How to quickly and permanently remove moles from an apartment?

The question of how to get a mole out of an apartment is asked from time to time by many owners who have encountered this parasite. And this is not surprising, since the appearance of small flying butterflies is directly related to the deterioration of things. At the same time, two types of moths are distinguished and each of them will have its own diet - for some, wool and fur products are preferred, while others are parasitic on cotton fabrics.

Habitats and parasites

First, find out where to start mole? This domestic pest prefers only natural materials, respectively, and it will parasitize in close proximity to those:

• firstly, this is a wardrobe, because it is there that luxurious fur coats, hats, woolen coats and other similar wardrobe items are carefully stored;
• secondly, the moth can choose the natural upholstery of your new sofa or chair, in this case, you should look for parasites in the folds and seams;
  
• thirdly, if there is a carpet woven from natural threads on the wall or floor, the pest can parasitize on it, both from its inside and from the front.

On a note! A clothes moth is a bad flyer, so it is not capable of moving long distances on its own. Accordingly, you bring it to your home yourself: with new things, pieces of furniture, etc.

Furniture and clothes moths: what is the difference?

Wardrobe moth and furniture will have their own separate diet - the first eats cotton products, the second - furs and wool. In nature, it turns out that way, however, in an apartment, each of these species can quite easily move from one food to another. Therefore, today these butterflies are called collectively - the moth.

In fact, these insects have many similar characteristics:

• a body of small size and a length of not more than 9 mm;
• the color is straw yellow, quite inconspicuous, especially with the wings folded;
• only males can fly, but representatives of both the first and second species do it rather ineptly;
• females of both species do not use wings, although they have the ability to fly; their wings are slightly smaller in comparison with the wings of males.

Distinctive features can be seen only with a closer look - the furniture moth will have a darker color and dark areas at the base of the wings.

Moth larvae as the main pest

However, it is not the winged insects that cause the most damage, but their larvae. It's the little caterpillars that parasitize in your sweaters dear fur coats and carpets, it is they who leave holes in clothes and upholstery after themselves, they are the real domestic pest.

The growth and development of larvae of domestic moth directly depends on the diet and temperature conditions:

• if the food that they absorb consists only of natural materials, then the development of the caterpillars will occur quite quickly - in 3 weeks they will have time to shed about 12 times and pupate;
• if the food is rich in synthetic fibers, which are very poorly digested, respectively, the growth of the larvae will stop somewhat - this period will take 2 months or even six months;
• with regard to temperature conditions, with a significant decrease in ambient temperature, the growth and development rate of young animals decreases markedly, the caterpillars become smaller, and at especially low temperatures they braid their bodies with cocoons, stop feeding and freeze.

But if your apartment is cozy, warm and has something to profit from, in particular, products made from natural materials, then the moth caterpillars will feel great there. Their mandibles, which is exactly what their oral apparatus is called, presented in the form of two large outgrowths, they cleverly cut fabric fibers and wool. Thanks to the powerful jaw muscles, the larvae quickly gnaw quite large areas of matter and direct food to the stomach, from where it enters the intestines.

On a note! Compared to the body, the stomach and intestines of the larva are huge and can accommodate quite a large amount of food!

Larvae clothes and furniture moths are slightly different from each other.

Absolutely all larvae lead a sedentary lifestyle and do not crawl away from the place of emergence from the egg. Until the moment they turn into a butterfly, they spend almost all the time in one place. But as soon as the larva becomes an adult, it stops eating and the rest of its life, which lasts only a few days, spends only on breeding.

Methods of struggle

How to destroy a mole in an apartment? For this purpose, you can use the following methods and tools:

• heat treatment;
• chemicals;
• folk remedies.

Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Heat treatment

As you know, these insects are able to exist in a certain temperature range, which is -5 ° C ... + 45 ° C. And if the scale of the thermometer crosses one of these marks, the entire "family" of moths is guaranteed to die. What can be done?

1. If the parasites settled in your apartment in the cold season, you can simply open the windows and freeze all the pests in just a few hours. At the same time, both adult butterflies and larvae are guaranteed to die.
   

   Important! Do not forget that low temperatures can not only destroy moths, but also damage the heating system! Therefore, batteries must first be protected!

2. Another method is to wash infected items at the maximum allowable temperature in automatic mode. But it is clear that this method is acceptable only for clothing, furniture and carpets should be processed using industrial units.
3. If moth is wound up in fur products, then for them there are special refrigerators.

On a note! Destroying only flying butterflies mechanically, that is, using a folded newspaper or slipper, is useless, since the main pest will remain in the clothing and continue to spoil it!

Chemicals

The best result in the fight against clothes parasites is the use of specially designed insecticides. On sale, they are represented by several types: aerosols, fumigators and repellent sections.

Spray can

Aerosol against moths is the most convenient chemical preparation that exhibits quite high efficiency. With it, you can destroy both butterflies and small larvae. Each aerosol is based on a powerful poisonous substance, but it does not leave any unpleasant odor. Moreover, most of these products contain fragrant fragrances.

It is very simple to use aerosol insecticides: the product is sprayed onto clothes, the inner surface of cabinets, carpets and upholstery of upholstered furniture. Modern drugs are able to rid your home of parasites in a short period of time and at the same time they will be completely safe for tissues - they will not leave any stains or unpleasant odors.

Important! It should be remembered that the aerosol cloud consists of tiny particles that are able to quickly and easily penetrate the respiratory tract. A high concentration of toxic substances often causes severe poisoning. Therefore, before using this or that aerosol against moths, you should carefully study the instructions and do not forget about personal protective equipment!

Among the moth aerosols, the most popular are: Moskitol, Armol, Antimol, Desmol, and Fox.

Fumigators

Fumigators are also quite effective in fighting moths. On sale you can find two types of fumigators: electric and pyrotechnic. The principle of their action is very similar in many respects - the former begin to emit toxic substances after the heating of the electric plates, the latter emit poisonous smoke after igniting the spiral.

The most popular fumigators from moths today are: "Moskitol", "Raid" and "Raptor". In fact, they are designed to kill mosquitoes, but, as the manufacturer assures and practice shows, they are quite effective against moths. These devices are safe for human and domestic animals and do not leave any odor after use.

On a note! On sale you can find two types of electric fumigators: the first work on plates that need to be changed each time you turn it on, the second have a reservoir with liquid and this device is enough for a longer period!

Sections

Sections - the most primitive and at the same time simple way to get rid of moths. These devices are small plates saturated with a special substance that repels pests. Sections should simply be hung in a closed cabinet or laid out on shelves. After a while, the mole will disappear.

On sale today you can find a huge number of sections from moths. They have a different shape and aroma, which allows the consumer to choose a model to their liking. The sections "Raid", "Raptor", "Antimol", "Gardeks" and "Moskitol" are popular today.

Folk remedies

And finally, you should find out how to remove the moth using folk methods. All the tools and techniques that will be described below do not involve the use of any chemicals, everyone is affordable and inexpensive. However, at the same time, destroying moths with their help is rather problematic, they are more likely to repel insects. For this reason, to achieve a positive result, they should be used in conjunction with more powerful modern drugs to combat parasites.

1. Essential oils. For moths, the smells of such essential oils as: orange, geranium and lavender oil are repulsive. They need to soak cotton pads and spread out in places of accumulation of moths.
2. Repellent plants. Dried grass of geranium or lavender is bundled and hung in a cupboard.
3. As a deterrent, you can use scented toilet soap.
4. From a moth the newspaper helps well. They wrap or shift things into it and leave it in the closet. However, for light fabrics and fur products, this method is not suitable.

As you know, it is always easier to follow preventive measures than to fight a moth after. Therefore, do not forget to regularly air the closet, clean fur and wool products, and occasionally shake things on shelves and hangers.