How to get rid of cereal moth?

The fight against cereal moth takes a lot of time and effort, since highly effective fast-acting preparations are not suitable for kitchen conditions. And, accordingly, housewives often have a question about how to get rid of moths in cereals and make sure that this pest never returns. Most often, repellents are used to combat these insects, which scare them away with their aroma, preventing them from reproducing.

Appearance

This pest looks very inconspicuous, as it has a discreet color and small size. When the butterfly’s wings are folded, its body length reaches 8 mm, and in this position it is very difficult to notice even with a direct look, since it looks more like a small ledge than an insect.

Important! It is necessary to recognize the type of moth that you encountered, since all adult individuals are very similar in appearance, only their color distinguishes them. To determine who you are dealing with, you should pay attention to where the butterflies fly - in the kitchen or near the wardrobe.

Please note: there are several types of food pests, and their color can be varied.

Being at the caterpillar stage, the pest has a milky white or slightly yellowish color, and the body length reaches 12-14 mm. A rare hairline has several short bristles. In the croup, the larva parasitizes until pupation and when this period begins, it crawls out of its nesting place and it is already difficult to not notice it.

Despite the fact that an adult moth has wings, it flies very poorly, therefore, like a caterpillar, it prefers to lead a secretive lifestyle. But unlike young individuals, butterflies are not able to destroy reserves, since their mouth apparatus is atrophied at this stage. The main pests are precisely the larvae. More information about the life cycle, development and behavior of moths can be found in other articles of our site. For example, if you are interested in what products and wardrobe items this pest likes to spoil the most, then read the article: What does a moth that lives in a human dwelling eat?

Pest Management Methods

When starting the destruction of moths in cereals, you should know that it is necessary to fight both with young animals and with butterflies. Despite the fact that they are already unable to do any harm to food, they should be disposed of with the same zeal. The fact is that adult individuals reproduce very intensively and some time after the destruction of young animals, you will again encounter numerous colonies of these insects.

So what needs to be done first?

1. Go through all the cereals, not only those that you recently brought from the store, but also old stocks.
2. When parasites are detected, it is necessary to throw away everything that is in the package, since this product is no longer suitable for food.
3. “Clean” cereals should be transferred to sealed containers made of glass or plastic.

Important! Insecticides cannot be used to destroy caterpillars, as this can cause subsequent food poisoning. Therefore, having discovered an insect, you just need to throw all the infected cereals into the garbage.

Butterfly extermination

After all the larvae are detected and removed, it is necessary to proceed to the destruction of flying parasites. You can use several methods for this.

• Traps. If a mole is wound up in the groats, then you can use adhesive tapes, which are sold in every hardware store. The glue surface attracts insects with its aroma and does not dry out long enough.
• Large industrial enterprises often use fumigators and spray cereals with insecticides. But at home, such a procedure is unacceptable.
• Repellents can take the form of plates, briquettes or tablets, based on naphthalene or camphor. They effectively repel parasites, preventing them from multiplying.
• The mechanical method is completely free, but requires some investment of labor costs. For its implementation, it is enough to “arm” with a slipper or a fly swatter and begin the extermination of butterflies.

Processing furniture in the kitchen

If you have already thrown away the infected products, and the caterpillars are still crawling along the furniture in search of a convenient place for pupation, then it is necessary to apply a method aimed at their destruction.

• Aerosols and crayons. You can use similar insecticides, whose action is aimed at the destruction of other kitchen parasites, such as cockroaches and ants. But products with a strong aroma will only scare away flying butterflies, while remaining harmless to the larvae.
  

  Advice! When treating furniture with aerosol preparations, all food products must first be removed from the kitchen so that the product does not get on them.

• Special remedies for moths will give a more effective result. Among them are the Raptor from the moth and Armol.
• Repeat the spraying procedure several times, since the caterpillars crawl out of their shelters not in a consistent manner, but as they grow. And having skipped this period, you may again encounter colonies of cereal moths.
• Long-acting drugs, such as Get, work specifically against larvae. But they must be used with extreme caution, following the instructions on the package.

Important! Do not forget that your food reserves require special attention, since the bulk of the insects parasitize there.

Prevention

In order not to look for information about how to get rid of cereal moth, you must be able to prevent its occurrence.

1. Do not make a food warehouse out of your kitchen, massively buying cereals “just in case”. Follow the rules to purchase products in such quantities that they last for a week, no more.
2. Upon arrival, review the contents of the bags and pour the cereals into sealed glass or plastic containers.
3. Lay on the shelves of kitchen cabinets natural fragrant repellents, for example, citrus peel, dried lavender, mint, wormwood, garlic, bay leaf or pieces of laundry soap.
4. Store food in a dry place and do not allow moisture to rise.

Remember that for moths it doesn’t matter if you maintain hygiene in the kitchen or not. She is attracted only by food products that are freely available to her, and packaging from thin polyethylene for these pests is not an obstacle. And do not forget about preventive measures that can protect your apartment from the appearance of unwanted guests.