How to get rid of moths quickly and effectively?

What does a moth look like?

First, it would be useful to learn more about the appearance of a common moth. So, this insect is a moth of a yellowish, gray or dark shade. Some butterflies have red tints on their bodies.

The parasite has two pairs of shiny, iridescent wings. They are “trimmed” with fringe along the edges. The span of the front wings varies between 9-19 mm. The hind wings are smaller than the front ones and their color is calmer, monochromatic.

Interesting! The male moth is smaller in size than the female. He dies immediately after fertilizing the female. The female lives for a month.

Usually after a person sees gray individuals at home, he immediately goes to check bulk products and wardrobes. Woolen and fur items and books are also subject to inspection.

There are several signs that a pest has appeared in the home:

• Empty cocoons, tracks, small pink caterpillars are noticed in containers with bulk products (flour, dried fruits, tea, cereals);
• Grains are glued together into lumps of an unattractive appearance;
• On clothes, there are areas eaten away in places, larvae are light yellow, white clutches;
• Inconspicuous moths fly around the room in the evening.
• Furniture moths are easy to identify by damaged skin and cobwebs with waste products in the most secluded corners of the room.

If this insect is noticed, measures must be taken immediately. The parasite’s life cycle is about 5 weeks, and the moth can actively reproduce from the third day of its appearance. As soon as it starts laying eggs, it will be more difficult to fight.

Where do moths come from?

You can often hear that an ideal housewife cannot have moths in her house, because problems arise from dirt. This is not true at all when it comes to moths. However, there is still a reason for the appearance of a voracious insect in the house – these are certain violations of the rules for storing things, which make locations a comfortable habitat for parasites.

Moths love dark places. They are not attracted to light at all, this is how they differ from most moths. It does not matter whether the apartment is in disarray or perfectly clean – any home can become a potential place for the appearance of moths. The only thing that matters is acceptable food located in a dark place. And there is one simple way to protect yourself from the pest: keep food items in containers and thick plastic bags, and use special industrial or folk “scarecrows”.

An adult moth can get into an apartment in different ways. The pest’s eggs are so small that it is impossible to see them with the naked eye. Only by looking closely or armed with a magnifying glass can you see them. In this situation, infected things can easily get into the house with purchases from the store, food from the country.

The larvae are easier to notice. But they can also get into an apartment if, for example, they were in a dark closet with woolen items that were later sold. Females can fly in through windows that are not covered with a mosquito net or through ventilation openings.

Here are the most common ways parasites get into a house:

1. through contaminated bulk products bought in bulk;
2. used clothing;
3. from another person;
4. wool carpets or upholstered furniture with natural upholstery;
5. any passage into the apartment: doors, windows, ventilation pipes.

Note! You shouldn’t run after the moth, trying to dispose of it – usually males fly, and females are dangerous – at this time they are busy laying eggs.

Features of the fight by insect species

There are several types of moths, they got their names according to the place of their home habitat and food. These are food, clothes, furniture.

Clothes moth

It is also called a clothing or fur moth. The clothes moth is a light yellow insect with a downy head. From the name it is clear that this parasite loves clothes and settles in the dressing room.

The alarm begins to sound when damaged clothes with eaten away parts are found. The insect considers silk, woolen fabric and fur to be delicacies. In the absence of favorites, it is content with cotton products. If cotton is not visible, the larvae begin to feed on semi-synthetic materials.

Clothes moths cannot stand sunlight, they are easy to destroy by washing, freezing, steaming. To get rid of wardrobe parasites, they resort to the help of sections, aerosols, tablets and plates. Each means has advantages and disadvantages.

If there is a risk of an allergic reaction from industrial insecticides, you can fight insects with folk methods.

Food moth

This type of moth prefers the kitchen. Pests like to be in all kinds of bulk cereals. If food is loosely tied or uncovered, it becomes an easy target for invaders. Food moths are most often found in containers with:

• nuts;
• cereals;
• chocolates;
• cookies;
• baked goods;
• sweets;
• spices;
• dried fruits.

Important! By consuming food contaminated with moths, a person exposes the body to poisoning, allergies and decreased immunity may occur. Therefore, as soon as traces of larvae are found in food supplies, they should be thrown away immediately – do not joke with your health.

How to get rid of them?

Store food in closed containers. If they are already infected, then the lids will only make the situation worse – moth larvae actively develop in a warm environment without access to air.

It is recommended to keep the sink dry, the faucet in good working order, attach a fine mesh to the ventilation hole, preventing the possibility of moth migration from neighbors.

The pest really does not like some things, so they should be placed on kitchen shelves: garlic, citrus zest, black peppercorns, pheromone traps or essential oils.

Note! An adult moth does not eat cereals, clothes or chairs, it does not even have a mouth. Its danger lies in the fact that it lays eggs that become larvae and these voracious creatures cause a lot of harm.

Furniture moth

A grayish-yellow nondescript butterfly can lay up to 300 eggs on carpets, rugs, in the upholstery of upholstered furniture. Furniture moth larvae are difficult to even see, but their small size does not prevent them from causing great damage. They are controlled using plants with a strong smell, tablets and fumigators with insecticides. There is an opinion that the insect runs away from the sharp smell of geranium.

To effectively get rid of parasites, resort to frequent cleaning, beating carpets in the sun and frost, treating products with insecticides.

With a small scale of distribution, plates and tablets, the smell of mint, wormwood, tansy, lavender (you need to spread herbs in the corners) can help. If the situation is critical, it is worth using sprays and aerosols.

Folk methods of control

Some housewives prefer to take care of storing food fresh in advance and not letting the inconspicuous parasite into the house. To do this, they place herbs with a strong smell on the shelves – cloves, wormwood, walnut branches, geranium and reliably protect clothes by putting packages of herbs in their pockets. They repel pests quite effectively. However, if the insects have already left traces, there are several good folk remedies and rules for getting rid of them.

Laundry soap

This simple remedy is the first in the ranks of moth fighters. Its specific smell repels both the adult moth and its larva. Using soap is quite simple: you need to bring and lay out pieces of the fragrant ingot in the closet, put them in the pockets of your clothes, rub the back of the carpet and the walls of the closet with a soap solution. Wet cleaning with soap will quickly clean the things occupied by the parasite.

However, laundry soap has one drawback – things absorb its smell. You don’t really want to hang your favorite clothes in a wardrobe where the soapy smell hovers. Sometimes laundry soap is replaced with strawberry or lingonberry soap – they also repel moths, but have a more pleasant aroma.

Lavender

The effect of this fragrant herb has been tested by time, it has been used for centuries. Usually women fill small bags with dried lavender and place them in places where the pest likes to eat. Having smelled it, the moth flies away.

Mint

Another fragrant herb that moths cannot stand. Mint branches are laid out fresh on shelves in closets, dried ones are stuffed into bags and also distributed around the apartment, they are put into pockets of fur coats and other winter clothes.

Geranium

This is something moths absolutely cannot stand. Geranium is so unacceptable to them that if you place pots with geraniums on windowsills, they will become a kind of barrier on the way of these insects into the house. The leaves of the plant are put in problem areas in the apartment, dried and put into pockets of woolen things.

Black pepper

Black peppercorns are placed in containers with bulk products, simply on the shelves in closets, put in the pockets of fur clothes, in mittens.

Chamomile

All types of chamomile are suitable for getting rid of moths. Most often, sachets with dried plants are used.

Tobacco

Most likely, moths will not fly into the house of a heavy smoker. But this is not a reason to become addicted to a bad habit. Tobacco can be used on its own. In private homes, fragrant tobacco is planted in front of the windows and then no pest will try to settle in it.

Smoking and snuff tobacco are poured into sachets and placed in pockets. Dried tobacco leaves are also effective. It is useless to use regular cigarettes.

Essential oils

The insect cannot stand the aroma of essential oils. Fir, lavender, patchouli, citronella and lemongrass are effective. A little oil is poured into a separate container and left open so that the air in the house is saturated with it. An effective way is to drop the oil on one of the warm surfaces, for example, a radiator.

Bay leaf

The smell of bay leaf is almost imperceptible to the human sense of smell, you have to inhale it well to feel it. However, it is terrible for moths. You don’t even have to put them in your things or on shelves – just hang a sprig of dry leaves in the kitchen or keep a jar of this spice open.

How to get rid of them using professional products?

In most cases, folk remedies are enough to clear your apartment of this unpleasant neighbor. However, if they don’t help, advanced industry and chemicals come to the rescue. We’ll tell you about several popular professional products for fighting these unpleasant creatures.

Aerosols

The liquid product is packaged in a metal bottle with a sprayer and starts working immediately after spraying. Aerosols can be sprayed on things, carpets, and furniture. Rest assured that the pest will not appear for six months after this. According to customers, the best aerosol is “Raptor from moths with lemon scent”. The cost varies from 147 to 374 rubles, and it lasts for 12 months.

Another product that users praise is “Armol Expert from moths without odor”. The absence of a strong odor is an undoubted advantage of this product. It is used to destroy clothes and grain insects, skin beetles and caterpillars.

Tablets

I really want both the eggs and larvae to disappear at once. Is there such a product? Yes, experts say. But it is so strong that pets and people will run away. Therefore, tablets with mothballs are often used in attics, basements of old houses, where there are unnecessary materials: unwearable things, wool, tow, fur. These tablets can also be used indoors if people are not there constantly. Among the leaders in efficiency:

• “Cinderella Effect Anti-Mole with citrus or lavender aroma”,
• “Clean House”,
• “Taiga Anti-Mole”.

Here are Greenfield tablets – safe repellents, without mothballs in the composition. They are talc balls impregnated with lavender essential oil and containing synthetic substances. They can be laid out as usual – on shelves, in pockets of clothes.

Fumigators

Fumigators are safe for people and pets. However, they kill butterflies, but are ineffective against caterpillars. Popular models include “DIK-3”, “Elektrofumigator” and “Mosquitall”.

Traps

There are two types of traps – glue and glueless. Russian consumers prefer the following brands of safe products: Aeroxon, Argus, Globol, “Raptor”.

The effect is long-lasting – about 1 year.

Sections

Sections are popular with housewives for three reasons – they have a pleasant smell, are safe for people and are easy to use. A plastic container with a hook can be hung in a closet. The most popular sections are from Raptor, Armol and Mosquitall, priced from 80 to 150 rubles. Disadvantage – does not kill larvae.

Prevention of occurrence

Of course, it is better not to let parasites into the house at all, than to mess with them later. Keeping your home clean from insects is quite simple. We offer several simple tips for preventing the premises:

• Several times a year, carry out a general cleaning, conduct an inspection of all clothes, air them out or “fry” them in strong sunlight. These insects do not tolerate strong temperatures – they die in frost and heat. Therefore, it is worth hanging things on balconies and loggias both in summer and in winter – in severe frost.
• Often ventilate the apartment, shelves, cabinets – insects feel uncomfortable in a ventilated space.
• Wet cleaning should be carried out in kitchen cabinets where supplies are stored. Treat surfaces with a sponge soaked in apple cider vinegar.
• Throw away contaminated products, wash containers, all containers with vinegar, dry well. Store new products in sealed containers.
• Throw away badly damaged clothing. Take the rest to the dry cleaner or wash and treat it yourself. Cleaned, fold and store in airtight bags, sachets or tobacco cases.
• Place sachets with dried herbs and lemon peels on shelves and wardrobes, hang sections.
• Grow geraniums next to wardrobes and on kitchen windowsills.
• If it turns out that the products are not badly damaged, they can be saved by exposing them to low or high temperatures. To do this, you should sort out all the cereals again and keep them in the refrigerator (freezer) for 3-4 days. Sometimes the cereals are heated in the oven, but the first method is better, since under the influence of cold and low temperatures, the nutritional properties and vitamins remain pristine.
• Among the retro processing methods – our grandmothers covered their wardrobes with newspapers, since the insect cannot stand the smell of printing ink.

We hope our advice will help you get rid of moths forever.