Moth eggs, larvae, caterpillars and butterflies - which of them is the greatest enemy

The expression is often used: the moth ruined things. And this applies not only to clothing, but also to food. Harm is brought not by the adult butterfly itself, but by the larvae of the moth. It is they who cause maximum damage, devouring a large amount of groceries and furs. They do this in order to keep the adult alive as long as possible.

Moth-stained carpet.

View and species differences

It is generally accepted that moths are a certain common pest, but depending on their appearance and lifestyle, as well as nutritional preferences, several types of pests are distinguished. Although they may look exactly the same, they have differences.

To see what a moth larva looks like, you can unroll a cocoon or pellets from groceries. There, undoubtedly, a small larva or pupa will be found.

food moth

Food moth larva.

food moth call the one that eats different groceries. Therefore, you don’t have to worry if vile larvae are accidentally found in old stocks of peas, that fur coats will also be damaged. Other species are responsible for the fur. Food moths are found in cookies, candy, dried fruit, nuts, or flour. The structure of the jaws allows you to eat even the largest and most dense pieces.

Food moth larvae look like white or even translucent worms. If you look closely, you can see a head, two pairs of legs on the first segment of the body, and four more pairs on the abdomen.

In length, it usually reaches 20 mm, but its thickness depends on the dish in which it grew and developed. On fatty nutritious food, it will be much more.

These pests do not disdain anything. They can live anywhere where there are suitable conditions and food. Even on an industrial scale, it happens that moths eat away huge stocks of food.

Clothes moth

Moth marks on clothes.

Accordingly, the situation is reversed. Larva clothes moth prefers to feast on those things that have keratin in their composition. These are woolen clothes, fur coats, carpets, feather and down pillows, hair, felt products. Larvae are whitish or grey, they build a small house out of what they live in, wrap themselves up and wait there to turn into a butterfly.

You can find them by holes in clothes, furs, by small spools on woolen things that are cocoons or in carpets and furniture upholstery, where they make whole moves. Surprisingly, shoes are also eaten by food moth larvae, especially those made of felt or natural fur.

If such residents are found, then you don’t have to worry about the kitchen: they eat only certain foods.

Life cycle

During its life, the pest goes through four different stages of development. They must be very comfortable. This is an average of room temperature and dryness.

Moreover, moth larvae that live in products develop much faster due to a more balanced diet.

1. Moth eggs are small and almost invisible, they hatch into larvae or caterpillars, which cause the greatest harm.
   

   Moth life cycle.

   They have powerful mouthparts and their main goal is to store enough nutrients to pupate and then turn into a butterfly.

2. After the larva has eaten enough, it builds a cocoon for itself, protective and cozy, in which the pupation period will pass.
3. A butterfly flies out of this place, which immediately goes in search of a partner for mating. If this is a male, then after mating, he will immediately die. The female will lay eggs and also die.
4. After the egg is laid, and there may even be 200 of them, small hungry larvae appear within a week or 10 days.

Food

The appearance of moth caterpillars can be very deceiving. They are greedy and can do a lot of damage. In a person’s housing, the conditions for them are the most comfortable, compared to ordinary natural ones, which is why they often appear on the shelves just in hordes.

Reproduction and development

One moth can lay about 200 eggs. This is a very large offspring. Moreover, very voracious caterpillars appear quite quickly from these eggs. Do not flatter yourself that they cannot cause tangible harm. Given their number, even one offspring can destroy significant stocks of food or a number of things.

Moth caterpillars.

Measures to combat moth larvae

If the larvae were found in stocks or on things, it is necessary set up for cleaning. The process of struggle will be quite long and tedious. First of all, it will be necessary to conduct a complete audit: throw away heavily infected items, destroy food.

Grocery pests.

After that it is important carry out cleaning. All cabinet shelves must be thoroughly washed, things should be washed at a temperature above 50 degrees, if possible. And if things do not withstand such a load, it is necessary to freeze it for a day, and then rinse it.

The same applies to food cabinets. Of course, you can choose from large stocks what remains intact, but cereals need to be calcined at a temperature of 60 degrees or frozen for a week. If a large volume is hopelessly damaged, then it is better to throw everything away immediately. All surfaces should be washed with soapy water and vinegar.

Chemicals

Sticky trap.

Chemical preparations are an excellent method of how to get rid of moth larvae. It is quite fast and proven - these are special insecticides. They have a slightly different composition and principle of action, so everyone will choose the necessary one for themselves:

1. Armol. It acts on the pest at any stage of development, destroys both butterflies and larvae, is effective for domestic and kitchen moths.
2. Raptor. Unlike many insecticides, it has a pleasant smell, but it mainly kills clothing pests. Destroys mainly only the clothes of pests.
3. Fumigators. They act slowly, but more safely. It will take about 7 days to completely destroy them. But they do not emit any flavor and are completely safe.

You need to choose them depending on the extent of the damage.

Folk remedies

Of course, many people prefer folk remedies, but they already act more effectively on butterflies, and they will not destroy the larvae. But in order to prevent and prevent re-infection, they can be used:

1. Essential oil of lavender, rosemary or clove.
   

   Fragrant wreath of herbs.

2. Small bouquets of tansy, wormwood, chamomile, tobacco, lavender or wild rosemary will help protect your closet or nightstand from voracious guests.
3. Plant a pelargonium on the window, its aroma will scare away the moth, and it will not get into the house.
4. Laundry soap very well helps to repel pests in the closet.
5. You can use these products in a complex way and after washing the shelves with laundry soap, hang bouquets of dried flowers in the closet.

More information on how to deal with larvae and adults of moths in an apartment can be read in the article linked. 

Preventive measures

Prevention is more effective and cheaper than getting rid of rodents on clothes or in products later. There are a number of simple requirements that are easy to fulfill:

1. Periodic wet cleaning.
2. Regularly check the condition of the cabinet and things.
3. Bulk products should be placed in closed jars, and fur products - in dense polyethylene covers.
4. If possible, it is better not to create large stocks of food, because this is very tempting for pests.
5. Old things that have been in the wardrobe for a long time are also best removed.
6. You can hang small bags of herbs in the closet with things, and chopped citrus peels can be laid out in the closet with food.

Conclusion

Subject to order in the kitchen and in the closet, pests will not appear at all. And if they have already occupied the territory, you need to immediately move on to control measures.