How to Get Rid of Food Moths

How to Get Rid of Food Moths

Although most people relate moths with clothing, the truth is that you can find these insects in your food pantries and cabinets. There are three types, the dried fruit moth, the grain moth or the Indianmeal moth (plodia interpunctella). The adult insect has bronze colored wings or brown bands on its wings. It is between 16 and 20 mm, while the larva is whitish with a dark head and can reach 12mm. It's important to ensure that this type of moths don't sneak in your food and, if they do, they should be eliminated immediately. In this OneHowTo.com article we'll explain in more detail how to get rid of food moths.

Steps to follow:
1

Food moths (plodia interpunctella), have several other names including: the dried fruit moth, the grain moth, Pantry moth or the Indianmeal moth. Female moths lay eggs in areas where there's food and these then hatch and become whitish larvae with dark heads reaching 12mm (0.4 in). The adult insect has bronze colored wings or brown bands on its wings, with a size between 16 and 20 mm (0.6 and 0.78).

2

Prevention is the best way to avoid food moths. Thus, it's recommended to store food in airtight containers and buy only the necessary food so that it's not stored for very long.Food moths will usually appear in packaged food, as they find these containers the perfect place to lay their eggs. Make sure you don't store this type of food for longer than 6 months in your pantry.

3

It will also be necessary to frequently check grains, flour and other dry products to look for moths or other insects, as well as check in cabinets and cupboards. Cobwebs or silk ribbons on the surface of food is a sign that there's a food moth presence. If you find any infested food, you need to dispose of all the food that's nearby that isn't stored in sealed containers.

4

It will be critical to also thoroughly clean the cupboard or pantry, especially if you know that are moth nests. You must empty the cabinets and clean them thoroughly with soap and water to remove all of the larvae and moths that live in your kitchen or pantry.

5

When removing food moths, there are natural traps that contain pheromones, attracting the moths and so that they remain stuck to the sticky surface. This will be the most effective way to attack the reproductive cycle and reduce the moth population in your pantry. You can find them in drugstores, supermarkets and hypermarkets.

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6

There are also insecticides that can be useful when getting rid of food moths, but it's recommended to have a pesticide expert come who is specifically trained to disinfect with these products. The misuse of insecticides can cause poisoning in humans, especially when dealing with food.

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