How to get rid of fruit or food moths in the kitchen?

Fruit moth: appearance and lifestyle

Fruit moth, appearance

The fruit moth is an unremarkable butterfly: its body is 1 cm long, it is gray in color with dark horizontal stripes.

The insect is nocturnal, so it can often be found in the evening. During the day, fruit moths hide in cabinets and other secluded corners.

The insect's lifespan is only 2-14 days. The female dies after laying her eggs.

She lays eggs in food, from which larvae later hatch and eat the food. Adults do not eat fruit.

Signs of infection

Signs of the presence of moths

You can learn about the existence of moths in an apartment by fluttering butterflies and caterpillars. Moths are active in the dark and often appear in the evening. During the day, moths hide in dark places, away from bright sunlight. If the apartment is heavily infested, moths can be found during the day, and not only in the room where the larvae are parasitizing.

The second obvious sign is caterpillars. Periodically, they crawl out of infected cereals and travel around the apartment. You can meet them in the kitchen, bedroom, living room. The caterpillars develop from 1 to 2 months, at the last stage they reach a size of 1.5 cm and pupate. After a few days, sexually mature adults emerge and immediately begin mating and laying eggs. In 14 days, one female is capable of laying about 100 eggs.

Contaminated products look disgusting, disgusting, terrifying. In one place there are caterpillars of different sizes, excrement, moths, pupae, and cobwebs. Such a sight is found even in hermetically sealed cereals - in bags.

Where do fruit moths come from in the house?

The easiest and most common way for fruit moths to enter an apartment is through food.

For example, you bought products in a store that contain moths, most often this happens in markets and open pavilions, but it happens that you encounter this insect in supermarkets.

You can also bring moths from your dacha. When harvesting, you need to make sure that there are no moths or their larvae in vegetables and fruits, as they will turn into butterflies and continue to multiply.

Moths can also get into the house through the ventilation system from neighbors or from the basement.

During the warm season, fruit moths can fly into a room through an open window or door.

Protection of dried fruits

If moths have already laid eggs in pieces of fruit, the product will have to be thrown away. It will be necessary to carefully examine the grain, flour, pasta, and cereals standing nearby, since food moths and its varieties can also be found there: flour, fruit, grain. If worms are crawling in some of these products, all these packages must also be thrown away.

If there are few larvae, you can fight for food. Like all insects, moths are afraid of low or high temperatures. Therefore, dried fruits, carefully selecting spoiled slices, need to be dried in an oven heated to 70 degrees for half an hour.

You can also kill moths and their larvae with frost: simply take dried fruits out onto the balcony in winter or leave them in the freezer overnight.

Food moths and their larvae prefer high humidity and warmth. It is difficult to take her out of a home where conditions suitable for her are maintained. The ideal way to get rid of moths is through thorough ventilation, drying corners, and eliminating damp foods.

How to get rid of fruit moths? Ways to fight

Fruit moth (larvae) in dried fruits

The fight against fruit moths is complicated by one important point - you cannot use chemical insecticides. If, for example, you have bed mites in your house, then it is enough to use special chemicals and clean it. But fruit moths live in food, so this method is excluded.

So what should you do to get rid of moths? A good option would be to use special traps and adhesive tapes. They need to be placed in fruit moth habitats: next to cabinets, pantries, shelves where you store grains, dried fruits, and nuts.

Of course, such traps will help reduce the number of insects in the house, but there is no guarantee that you will be able to get rid of them forever.

As soon as you notice that fruit moths have appeared in the house, you need to immediately get rid of all contaminated products. Sort out fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, grains, etc. Contaminated foods should not be eaten, as they can be dangerous to humans.

All containers in which you stored contaminated food should be washed thoroughly and treated with a vinegar solution. To protect your skin from vinegar burns, you should wear gloves. The solution should be left for at least half an hour. Vinegar has an unpleasant and pungent odor, so after processing you need to ventilate the room well.

Folk remedies for fighting fruit moths

Simple folk remedies can also help in the fight against insects, many of which are found in every home.

Usage options

Before drying fruits, it is advisable to have an idea not only of how to store dried apples, but also how to use this delicacy in the future.
Apple “crackers” are most often used to make compotes, add them to porridges, salads, and eat them as an independent dessert. Before using, it is recommended to soak the slices for 5-10 minutes in warm water to soften them. Unlike other harvesting methods, dried apples retain the greatest amount of valuable vitamins and microelements. But when choosing this storage method, you should carefully control the microclimate in the room, as well as monitor the condition of the product throughout the entire period. Subject to simple conditions, fragrant apples will delight you and your loved ones until next summer.

Sometimes housewives have to deal with such a problem as the appearance of small white or yellowish worms in flour and cereals. No one is immune from the attacks of such parasites; they can appear in any product and it is almost impossible to prevent this. All that remains is to fight the worms that have already taken over the kitchen or food pantry. Fortunately, there are several simple and quite effective ways to get rid of mealworms, and below they will be discussed in great detail.

Know the enemy by sight

The mealworm is not an easy enemy, and in order to successfully fight it, you need to thoroughly study its physiological and other characteristics, find out the sequence of reproduction, etc. Otherwise, all measures taken at random may be ineffective and the parasite, not paying attention to all efforts to eliminate it, will continue its victorious march through the kitchen.

To start a conversation about mealworms and how to get rid of them, we should say that this organism is not a full-fledged worm from a biological point of view. In fact, these are the larvae of a special kind of beetle - stone beetles, mealworms, etc. During the process of reproduction, their females lay eggs, from which the very worms that we are horrified to discover in flour or cereals subsequently appear.

It should be noted that the favorite habitats of such beetles are mills, flour mills and wholesale warehouses of finished products. It is here that they most often lay eggs, which, due to their microscopic size and adapted appearance - a white sticky surface on which flour sticks - are almost impossible to detect with the naked eye. At the same time, the incubation period of the larvae is a whole year, so that future worms, while still in the egg stage, can calmly survive the process of packaging the finished flour, spend several months in a factory bag on a store shelf, from where they get to the kitchen and only then acquire the familiar appearance .

In other words, it is impossible to prevent mealworms from appearing in your home, no matter how hard you try. They enter the kitchen with contaminated flour, where they are unlikely to be detected, even if armed with a microscope. Therefore, the only thing that can be done in such a situation is to limit the possible spread of the parasite to other products and cereals, as well as regularly check supplies in order to promptly identify the danger and begin the fight against uninvited guests.

Control measures

So, what should you do if you find nasty insects in your food supplies? How to get rid of mealworms with a guarantee? Only a whole range of measures, a detailed inspection of food storage areas and general cleaning using special means, will help achieve this result.

You should start by destroying all the cereals and flour in the house - after all, the inconspicuous larvae have probably already settled there, and if you leave at least part of the supplies in the house that are apparently untouched by the pest, then after a short period of time the worms will begin their attack again. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of all cereals, and at the same time, tea and coffee, without regret. Fortunately, the era of shortages is far behind us and such a step is unlikely to cause irreparable damage to the family budget.

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How to prevent fruit moths from appearing in the house?

It is always easier to prevent the appearance of an insect in the house than to get rid of it.

There are simple measures that can help significantly reduce the likelihood of fruit moths.

There should be nets on the windows; they will protect you not only from moths, but also from many other types of insects. The ventilation holes should also be covered with a grille, and the smaller the cells, the better.

As soon as you see a fruit moth in the house, you need to kill it immediately so that the insect does not have time to lay eggs and reproduce.

It is better to store food not in a bag, but in special sealed containers. They will not only protect food from the appearance of larvae, but also maintain its freshness.

Food supplies should be checked periodically and any contaminated items should be thrown away.

In warm weather, once a month it will be useful to wipe the inside of all cabinets with a solution of vinegar essence.

Fruit moths are a pest that cause you to throw away food. To protect your home and food from insects, follow simple precautions and, if necessary, apply the tips we described. And then your house will be clean, and all food supplies will be intact.

A small butterfly flying through your kitchen is a serious enough reason to start worrying about the safety of your food. Most often, parasites feed on cereals and grains; moths are also often found in dried fruits. These insects feed while at the caterpillar stage, making small holes in dried fruits and entangling themselves in a silk cocoon.

Folk remedies

The use of chemicals in the kitchen to combat insects is extremely undesirable, as there is a risk of poisoning the products, and through them, people. Therefore, many are looking for alternative ways to fight. There are many folk remedies for fighting fruit moths. You can use several methods at once or choose one that works most effectively.

• Moths do not like the smell of garlic. Therefore, you can place peeled fresh cloves of this vegetable in your cabinets. It must be borne in mind that gradually the moth gets used to it and stops reacting to such an aroma. Then we need to move on to other methods of scaring.
• In the same way, the smell of lavender, wormwood, peppermint, catmint, oregano, and sweet clover will repel insects. You can hang bunches of herbs in the kitchen or place bags of these aromatic herbs in the cabinets.
• Bay leaves and cloves also help get rid of moths. You can put laurel leaves on top of jars of cereals. Then the insect will not lay eggs in these containers.
• It has long been noted that the smell of citrus fruits repels moths. Do not throw away the peels of oranges and tangerines. It should be dried and the peels should be placed in jars and bags with dried fruits, cereals, flour, and simply placed on the shelves of cabinets where food is stored.

Fruit moths easily adapt to odors and stop reacting to them. Therefore, you should not immediately use all of the listed means - it is better to use them in turn, periodically changing one to another.

External characteristics

If you have observed repeated appearances of butterflies over the course of three weeks, this is evidence that the infestation is quite serious and it is necessary to immediately take steps to eliminate the insects.

The winged moth is no longer capable of causing any harm, since their oral organ is reduced upon reaching sexual maturity. Parasites are their larvae, which, having powerful jaws, feed quite intensively and accumulate energy reserves so that upon reaching the adult stage they have the opportunity to reproduce.

Interesting fact! The absence of a proboscis is due to the fact that, upon reaching sexual maturity, the moth loses not only the ability to feed, but also to digest food. Therefore, they simply do not need this organ.

The caterpillar's head is brown. As a rule, infestation of dried fruits and vegetables with this type of moth will be indicated by small, neat nests and a thin cobweb around them. The larva will be inside the nest.

Fighting methods

To destroy food moths, first of all, you should pay attention to gentle methods. It is not recommended to immediately use insecticides in the kitchen, as there is a possibility of the chemical getting on food. First, try traditional methods that can not only get rid of pests, but also prevent their reappearance.

Heat treatment

Once you have discarded all contaminated dried fruit, the remaining fruit can be heated at relatively high temperatures. To carry out this operation, the fruits are freed from packaging and laid out on a baking sheet. Set the temperature in the oven to no less than 50°C and no more than 70°C and heat the product for 3 hours.

At the end of the procedure, the fruit must be placed in glass containers with a hermetically sealed lid and put in the refrigerator or on a shelf in a cabinet. When you notice that adults stop appearing, the products can be returned to their permanent storage location.

Using improvised means

For the second method you will need:

• soap solution;
• table vinegar;
• lemon, eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil;
• Bay leaf.

The process sequence is as follows:

• completely empty wall cabinets, bedside tables and pantry of food and any objects;
• using a small vacuum cleaner attachment, treat the interior surfaces of the cabinets;
• Using a soft sponge soaked in a hot soapy solution, wipe the shelves, doors, hinges and corners of the furniture;
• containers intended for dried fruits must also be treated with soap and water;
• dry everything thoroughly and wipe with vinegar, to which you should first add a few drops of essential oil;
• Place a bay leaf on the bottom of each container.

The benefits and harms of dried apples for human health, calorie content

Moths do not appear on their own. Most often, you yourself bring it into your home with food; less often, an adult may fly into a window or an open door. As a rule, contamination occurs as a result of violation of the storage conditions of the product, and this can happen both in the factory warehouse and in the store itself.

We invite you to read: Comb for combing out nits: what is it, why is it needed and is it possible to comb out nits with a regular comb?

How can you tell if moths have started to multiply in apples? At the bottom of containers with dried fruits you will probably find not only white worms, but also strange light pellets, as well as traces of a silk cocoon. Food moths can multiply in other places besides feeding, and you will most often find them near cabinets or on the walls of the kitchen.

Many residents often confuse ordinary clothes or fur moths with food moths, which, in turn, also have their own subspecies. Most species of food moths (moths) can be identified by their size and wing patterns.

When folded, the wings of the grain moth seem to be divided into two parts - the upper part, from the thoracic region to the middle of the wings, is light, and the lower part is darker, with a pair of transverse black stripes.

As for the flour moth, its wings are brown with large dark areas (from the side of the head and wing tips), which are bordered by a white line.

The clothes moth is distinguished by its beige color, small size (up to 1 cm), wings tightly pressed to the body and golden or reddish hairs on the head.

Cut the apples into equal slices. This is necessary so that they dry evenly.

These dried fruits consist of a large number of macro- and microelements, various vitamins that the body needs for proper functioning:

• vitamins K, E and B regulate blood circulation;
• ascorbic and other acids contribute to proper brain function;
• Selenium, copper, magnesium, iodine, copper, zinc, manganese, iron and other elements saturate the body and increase immunity.

Dried apples contain the following substances:

1. Minerals – magnesium, iron, iodine (improves blood quality, cardiovascular system, metabolism and supports the functioning of the hormonal system).

1. Phytoncides (stop the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi).

1. Tanning (have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities).

1. Organic acids - chlorogenic, malic, tartaric, arabic acids (resist infections, regulate acid-base balance).

1. Sugar – sucrose, fructose, glucose (restore strength, promote rapid saturation of the body).

1. Polysaccharide pectin components (reduce cholesterol levels).

1. Flavanoids (resist cell damage by blocking the action of free radicals).

The calorie content of dried fruits is 231 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Using dried apples, a person fills his body with a large number of useful elements, but there are also some contraindications.

Apple dried fruits promote good digestion due to the content of pectin, dietary fiber and fiber. The components of these fruits, proteins, acids, essential oils and phytoncides, improve metabolism and have a beneficial effect on the formation of microflora in the intestines.

Prevention

Having completely gotten rid of moths in dried fruits, you need to think about preventive measures. To prevent the parasite from returning to your kitchen, you can do the following:

• try to constantly maintain perfect cleanliness in the kitchen, which will prevent the appearance of not only moths, but also other insects;
• store food only in closed glass containers;
• it is better to cover hoods and vents with mesh to avoid the penetration of parasites from neighboring apartments;
• When you come home from the store, always check your food products - sort through dried fruits, add grains.

Now you know how to recognize fruit moths, remove them and prevent their reappearance. Remember that food parasites will only fly in the kitchen. If you notice small butterflies in the closet, then this is a completely different type of pest, which you can learn about from other articles on our website. For example, if you want to protect your winter wardrobe from small pests, we recommend reading the article: What means can you use to protect your fur coat from moths?

Young mothers and grandmothers prefer compotes, for the preparation of which dried fruits are used, rather than packaged and bottled drinks. After all, store-bought juices contain a huge amount of preservatives and various dyes. Therefore, in villages, apricots, as well as pears and apples are constantly dried. If you do not follow the storage rules, then fruit moths appear over time. You can cope with it if you start fighting immediately.

Useful tips

Of course, moths do not appear out of thin air. Butterflies can fly into the house through a window, front door, through cracks or vents. Pests can also be brought in by the residents themselves - in food or belongings. To prevent the appearance of moths in the house, you need to install mosquito nets on windows and vents.

Bulk products must be stored in airtight containers or tightly closed jars, then pests will not be able to penetrate the cereals. Unfortunately, it often happens that moths are already in purchased cereals, tea or dried fruits. After purchasing food in a store or market, you should inspect or sort through it to make sure there are no moths.

If there are moths in the house, or the room has recently been treated for moths, it is better not to stock up on food for future use. Butterflies can also be found in salt, which insects do not feed on, but thrive in it.

It is best to store seasonal clothing in vacuum bags. Items must be washed and ironed. You can buy special covers for fur or leather outerwear. Several times during the warm season you need to check the safety of a fur coat or jacket by shaking it. If there are eggs or caterpillars on the item, they will fall out immediately.

For prevention, it is better to periodically dry and ventilate fur products. Moths will never want to live in clean clothes. These insects will only be interested in clothes that have already been worn. If the item is not going to be worn for a long time, then you definitely need to wash it or dry clean it - and only then put it in the closet.

Adult butterflies, unlike larvae, cannot eat, but they can drink. Water prolongs the life of an adult, which means that they will reproduce successfully. If a faucet or pipe is leaking in the kitchen, you need to fix the problem. It is also a good idea to keep your kitchen sink dry and clean.

Carpets are a favorite place for moths. To prevent the appearance of these insects, carpets should be vacuumed regularly, even if they are not in use and are stored rolled up. Moths do not like cleanliness, so you should always clean your house or apartment thoroughly. For prevention, you can regularly add a little vinegar, turpentine or a couple of drops of essential oil to the water when washing floors.

A few weeks after treating the room against moths, it is necessary to re-inspect the entire house, and with special attention check those places where larvae and egg laying were located. It is likely that some area was missed and re-treatment is necessary.

You should not neglect the advice for preventing the appearance of these insects, because moths start up very quickly, and it is not always possible to notice it in time, and removing the insects is very difficult. It is always easier to prevent the appearance of moths than to spend enormous efforts fighting them later.

To learn how to get rid of moths simply and forever, watch the following video.

Features of the insect

It is difficult to quickly detect that moths have infested dried fruits. After all, only fully formed insects move around the kitchen or utility room, and they practically do not feed on anything. The imago looks for a secluded place to lay eggs. Larvae emerge from the eggs and spoil dried fruits.

In order to distinguish this type of pest, you need to pay attention to the wings. They have peculiar stripes on them. The length of the insect body is 9–10 mm. The larvae look like small worms. During development, the larvae are in a cocoon covered with cobwebs and mucus.

How to protect yourself from moths

To prevent pests from infesting dried fruits and other products that are in the house, it is necessary to inspect cereals and dried apples before purchasing. There should be no small holes or other defects on the surface of dried pears or apricots. After all, the larvae form holes to get inside.

Ventilation holes and vents are equipped with fine-mesh mesh, which does not prevent air penetration, but traps pests. Periodically, remove the mesh from the ventilation hole and windows in order to wash it. For washing, use a solution including water and vinegar. Such protection is removed in winter, since insects do not fly at this time of year. All corners and joints that are present in the room are treated with protective compounds and carefully checked.

Knowing exactly how to protect food and dried fruits from food moths, you can eliminate excessive costs. After all, it is easier to carry out preventive measures than to deal with the destruction of pests in the future.

How to store dried fruits

Knowing how to store dried fruits and dried apricots to prevent moths, you can save money and protect your home from pests. Do not place cereals, flour and other products in one place. Plastic bags are not used for storage, as condensation accumulates in them and mold appears over time. The larvae easily gnaw through polyethylene and spoil the cereals or dried apples contained in it.

To prevent moths from appearing in dried fruits, you must follow these rules:

1. Newly purchased cereals and flour are placed separately. Responsible housewives carry out heat treatment or blow cold air.
2. Dried apricots, dried plums and apples are placed in containers made of metal, glass or food-grade plastic. If a metal container is used, then its bottom is covered with thick paper.
3. The container is periodically inspected to increase the storage period of dried fruits and to protect them from moths.

During the warm season, products are stored in wooden containers. This is necessary so that the dried apples and pears are exposed to air and dried. After all, excess moisture can provoke the formation of mold or mildew. Experienced housewives and summer residents know exactly what to do with dried apples and pears. After all, they make huge reserves every year.

What does this butterfly eat?

Fruit striped moths can lay eggs in any food; the larvae can feed on nuts, seeds, and cereals. Since dried fruits contain sugar, that is, a substance that is most easily digested, she prefers bags and jars with dried fruits for her offspring as the main place for nursing. As soon as the larvae hatch, they immediately begin to eat dried fruits, gnawing holes in them. During the growth process, molting products - chitinous scales, toxic substances of vital activity, thereby clog dried fruits from the inside. Therefore, such dryings, after the appearance and detection of these parasites, are thrown away. Eating them is dangerous - you can get seriously poisoned.

Larvae or eggs of fruit moths may end up directly on the surface of the shelf and if other food products appear in this place, uncollected parasites can also infect them

That's why it's so important to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Dried fruits affected by moths should be destroyed immediately

How to fight moths

Before getting rid of fruit moths, you need to study popular methods. Experts do not recommend using chemicals, as they contain toxic components. You need to start by checking the kitchen units and cabinets in which the cereals are located. Once contaminated products have been disposed of, all surfaces are washed and cleaned. A soap solution and clean running water are suitable for these purposes.

The following products are suitable for controlling fruit stripe moths:

• Peels from orange, lemon or tangerine.
• Sachets that are filled with certain spices. Pests do not tolerate cinnamon, pepper, and coriander well.
• Pre-dried bay leaves or twigs. The market also sells bags filled with these plants.

• Bags of certain herbs. Plants such as mint, lemon balm and lavender have a rich aroma.
• In the kitchen set there are containers filled with salt. With their help, they get rid of excess moisture.

The above folk remedies help repel pests, so they are used when carrying out preventive measures. To control larvae, caterpillars and adults, you can use traps, chemicals or products. Those places that are treated with special means must be cleaned and washed. Such actions help prevent contact between food and pesticides.

Destruction of moths

Methods for killing moths

The moth is not distinguished by its quick reaction or strong flight abilities. It's easy to slam him. But there is no guarantee that this is the only or last butterfly in the room, so you should play it safe and use effective moth repellents in the apartment and in the kitchen in particular.

• Sticky tapes are hung around the kitchen, anti-moth tablets and special traps are used in cabinets.
• Among the folk remedies, herbs such as lavender, peppermint, chamomile, and geranium will help repel the pest. These plants repel moths with their scent. Orange peels and garlic are also excellent repellents.
• Ventilating the kitchen for 20 minutes every evening during cold periods reduces the activity of moths and creates unfavorable living conditions for them.
• In case of severe infestation of the premises, aerosols and moth sprays are used. Initially, they carry out cleaning to destroy the larvae, wipe down the cabinets, and hide the food in airtight containers. Disinsection is carried out. Use any insecticidal agent - Raptor, Raid, Antimol, Clean House, Dichlorvos. After 20 minutes, ventilate, carry out wet cleaning by adding baking soda and laundry soap to the water. An alkaline environment completely neutralizes the effect of the insecticide.

Not only does dry fruit attract moths into the house, any food supplies can become contaminated if the insect gains access to them. Preventative measures are extremely important to prevent infection.