2 ways to get rid of fruit moth in dried fruits

What does a fruit moth look like (photo)

Features and description of the insect

Name: Fruit moth, subspecies Food moth
Latin: Sitotroga cerealella

Class: Insects - Insecta
Squad: Homoptera - homoptera
Family: Notched-winged - Gelechiidae.

	Habitats:	fruit trees, dried fruits in the house
	Dangerous for:	dried fruits
	Means of destruction:	heat treatment, folk methods

The development of the fruit moth consists of several phases of development:

Moth life cycle.

Pest detection

Finding pests in dried fruits is very simple. At the bottom of the container in which the dried fruits are located, with a high probability you can find small worms, strange light pellets or traces of cocoons.

However, food moths can breed in other places as well. It can often be found on walls or cabinets near the feeding area.

Many people often confuse the usual clothing moth with food, although both parasites harm a person: some spoil clothes, others spoil food. Among food pests, there are several varieties. Most food moth species have a characteristic light yellow wing pattern and are smaller in size.

Moth caterpillars in dried fruits.

How to avoid insects

To protect dried fruits from numerous problems such as mold or insects, it is advised to resort to disinfection and airtight packaging.

The main thing in this matter is to work on a warning, because it is much easier to prevent a pest from reaching your stocks than to remove it later and throw away food.

Citrus peels are an excellent moth repellent.

Many insects, including the fruit moth, do not tolerate strong odors that repel food. Lay leaves, lavender leaves placed nearby will help to save dried fruits. Furniture can be wiped with fir oil or vinegar, they all repel pests.

It would also be useful to spread the dried peel of a lemon, tangerine or other citrus fruits in the same place. The main thing is to keep them separately, and not inside bags or jars of apples, so that the latter are not saturated with other people's flavors.

Dried fruit protection

It is necessary to throw out those edible stocks that were in the potential zone of infection and those in which traces of vital activity were clearly found. Excrement and remnants of the insect cocoon remain on such products, which, if they enter the human body, can cause complications.

Proper storage is the best protection.

How to save dried fruits from moths

Keeping clean is the key to quality.

Butterflies and food moth larvae like warm and humid environments (about +25°C and 50% humidity). If your house is hot and damp, then removing the moths will be a very time-consuming task. It is best to thoroughly ventilate all rooms before processing, dry the corners, throw away damp cereals, bread, etc.

With any storage method: indoors at home, in the attic or balcony, often check the condition and quality of dried apples in order to prevent them from spoiling in time.

By following the simple rules of storage and prevention, you can keep your crop intact.

How to store dried fruits

Improper storage of dried fruits is the most common mistake that contributes to the appearance of the parasite.

The storage area before the season must be wiped with a disinfectant and washed thoroughly so as not to leave dirt and odors that attract the pest.

To avoid spoiling your favorite products, you need to follow simple rules:

1. The use of paper or plastic bags is undesirable, as the pest easily gnaws through their walls. In addition, condensation accumulates in plastic bags, which contributes to the formation of mold.
2. The best storage containers are glass jars with tight-fitting lids. After the fruits were poured inside the jar, they must be covered with paper on top, which will absorb excess moisture.
3. A shaded shelf or wall cabinet is best for storage. Such places should be well ventilated and ventilated, and the temperature should be about 10 degrees.
4. Excess moisture in a closet or on a shelf will help to remove table salt poured into a plate and placed next to it.
5. From time to time, it is necessary to check dried fruits in the storage containers themselves. If they feel a little sticky to the touch, then you need to pour them out, dry them a little and place them back in a dry container, replacing the old paper.

Methods of struggle

There are a large number of ways to deal with fruit moth.

So it is better to use simple, time-tested and many years of experience, methods of struggle that will not harm your health.

Heat treatment

Temperature processing.

If the situation with dried fruits is not hopeless, that is, only adults were seen and no traces of larvae were seen, then drying from apples can be saved by heat treatment.

The insect does not like high temperatures. First of all, it is necessary to sort out all the slices of apples, discard the damaged ones, and put the untouched specimens on a baking sheet in 1 layer. Then preheat the oven to 70 degrees and place a baking sheet in it for 20-30 minutes.

Traces of vital activity in drying.

Parasite larvae also cannot tolerate low temperatures, which are fatal for them. If it is not possible to warm the infected fruit, then you can use an alternative method. In winter, you can put the fruits on the balcony, it is desirable that The temperature was -10 degrees.

If the winter is warm, then you can send apples to the shelf of the refrigerator or freezer, keeping them there for up to 24 hours. After any type of processing, dried fruits must be placed in dry containers that can be hermetically sealed.

Using improvised tools

Not always at home there are some chemical means of fighting moths, and not everyone wants to use them in the kitchen where food is located. In such cases, improvised means and folk methods will help in the fight against the pest:

1. Prepare traps from flour and boric acid, which are mixed in proportions of 1 to 3, then poured into a small container and placed on the kitchen shelf.
2. It is possible to smear the walls of the furniture, where the moth has started, with lavender oil.
3. As experience shows, an effective means of control is the smell of tobacco, which repels parasites well.
4. A good effect is the orange peel, which, after cleaning, is laid out inside the furniture.
5. Ammonia helps to destroy the eggs and at the same time disinfect the place of their vital activity.

Detailed information about the safe protection of food, which will be a very pleasant prevention, read here. 

Prevention

Moths can enter human habitation in a variety of ways. Favorable conditions contribute to the fact that even a few adults can breed into entire colonies in the shortest possible time. There is no one hundred percent way to protect your home from moths.

But if carried out simple prevention and follow the advice, you can minimize this risk:

1. It is desirable to have a fine mesh on windows and hoods 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. The food storage area must be dry and ventilated.
6. Nuts or dried fruits are best stored in glass containers that are hermetically sealed.
7. And in general, it is better to keep cleanliness in the kitchen and in places where dried fruits are stored. This will prevent the appearance of not only moths, but also other insect pests.

Hack and predictor Aviator

If you follow all the tips for the prevention and prevention of the appearance of a pest, then the likelihood of food contamination with it is reduced to almost zero. You can sleep peacefully and are not afraid for the fact that in winter there will be nothing to cook compote from.

However, if obvious traces of the moth have already been noticed, it is necessary to start active actions immediately after the discovery of at least one caterpillar moth. Knowing what the mole does not like, you can quickly fix the problem. Otherwise, all food supplies will be contaminated, which then have to be thrown away. Due attention should be paid to the proper storage of dried fruits.