Food moths are among the best knownPests in the householdthat invade our kitchen cupboards and attack our supplies. But the butterflies that fly around in the kitchen are not the real culprits. The damage is actually caused by the larvae that hatch from the moth eggs. But how can you combat food moths and get rid of them for good? You will find many useful tips in the article!
How to recognize a moth infestation in the kitchen
Food moths are easy to spot. If you see maggots in dry food or larvae on the lids of jars, cans or on the ceiling, it is certainly a food moth infestation. The food that has been infested by the moths can still be recognized by the webs. This is the name given to the fine, white threads that can be found in the infected packaging or container. The pests feed primarily on grains, nuts, rice, legumes and fruit, but also on chocolate, animal feed and tea.
Food moths (also known as dried fruit moths and flour moths) can easily be confused with clothes moths, but these insects are not actually in the same family. How do you differentiate the two?Moth species? Kitchen moths are usually multicolored, their wings have reddish ends and dark bars and dots. In contrast, clothes moths are solid color without any markings on the wings.
Are food moths and their eggs dangerous?
The adult moths themselves are neither dangerous nor harmful. They don't eat the supplies, they only worry about reproducing successfully. But the eggs they lay and the resulting larvae can quickly infest dry supplies, making them inedible. Nevertheless, the larvae of food moths areunlike other pestslike cockroaches, are not harmful to health because they do not transmit germs and bacteria. However, it is important to note that eating contaminated foods can lead to allergies, skin reactions and gastrointestinal problems.
Where do food moths come from?
Before you fight food moths, it is important to know how they actually arise. The pests find their way to our kitchens through grocery shopping. The larvae and eggs can stick to the packaging or nest in it. This is how the pests pass on to our supplies.
Fighting food moths in the kitchen: This is how it works!
Have you noticed food moths in the kitchen or pantry? Then you need to act quickly before the infestation spreads throughout your kitchen. This is how you get rid of the pests:
1. Clean out kitchen cupboards and throw away contaminated food
The first thing to do if you find grocery moths in the kitchen is to check your supplies for eggs and larvae. Don't wait and clean out the cupboards as quickly as possible to find the larvae. To be on the safe side, throw away all opened and non-airtight packaging and check the unopened ones for holes and infestation.
Be thorough when reviewing this packaging. Even if you've only seen a single moth near a kitchen cupboard or in the pantry, any non-airtight packages, boxes, and bags in that area are likely already infested with the pests.
2. Clean kitchen and pantry cabinets
To completely get rid of grocery moths, you definitely need to clean the pantries. Empty it completely and remove all crumbs and leftover food. Vacuum the cupboards and the entire kitchen. Then empty the vacuum cleaner bag, tie it in a garbage bag and take the garbage directly outside.
Disinfect the cabinetsindoors and outdoors with a kitchen cleaner or with a solution of warm water and white vinegar in a 1:1 ratio. You can also steam clean the cabinets.
3. Don't put the pantry back in immediately!
It is better to wait a few days or preferably weeks before refilling the area that you have now cleaned. This is especially true for large pantries or pantries. For a small kitchen cupboard, 1-2 days are enough.
During this time you can check whether all the larvae are really gone and if not, you don't have to throw away so many supplies this time. Clean and disinfect everything well again to get rid of any remaining eggs and larvae.
4. Set up a food moth trap
If the moths appear repeatedly and you cannot determine where they are coming from, a pheromone sticky trap can help. It attracts the male borers, who then stick to it. This will also help you determine whether some moths survived the cleaning.
Such sticky traps can also be used to detect a moth infestation right from the start.
How can you get rid of food moths permanently?
There are different ways to combat kitchen moths. Some methods, such as using parasitic wasps to combat the plague, get to the root of the problem and ensure that all moth eggs are destroyed. Other variants aim to drive away pantry moths so that they no longer nest in your kitchen. For example, you can use different smells that keep the moths away.
Parasitic wasps against food moths
Parasitic wasps are very small insects that are known to feed on food and clothes moths. These natural predators of moths are a great way to combat the pests in our kitchens and closets. Although pest control with other insects sounds a bit strange, especially in the kitchen, it really works. You don't have to worry - the parasitic wasps will not attack your food because they are only interested in the moths or their eggs. Plus, these beneficial parasites are so tiny that you most likely won't even notice them.
This is how the method works:
You buy cards with parasitic wasps as larvae in moth eggs, which you put in the emptied and cleaned cupboards. As a rule, one card is required per shelf. After the parasitic wasps hatch, they eat the moths' eggs so that they can no longer develop into larvae.
The disadvantage of this control method is that it takes several weeks, so you cannot see the result immediately. However, if you want to avoid chemical agents, you can opt for parasitic wasps to combat food moths.
With home remedies against food moths
There are some tried and tested home remedies that should protect your supplies from moth infestation. One of the most famous of these is, for exampleGarlic. Even a clove of garlic in your pantry should work wonders. This method is even more effective if you lightly crush the garlic clove so that it can release its specific aroma.
The scent of thenutmegis also known for keeping dried fruit moths away from kitchen cupboards. Place some nutmegs next to your supplies to say goodbye to those pesky moths.
Another possibility would be somethingSaltto sprinkle in the pantries to drive away the kitchen moths.
Moths also cannot tolerate the scent of olive oil, so you can treat them with a pieceMarseille soapdistribute in the kitchen cupboard.
VonBay leavesFood moths should also keep their distance. Scatter some of them around the cupboards and in grain products and other foods that are commonly attacked by pantry moths.
If you have someScented sachets with lavenderPutting them out in your pantry will also keep the kitchen moths away.
Get rid of kitchen moths with essential oils
You can get rid of pantry moths if you treat the cabinets with essential oils. TheLavender oilhas proven to be very effective against these pests. So, take a cotton ball soaked in a few drops of lavender essential oil and keep it in the cupboard. Change the cotton ball regularly as the scent disappears quickly.
Instead of lavender oil you can alsoPeppermint oilUse against food moths.
What can be done to prevent future infestations?
Once you have successfully combated grocery moths, you should take a few steps to keep them away from your supplies in the future. Here we have listed some tips:
- To prevent a possible kitchen moth infestation, store dry foods such as flour, pasta, cereal or rice in mason jars or other airtight containers.
- Check your kitchen cabinets and pantry regularly. If you discover moths in the pantry again (and we hope this never happens again following our tips), always act quickly to limit their spread as much as possible. After all, it is much easier to clear out and clean a single cupboard than all the pantries at once.
- Since pantry moths often come home from the supermarket in your shopping bag, you should check the packaging on site. This especially applies to bread, flour, muesli, grain or dry animal feed. Take a close look at these foods in the supermarket and leave any suspicious packaging on the shelf straight away.
A simple trick: briefly freeze dry supplies
Do you always put the food you buy into storage jars straight away, but they still get attacked by moths? This is usually because the food is already contaminated in the package. The food moth eggs cannot be seen and are placed in the containers along with the food.
When a moth infestation occurs, a lot of food ends up in the trash. To prevent this from happening, you can take some preventive measures before you buy the foodput in the pantry.
Luckily, there is a simple trick to protect dry supplies from possible infestation. You just need to put them in the freezer for a few hours before pouring them into the jars. The cold causes all food moths, including their eggs and larvae, to die.
