What does a moth that lives in a human dwelling eat?

In total there are about 3000 species of moles in the world, of which about 30 are pests. 14 of them live in human dwelling. For an unenlightened look, they are all alike. However, a professional will immediately find differences in the structure of the body and the coloring of the wings of butterflies. There are two main groups - food moth and room. Food moths are some types of moths that eat groceries - cereals, flour, pasta, confectionery, dried fruits.

What eats a mole indoor, or as it is also called, clothing? As the name implies, she prefers wearable things. Moreover, it uses exclusively natural materials, although in principle it can also damage synthetic fabrics in which a woolen blouse or felt boots are wrapped.

Some facts about moles

In nature, moths feed on grain, seeds, nuts, plant fruits, animal hair, feathers and feathers of birds. Their entire life cycle is subject to weather conditions and seasonal changes in nature. Man offered them more nutritious food and incomparably more favorable living conditions. In warmth and with abundant nutrition, moths were able to breed all year round, and their caterpillars develop much faster than their "natural" counterparts. It is not surprising that they prefer to get into a human home at every opportunity, especially since people themselves contribute to this in every way by bringing home food and things infected with larvae.

Moths are ubiquitous. They can be found in every corner of the globe. However, in nature, they prefer temperate zones, steppes and forest-steppes. In the conditions of a human home, moths can live even in the far north, since there they maintain a favorable development temperature and always eat food. Among other things, in a human house, a moth does not have natural enemies - birds and other insectivorous animals, which means that it can live and reproduce unhindered.

In Russia, the most common types of moles are:

• cereal
• barley
• rye
• cabbage
• apple
• burdock
• barn
• furniture
• woolen
  
• fur coat
• wardrobe
• wax.

As the name implies, they specialize in a certain type of food. Although within their group there is no strict restriction, and the larvae freely move from one diet to another.

Interesting fact! Not only does the mole benefit from being next to a person. People also learned how to capitalize. For example, the larvae of burdock moths are used as bait for fishing, and tincture is made from wax caterpillars, which is drunk instead of a cure for many diseases.

What do domestic moths eat?

What does the moth eat in nature, we found out, and what do its "domesticated" tribesmen eat? Consider this question in more detail, since it is home moth that causes significant damage to people in their homes.

What foods does food moth like?

So what does eating moth eat? Before answering this question, it is necessary to clarify that several species of moth butterflies are hidden under this name. The group includes grain moth, granary, rye and other species. Accordingly, their diet consists of products made from grain and flour. Another type of butterfly prefers confectionery, sweets, dried fruits.If you make an approximate list of products that may be attacked by food moths, you get the following list:

• flour
• groats
• pasta
• nuts
• sunflower seeds
• dried fruits
• biscuit
• chocolate
• candies
• bread
• cereals
• flour baking.

It is almost impossible to detect the caterpillars, as they are hardly noticeable and can hide well. However, they leave some traces of their stay.

Signs that can be found in the products of larvae of moles:

• gray little butterflies fluttering in the kitchen;
• web in packages;
• lumps of sticky grains and flour;
• consumed passages in sweets and chocolate;
• dried larval skins;
• live insects and their pupae.

Any of these signs indicate that food moth has started in your home. And if you do not take appropriate measures, then there will be little left from the food reserves in the house.

Interesting fact! A moth butterfly lives for no more than 2-3 weeks and during all this time does not eat anything, since it does not have a mouthpart and digestive organs. Adult individuals use the nutrient reserves accumulated during their time as their caterpillar.

What is able to eat a thing moth?

In the apartments, there may also be another butterfly, maliciously harming people - this is a clothing moth. Its varieties are wardrobe, furniture, fur coat, woolen, carpet. From the name it immediately becomes clear what the clothing moth eats. Here is a short list of what this butterfly larva can eat:

• woolen sweaters;
• knitwear;
• natural fur coats;
• sheepskin coats;
  
• knitted hats;
• socks;
• mittens;
• fur shoes;
• felt boots;
• plaids;
• felt slippers;
• upholstery;
• carpet;
• products from bird feathers.

The list can be continued for a long time, since everything that contains natural fibers is suitable for food moth. Even synthetic fabric can be attacked by moths, if there is at least some percentage of wool or cotton in it. Clothing that has been worn for a long time can also stimulate the appetite of the larva, and it contains particles of the epidermis that have flown around the skin. In order to get to the tidbit, the caterpillars are able to eat even polyethylene, so it is useless to hide winter things from moles in bags.

You can detect larvae of a moth by the following signs:

• holes on clothes;
• eaten hairs on a fur coat;
• elongated cocoons in which larvae hide;
• consumed passages on the surface of woolen carpets and furniture;
• larval skins;
• live caterpillars, butterflies and their pupae.

A characteristic feature of all the larvae of the clothing moth is their addiction to woolen houses, which they weave around themselves from eaten villi and fasten with saliva. If necessary, the caterpillar crawls out of the cocoon and pulls itself on the front pairs of legs, which are equipped with tenacious claws. If danger arises, it instantly hides and on the surface of the clothes there is only an unremarkable roll of fallen wool.

Although the moth larvae develop much slower than the food caterpillars, the damage they inflict is much more significant. Spoiled clothes, as a rule, cannot be restored, and the price for them is significantly higher than for a pack of pasta, or a box of cereal.

Advice! To get rid of clothing moth, it is enough to spray its habitat with an aerosol insecticide, as well as wash infected clothing at high temperature. If this is not possible, then you can treat it with hot steam or hang it in the sun.

As you can see, moth can spoil many products and clothing. Therefore, the fight against the parasite should be started as early as possible. There are many ways to get rid of moths, from folk remedies to chemicals. If you want more information on this subject, we advise you to read the article: How to get rid of moths in the house?

See also interesting facts about the life of moles and ways to get rid of it: