What do moths eat in an apartment

What the moth eats depends on the type of insect. In nature, there are more than 2 thousand varieties of moths. Under certain conditions, a moth can get into an apartment or house and continue its life there. In this case, the issue of feeding the pest and fighting it becomes acute.

Moth on wool.

Some facts about moths

Under natural conditions, the moth feeds on various grains, nuts, fruits of plants, wool or down of animals. Their whole life is completely subject to natural conditions and changes in the seasons.

The ideal place for moths is a human dwelling.

However, man was able to offer them more favorable conditions of existence, simplifying their life as much as possible. In warmth and abundance of food, moths can breed all year round, and moth larvae develop much faster.

It is clear that at every opportunity she tries to get into human habitation, especially since people themselves contribute to this in every possible way, carrying home things infected with larvae.

The moth is ubiquitous. You can meet this insect in every corner of the planet. However, the largest populations choose places of residence with a temperate climate - steppes and forest-steppes. In human housing, moths can lead their lives even in the Arctic.

In addition to favorable living conditions, in indoor conditions there are no natural enemies of the insect that prevent rapid reproduction.

In Russia, the most common moth types:

Already from the name itself it is clear what the moth eats, and that each insect specializes in a certain type of food. But it should be borne in mind that within one species there is no restriction, and the larvae easily switch from one diet to another.

Moth nutritional features

Food moth.

These parasitic insects existed long before the rise of civilization. Numerous species flourished in nature and only relatively recently began to penetrate into human habitation. Outside, they seek shelter in bird nests or rodent burrows.

The small larvae may feed on wool or feathers that fall from their owners.

Such nutrition is considered rather scarce, and in combination with constant temperature fluctuations, it does not allow pests to multiply intensively.

The situation is completely different in indoor conditions, where moths can breed all year round thanks to a uniform temperature and an abundance of food, which can be furniture upholstery, clothes from a closet or carpets. Such features make the parasite dangerous for humans, because you don’t know in advance what expensive thing can suffer.

Fruit moth on dried fruits.

Food moth settles in the kitchen, as there is all the necessary food for it: dried fruits, cereals, flour and other food products. In nature, insects eat stocks of ants or mice. If this pest was found in the kitchen, then you don’t have to worry about clothes, since each variety selects a separate menu for itself and almost never changes it.

Parasites that have chosen a closet as their place of residence immediately look for shelves with fur or cotton textiles and gradually begin to bite off individual hairs. The resulting food is crushed and swallowed by insects. Well-fed parasites continue to shear the fibers of the tissue in order to move on.

As a result, the owners receive a damaged item that cannot be restored.

Why is a moth dangerous to humans

In human housing, there are mainly two types of moths, one of which settles in the kitchen and prefers to eat various cereals, the second prefers natural tissues.

Does the moth eat and what does it eat

The life cycle of a flying parasite consists of 4 stages, at each of which significant changes occur with the insect.

First, a larva hatches from a laid egg, which then turns into a pupa, and later becomes an adult.

Stages of development of a moth.

Many are interested in how moths eat clothes. At the stage of development, the larvae cause the greatest harm to humans, since it is they who feed on fibers, from which they then build a cocoon for further maturation.

An adult butterfly has a very short life cycle (from several days to a month), during which it does not eat anything, but uses the reserves accumulated during the larval stage.

She as such lacks digestive organs, and her main task is to leave offspring.

What does food moth love in the kitchen

Potato eaten by a moth.

The most common way moths enter the kitchen is poor-quality flour or cereals brought from somewhere. Continuing active reproduction, the insect quickly spreads to other shelves and products. Each species has its own food preferences.

The habitat depends on what the food moth eats and its species: fruit subspecies is most often found in dried fruits, grain - in buckwheat or semolina. But when one source of food dries up, the insect can switch to another without any problems. Pests and their larvae can be found in the following foods:

It is not difficult for caterpillars to move from one package to another, gnawing through paper or plastic. Butterflies fly from one room to another and get even to hard-to-reach places. Only tightly closed glass or plastic vessels stop the parasite.

What does clothes moth eat in the apartment

The moth.

Another of the varieties is clothes moth or, as it is also called, clothing moth. Butterflies enter the premises from the street through a door or an open window; new things from the store or pets can be infected with larvae.

Their favorite place is closets with clothes. Among the preferred food are any textile natural or semi-synthetic textile products, down or feathers of pets.

Such pests gnaw through fabric or knitwear if they contain at least a small percentage of wool or cotton, but sometimes they do not disdain synthetic fibers that are next to natural ones.

What does wool moth eat

Moth loves carpets and fur coats.

The wool moth is one of the subspecies of the clothing pest. However, this parasite is more domesticated, if I may say so. He has a wider diet, which may include non-natural materials.

The woolen subspecies prefers only real wool, felt or fur, which are found in expensive fur coats. The use of wool in the diet makes it more dangerous for owners of expensive clothes.

Conclusion

An apartment or house is an ideal habitat for moths. Everyone without exception is exposed to the dangers of penetration, no one is immune from damage to an expensive thing. But there are some ways to protect yourself a little. To do this, follow these simple tips:

1. It is desirable to have a fine mesh on the windows through which pests cannot enter the room.
2. You should buy products in trusted stores in order to exclude the possibility of introducing an insect from the outside. Also, before buying, you must visually check the packaging for leaks.
3. It is better not to store food stocks in packages, but to pour them into glass, tightly closed containers.
4. From time to time it is necessary to wipe the shelves with water and vinegar or essential oils.
5. Before sending winter things to the closet, it is better to wash them well so as not to leave extraneous odors.
6. The storage place must be dry and ventilated.
7. It is desirable to air fur and woolen products from time to time.