What makes a moth start in an apartment: where does a voracious pest come from
The moth is a gray small butterfly, does not cause inconvenience and does not cause disgust. But when a pest appears in the house, every housewife knows: trouble has come. The insect quickly and actively spreads, occupies new territories. To understand how to deal with an uninvited guest, you need to know how the moth breeds and how it penetrates the human dwelling.
Content
Overview
Moth is a household pest.
Butterfly moths in the house are not dangerous in themselves. But they are indicative of a problem.
Depending on the species, there wardrobe и food mol. In addition, there are cereals, nuts and potato varieties. But the first two individuals are frequent guests in a person's home.
These names suggest where the moth's nest can be found. It also depends on food preferences.
Moreover, one type of moth does not change its taste preferences and does not switch to another type of food.
Moth life cycle
The life span of a moth is not very long. But during this period, it breeds quite actively, so it can cause a lot of harm. There are several stages of development.
Development takes place in several stages:
- adult insect.
Moth life cycle.
The female lays eggs, their number can reach 200 pieces, and dies after 4-5 days;
- eggs. They are very small, can be collected in one place or spread over some surfaces;
- larvae Appear small and whitish, after 14 days. The life span of this pest reaches 50 days, and at this time it causes maximum damage;
- pupae appear after the insects have eaten enough to make a cocoon. After a month, and this is how long this stage lasts, an adult appears.
Important signs
How it spreads
Moth in the house.
There are several possible ways for moths to appear in a house or apartment. If it is a food pest, then it can be brought from a store or market. If the tightness of the food package has been broken or errors have been made during storage, then it is likely that infection will occur.
The same applies to the dress subspecies. It can be brought on things, dilapidated pieces of furniture, carpets that have been stored incorrectly. They can use thick, long dog hair for locomotion.
There is an infection of human habitation from the street or ventilation pipes. From an open window, a butterfly or a few can very easily get in, and there is a matter of time, after what time there will be a whole flock of them.
Signs of a pest
Moth larvae on clothes.
There are several visual signs by which you can determine the presence of pests in the house. The main ones, of course, are flying adult moths. But they are already an indicator of the spread of a large number of pests.
You can identify the appearance of moths by small larvae in places where they can be very conveniently located: on the back walls of furniture, a kitchen set, in open bags of cereals and a cabinet with furniture. Small eggs are most often safely hidden, and they are almost colorless, so they cannot be identified.
Possible causes
There are a number of reasons why moths can enter a home and stay there. One of them, which is the most significant, is comfortable conditions for her.
Moths are often brought into the house by people themselves.
Most often mole enters the building from the street through an open window that does not have a mosquito net, or through ventilation. If there is a chance that the neighbors have insects, then it is likely that they will appear in all the neighbors through the vent.
If it is not entirely clear where the moth comes from in the apartment all the time, then you can ask the neighbors if they have pests. And even better, before the mole starts up, fix a fine mesh on the ventilation grate so that you don’t have to fight it at all.
Where does clothes moth come from
Most often, moths are brought into the room on things. On furs, carpets or even furniture, several individuals can get into the room, which will quickly breed and harm clothes.
Domestic moth.
And if there are comfortable conditions for them, like old carpets or furs, then they will stay for a long time.
Even when buying new products, there is a chance of infection, because during storage in stores or warehouses, mistakes were made and infection occurred.
In rare cases, dogs, especially long-haired ones, can bring pests into the room. It happens that butterflies absolutely accidentally lay their eggs on thick wool, and in such a temporary shelter they get into the room.
It is a mistake to assume that unsanitary conditions or problems with cleaning will be the culprit. You should not think about how a mole appears in an apartment, because infection can occur quite by accident.
Where and why food moth starts
In addition to the accidental way food moths get into the house, there is the possibility that they will be brought by the housewives unintentionally. She could get into the products in the pursuit of food.
So, sometimes in stores the rules for storing unpacked or sold by weight goods are violated. It can be various cereals, nuts, dried fruits, spices or feed.
Food moth caterpillars have a special vitality. If they have already started in cereals, but got into an unfavorable environment, such as too much cold, they can remain viable for a long time. When conditions change, they will actively begin to feed.
How to get rid of domestic household moths in an apartment
There are several ways to get rid of insects that have wound up in a closet or furniture.
Folk methods
Orange peel is a prophylactic.
Folk methods, although quite effective, do not act very quickly. They are best used as a preventive measure. These include various herbs that repel adults with their aroma.
They do not affect the larvae. Naphthalene was often used for things. It is effective, but things acquire an unpleasant odor.
There is one proven folk way - shaking. The insect does not like anxiety and changes in climatic conditions. Therefore, at the first suspicion of infection, it is necessary to shake up all deposits of rags.
Natural furs and coats should be carefully examined and checked for damage. In summer, you will need to take it out to the sun, and in winter to frost.
professional methods
Professional cleaning will kill the larvae and eggs.
If the scale of infection is very large, then you need to turn to professionals. They quickly and effectively clean all contaminated surfaces.
Under the influence of special preparations and temperature treatments, they will kill all harmful insects and clean the home even in the most inaccessible places.
Aerosols
Aerosols are effective, but quite laborious. To remove all insects, it is necessary to spray all parts infected with moths and furniture surfaces.
The room must be closed for the effect to occur, and then ventilate and wash everything well. It will be necessary to carry out several treatments, and one aerosol bottle will not be enough.
Aerosols from moths.
Fumigators
Most often, these drugs are used to protect against mosquitoes, but they will be effective against moths. Using them is completely simple.
- A plate or flask with a working solution is installed in the apparatus and plugged into an outlet.
- When heated, a smell is released that people do not notice, but insects do not like it very much.
Pheromone traps
The principle of operation of traps is that they exude a certain aroma, pheromones lure moths. They fall into a sticky trap and die. Such a trap only affects adults, the larvae are not lured in this way.
Sticky traps with pheromone.
Sections and tablets
How to get rid of food moths in the apartment
With the food subspecies of the pest, things are a little different. They are in the kitchen, and there the use of potent agents with a persistent aroma. Also banned are sprays or aerosols.
To get food moth out of the kitchen, it is necessary:
- conduct a thorough audit;
Moth larvae in the grocery.
- remove badly damaged and infected cereals;
- carry out thermal processing of product residues;
- wash the shelves thoroughly with soap or a solution of vinegar;
- use traps.
A good way are folk remedies. For example, if you put citrus peels on the shelves, then the moth will bypass them.
This article will tell you more about how and what method effectively acts on moths in the house and apartment.
Preventive measures
In order not to start a long and tedious struggle for your own things or products, it is better to take a number of preventive measures.
These include:
- proper storage things and products. Clothes should be placed in the closet only previously cleaned and in special cases, if possible. Food should be stored in airtight jars or bags;
- carry out periodically cleaning on the shelves, wash them. Linen needs to be shaken, and stocks need to be reviewed;
- for prevention use folk remedies. Bouquets of dried herbs and orange skins can be arranged in cupboards;
- good to inspect after buying things and purchase products only in trusted places.
All types of moths do not like the aroma of lavender, mint, rosemary, citrus, geranium, camphor or cloves. You can buy ready-made sachets, use some essential oil, or even place some dried herbs in cloth bags.
Conclusion
If moths have started up in the house, then this is already a cause for concern. The first moths in the kitchen, in the bathroom, or even more so in the cabinets, are already alarming. It is necessary to proceed to the process of removing moths immediately, regardless of how the insects got into the room. And the use of preventive measures will help protect the premises from the invasion of uninvited pests.
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