessary to deal with them in a complex way - to find and eliminate the source, clean the furniture / ceiling, throw away everything that was infected and process potentially contaminated products.

The food moth can be of different types. Most often in the kitchen in a city apartment you can find: a flour moth, a little less often - a cocaine moth (very similar to a clothes moth) and a southern barn moth (struggle with it is more difficult than with others). Where do they come from even in the cleanest kitchen cabinets?

• Tiny, almost invisible eggs get into the kitchen in packages of cereals, cereals, gallets, dried fruits, flour, spices and other groceries. Then, during the week, the larvae of the food moth hatch from them, which later pupate and turn into moths.

In this article you will find step-by-step instructions on how to get rid of the food moth, what preventive measures to take to avoid its reappearance and how to save food if it is a pity to throw them away.

Step 1. We are looking for a hotbed and contaminated products.

Moth eggs look like small white sticky grains that look like semolina. The larvae first have the appearance of 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 the food moth first thing to do:

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

• Do not forget to check and not unpacked groceries, because the moth easily eats cardboard, foil and polyethylene.
• Pay special attention to the edges of the lids of the cans - they may be spider web moth.
• Remember that infected can be not only groceries, but also animal feed, seeds for birds, bait for fishing, that is, almost everything that is not stored in the refrigerator.

2. Inspection of the ceiling. Ceiling, ceiling baseboards, wallpaper edges and chandelier base. Moth loves to hide in dark crevices and corners.
3. Inspection tops cabinets. Here you can also see moth cocoons.

By the way, if you are in doubt whether there is a mole in your kitchen at all, or, say, if it turned out to be removed after cleaning, then look around the room at night - adults will gather around the burning chandelier.

Step 2. We perform a total sweep.

1. Eliminate the source and products with obvious signs of infection. As soon as you find what product has become the source of insects, wrap it tightly in a plastic bag and discard it immediately, or rather burn it.
2. Clean thoroughly.Empty the kitchen cupboards and remove the shelves, and then vacuum them and the inside walls of the cabinet, paying special attention to corners and crevices.

• A vacuum cleaner (without a nozzle or with a small nozzle) will tighten the hiding mole and will not allow unobtrusive eggs to remain in the closet. This method is very effective, so if you do not have a vacuum cleaner, it is worth asking your friends. The main thing after the procedure is to throw out the bag or freeze it in the freezer for 3-4 days.

Next, wipe the furniture with a solution of vinegar, soap and / or a special tool from the food moth, for example, Antimol or Raptor.

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

Step 3. We kill adults and put up traps

How to catch adults who have already scattered in the corners of the cabinets and the kitchen? Males (by the way, harmless but fertilizing females) can be caught using a glue trap (photo below). The principle of its operation is simple - a trap processed by pheromone of females attracts males and “catches” them, and without males the moth will not be able to breed. 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 chemicals stores.

The females will have to be killed by traditional methods - a fly swatter or a folded newspaper, since they fly slowly and slowly, it is not so difficult to do it.

Step 4. We process potentially contaminated products.

So, you discarded the source product and products with obvious signs of infection, and what to do with the rest of the supplies that seem to be clean or slightly contaminated?

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

• Pre-sifting and sorting out the grits, flour or other product, hold it in the freezer or on the balcony (in winter) for at least 3-4 days.
• After pouring out the product on a baking sheet, warm 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 method of processing, although longer, but retains all the vitamins and nutritional properties of food.

Step 5. We carry out prevention and protect products

1. New or cold / heat-treated products (including animal feed) should be poured into glass, thick plastic or metal containers / cans with tight-fitting lids. This will protect the supplies from the penetration of the moth and prevent it from escaping beyond the limits of the container. Recall that cardboard, paper, foil and cellophane bags are easily eaten by her.

2. In the fight with moths in the kitchen, a popular recipe is also useful - storing products with natural repellents:

• With a pair of leaves of bay leaves;
• With peeled, but not cut garlic (enough pairs of heads);
• With orange peel.

3. On the shelves, you can also lay out one of the following, either: sprigs of lavender, birch leaves, geraniums, wormwood, rosemary, laundry soap, or strongly smelling essential oils. For example, suitable fir oil, which can moisten a cotton pad and leave it in the closet.

Remember that these folk remedies will scare away the adult moth, not allowing it to lay eggs in food and on the shelves, but they will not work on the larvae. Moreover, if you suddenly put a package of contaminated cereal on a shelf with lavender, the moth larvae will not die in it, and the butterflies that will appear later will no longer be afraid of the smell of lavender. That is why you need to deal with domestic pests complex.

And a little more about prevention

The following tips will help you avoid moth re-occurrence:

• Try to keep food stale for more than 2-4 months and, of course, do not store supplies that have expired shelf life.
• Products that you rarely use, keep in the refrigerator.
• Buy dry foods in small quantities to have time to eat them in a couple of months.
• Buy groceries only from reputable manufacturers and, if possible, check the quality of goods in the store. For fidelity, freshly bought cereals, cereals, flour, nuts, dried fruits and other products should be frozen for 3-4 days (dry).
• Animal feeds, such as seeds for birds or, say, bait for fishing, are not stored in the kitchen.

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