How to deal with moths? This question arises when a gray butterfly of unpleasant appearance is found in kitchen supplies or traces of its activity on clothes.
Just catching an insect and destroying is a ineffective method, because the victim will be a completely harmless male.
Moth: a real disaster for things and products
The biggest misfortune is the voracious caterpillars, which actively destroy home products and mercilessly spoil things in cabinets. All day is enough for such a larva to gnaw a through hole in a woolen sweater. In everyday life, about 30 species of moths are distinguished, and all of them conduct wrecking activities in relation to humans. How to deal with moths in an apartment?
The moth that lives in the closets does not like fresh air and bright light, so it does not touch things that are often worn. But in relation to winter clothes she is not picky, she feeds on felt, wool, natural velvet, fur. In an effort to get to food, she easily gnaws at plastic bags and synthetic fabrics found on the way. Caterpillars of the “fur coat” moth can withstand temperature drops to 0 ° C and can go without food for a month.
How to deal with moths at home
There are many ways to deal with moths: both traditional methods, time-tested, and modern drugs are effective. Naphthalene was once considered the most famous anti-molar drug. However, the large-scale use of such a tool led to the development of resistance of some moth populations to it. In addition, it was found that the drug causes enormous harm to human health, because it is a carcinogen - a factor that causes the occurrence of malignant tumors. How to deal with moths in other non-threatening ways?
Folk remedies against moths
How to deal with moth folk remedies? From folk preparations, tobacco is effective, the pungent smell of which by insects is absolutely not tolerated. In a lively flowering form, this plant must be kept on the windowsill, periodically placed in a cabinet with moths.
Either use dry leaves, which are placed in fabric bags and hang (or spread out) in the presence of moths. Dried lavender is the counterpart to tobacco in the fight against moths. Additionally, in order to enhance the result, it is recommended to put pieces of laundry soap in the pockets of clothes. Fresh orange peels are used to protect kitchen furniture and products.
Living geraniums growing indoors will also scare away unpleasant butterflies with their smell. Fresh leaves of the plant are recommended to be laid out on shelves of cabinets.
However, such natural remedies are just repellents - repellents. With the massive presence of moths, chemical preparations should be used, the assortment of which in the consumer market is presented in various forms.
Against moth - aerosols
How to deal with moth chemicals? Aerosols and sprays (Antimol, Clean House, Armol, Raptor, Extremite) are solutions of powerful insecticides that are under high pressure in the cylinder. Sprayed in a room or wardrobe, they have a toxic effect on the larvae and adult moths. Easy to use, such drugs are characterized by the speed of action and have a low cost. True, insecticides during and after treatment will have to inhale not only moths, but also humans. It is especially difficult for allergy sufferers in this case.
The use of aerosols in comparison with other antimole agents is perhaps the most time-consuming. When destroying moths, in addition to the surfaces of cabinets, it is required to process all clothing, furniture upholstery, and carpets. Often, for such a volume, one bottle with the drug is not enough. After a few hours, the room needs to be cleaned, and things should be washed and ventilated properly. Processing, carried out in full accordance with the instructions, will completely get rid of clothes, furniture and fur moths.
In the kitchen, the use of aerosols is very limited. They can handle cabinets and bedside tables, previously freed from products. Places of concentration of larvae in food stocks themselves cannot be treated with such insecticides.
Simple and durable fumigators
Fumigators (DiK-3, Raid, Mosquitall) are quite simple to use: you just need to turn on the drug in the outlet and forget about it. An extension cord can be pulled into the cabinet. The action is somewhat stretched over time: the effect occurs over a period of 3 days to 2 weeks. But the accumulation of insecticides in the air will be several times lower than when treated with aerosols. The principle of operation is to heat the aromatic insecticidal plate and the evaporation of the poisonous substance when the fumigator is turned on. Sometimes the plates are replaced with special fluids that act similarly. The dimensions of the fumigators are relatively small, approximately 95 * 60 * 50 mm; action area up to 30 m 2 .
The advantage of this method is its low cost and long term of use. In dining rooms and kitchens, use the fumigator carefully, avoiding the accumulation of chemical vapor in the cabinets where food is stored.
Sections against moths
How to deal with moths in an apartment? In addition to aerosols and fumigators, there are special sections from moths (Mosquitall, Raptor). They are characterized by a prophylactic effect and are intended more to scare away adult insects than to destroy their larvae. Therefore, the use of such devices is recommended before the appearance of a winged pest in the house. Available in the form of hanging and attached plates with various flavors that repel the insect: chamomile, tangerine, lavender. The anti-grinding effect of 2 sections extends over ½ m 2 of the cabinet area. Replacement with new ones is done after about 4 months. The chemical agent is recommended to be stored in places inaccessible to children, separately from food.
How to deal with domestic moth to get rid of it forever? In combination with natural and chemical methods, it is required to get rid of moths in a physical way. Butterfly traps are used to catch butterflies. If insects are wound up in cereals, and their number is not terrifying, then the grains can be sorted out and heated in the oven at 60 degrees for 40 minutes. The nest found in the closet should be eliminated, its location thoroughly vacuumed, shake all things from the closet and put in a cold place for a day (for example, on the balcony).
Food Moth: How to Get Rid
Food (grain) moth settles in cereals, flour, dried fruits; its larvae in the caterpillar stage can spoil almost all edible reserves. Adults do not have a mouth, so they do not eat at all. Despite the short life span (no more than a week), butterflies manage to lay up to 100-150 eggs. Under favorable conditions (high humidity, warm temperature and lack of ventilation), the reproduction of the insect is a continuous cycle. How to deal with food moths in the kitchen?
It is necessary to get rid of food moth very carefully, in several stages. It is necessary to check all stocks of cereals, flour, sugar. If an insect is found with damaged products, you will have to say goodbye or calcine in a pan and sift.
- The food storage areas should be treated with fumigators and anti-grinding aerosols, and put on the shelves repelling agents: garlic, lavender, orange peels.
- Hang sticky tapes from flies and destroy moths flying by hand.
Preventative measures
In order to prevent the appearance of moths in the household, it is recommended:
- Store all groceries in tightly closed containers.
- Ventilate and clean the room regularly. Once a month, clean upholstered furniture and carpets using disinfectants.
- Before storage, winter clothing must be washed and cleaned. Moth prefers to wind up on things with sweaty and dirty spots. After cleaning, it is recommended to put woolen and fur things in plastic bags, and fur coats - in thick paper covers, sprinkling them with pre-antimole preparations. Some storage items can be wrapped in newspapers: moth butterflies cannot stand the smell of ink.
How to deal with cabbage moth
Outside the premises, in suburban areas, cabbage moth is operating . Inconspicuous externally, it causes significant damage to garden crops, in particular cabbage. After exiting the egg, the caterpillars feed only inside the heads of cabbage and other cruciferous crops. Gnawing the tangled tunnels, they hit the plant and are able to completely destroy it.
How to deal with cabbage moth? It is required to deal with it comprehensively, because the pest is characterized by the property of developing resistance to drugs that are effective in the previous season. Necessarily need chemical processing. The best tools are:
- Actellik. Available in 2 ml ampoules, toxic, has a 2nd hazard class. Spraying is carried out with a solution of 30 ml of the drug diluted in 10 liters of water.
- Bitoxicilide and Lepidocide. The result is visible after 2 days from the time of processing the garden crop, the protective effect lasts about 2 weeks.
In parallel with the chemical treatment of the tracks, it is required to collect manually. This method will protect against the mass appearance of adults laying eggs. It is necessary to remove weeds and dig the soil well at the place where the cabbage grows. This is necessary in order to prevent overwintered individuals from climbing to the surface of the soil.
Fighting Mining Moths
There is still such a type of moth as mining. The small insect got its name from the ancient word "mine", which implies the creation of hidden passages. It is in this way that the caterpillars of the mining moth damage the leaves of plants from the inside. Outwardly, it is very difficult to identify the pest: only the death of the plant indicates its presence.
Caterpillars of the mining moth feed on almost all types of fruit and berry plantings, flowers, weeds, ornamental and medicinal plants. If a mining mole is found on the site, how to deal with this pest? What techniques should be applied?
In the fight against “miners” the use of chemicals is effective, namely: “Bi-58”, “Karate”, “Dimilin”, “Confidor Maxi”, “Aktara”, “Aktofit”. If there are several generations of mining moths, spraying should be carried out repeatedly.
How to deal with moths during the flight? For this, in greenhouses and open ground, it is required to hang plates, planks, pieces of yellow plastic greased with glue, placing them at the level of the main leaf mass along the rows of plants. Before the start of summer, glue belts should be attached to tree trunks. It is also important to remove the affected parts of plants with their subsequent destruction by hand. In autumn, it is imperative to clean under the tree and compost the fallen leaves, and carefully dig the trunk circles.