Generally speaking, moths are afraid of many substances. Strong smells, some house plants, aromas of some technical substances scare her away. This is often actively used by housewives: after all, knowing what the mole is afraid of, you can build a reliable system of preventive protection of your wardrobe or kitchen furniture from this pest. And, as you know, prevention is always more reliable and more effective than subsequent active struggle.
Important!
Even the most effective moth remedies will not help if the owner or hostess of the premises independently brought her larvae on clothes or in food and placed them in a closet. The caterpillars simply have nowhere to go there, and willy-nilly they will be forced to live and get used to the substances that are designed to scare them away. Moreover, practice shows that often the descendants of such individuals - moth butterflies - are no longer afraid of the used repellents, and previously effective moth remedies no longer help.
Review
“My grandmother always used naphthalene for moths, and in my memory these butterflies have never been in closets. When they started up with us, it was naphthalene that I laid out on the shelves, in some places - in the pockets of clothes, but this did not give results. The moth both flew and flies.Now I’m looking for what helps with moths ... "
Anna, Bryansk
All moth remedies can be divided into two groups:
- Drugs capable of destroying moths.
- And means that only repel moths.
In each of these groups there are a large number of well-known and not very effective and simply well-publicized means. Let's see what works best in practice.
Moth extermination
Means to kill the moth and its larvae include aerosol insecticides and fumigators. In addition, the destruction of moths can be done by treating the room or clothing with high or low temperatures.
In modern insecticidal preparations against moths, there is nothing particularly dangerous for humans and animals: they use substances that poison insects, but are harmless to warm-blooded animals. Only in case of a gross violation of the rules during the destruction of moths, intoxication is possible, often accompanied by allergies.
Most insecticidal preparations for moths are available in the form of aerosols or sprays. A typical moth spray is a small container from which an insecticide solution is sprayed, for example, on the surfaces of cabinets and directly on clothing.
Of course, moth treatment with these means is possible only away from food. Therefore, protection against food moths in the kitchen with aerosols and sprays is either not carried out at all, or only kitchen cabinets that have been previously freed from food are processed.
Moth fumigators are electronic devices in which insecticide-containing elements are heated, and the active substance gradually evaporates, poisoning the moth and its larvae in the cabinet in which the device is installed.When using these tools, the moth really dies, but the whole process takes longer than when using aerosols. Liquid capsules, plates or tablets are usually inserted into electric fumigators, which can be bought along with the devices themselves.
The moth is characterized by a rather low resistance to the action of low and high temperatures: it dies already at minus 2 ° C, and at minus 10 ° C, the eggs and pupae laid by it also die. The upper limit of moth survival is about 40 ° C, and when washing clothes in a washing machine at a temperature of about 50 ° C, all insects, larvae and eggs on it die.
Such moderate temperatures, at which the moth is already dying, make it possible to destroy it simply by hanging clothes in the winter in the cold. The moth is afraid of both simple cold and frost, and at least adult moth butterflies in the cold will leave their clothes in the first minutes of being taken out into the street, and then the larvae will simply die.
Review
“I know for sure that moths are afraid of frost. My parents never poisoned her. They just took out all the clothes every winter in the cold, and the moth died on it. Even now, for prevention, I hang clothes on the balcony in winter, I have it open, and I often take out the apartment itself. The moth is afraid of the cold, and after a day in the cold, even the food moth disappears.
Irina, Ufa
It is important to remember that the food moth, although it is afraid of frost, is quite capable of enduring the freezing of the entire room - in nature, this species lives in the middle lane, wintering on the ground under the foliage, and therefore, in principle, it is adapted to frost.
On a note
Widely popular in its time, naphthalene is in most cases very effective against moths, although populations of butterflies resistant to this agent have appeared in many cities. However, the use of naphthalene is not recommended for the reason that scientists have proven its danger to human health - naphthalene is a fairly strong carcinogen.
Basic moth repellents
Numerous aromatics and natural remedies are used to repel moths. Among them:
- strongly smelling plants
- dry herbs
- parts of some fruits
- essential oils
- technical means.
All of them are effective in different ways. At the same time, some of them fit quite well into the general atmosphere of a modern apartment and even a kitchen, without violating the overall harmony with their aroma. Others, on the contrary, can be characterized as "grandfather" and are acceptable only in exceptional cases.
Sections from the moth
Moth sections are industrially manufactured products, the principle of which is based on the use of substances in them that moths do not like. These sections are usually velcro or closet hook plates impregnated with analogues of natural repellents (sometimes they also contain slowly evaporating insecticides).
Using the sections is very simple - it is enough to place them in the place where you plan to defeat the moth, in the quantities indicated by the manufacturer. And then - only change at the intervals recommended in the instructions.
On a note
The food moth is just as afraid of the sections as the clothes moth. Therefore, these funds can be placed in bedside tables and cabinets in the kitchen.
The traditional analogue of sections are moth sachets - small fabric pads filled with herbs.Some manufacturers of insecticides for moths also make sachets to diversify their product range.
There are also commercially produced moth balls that differ from sections only in shape. In terms of efficiency, both sections, sachets, and balls are the same and cost about the same.
Dryness and light in the room are also undesirable for moths.
The moth is afraid of low humidity and bright light. Therefore, it is useful to take out clothes for prevention on the balcony and under direct sunlight. The larvae die pretty quickly from this. At the same time, the temperature effect also works due to the gradual warming up of clothes.
On a note
Clothes moth larvae are generally weak on clothes, and a good shaking of things helps to remove most of the caterpillars from them.
Moth pills
Moth pills are used in the same way as balls and sections: they are laid out in cabinets and create an unbearable atmosphere for butterflies there.
It is only important to lay out the right amount of tablets in a certain area of \u200b\u200bthe cabinet so that they are effective.
Herbs and flowers against moth butterflies
Moth herbs are the most common folk remedies. They were used even before the advent of chemicals, and they still effectively repel moths today.
Moreover, different parts of plants are used to combat the pest: flowers from moths can be no less effective than completely dried bushes. Among these natural repellents, the most famous are:
- Lavender is perhaps the most famous herb for moths.Its flowers remain as effective against moths today as they were many centuries ago, and the cost of this product allows you to fight insects even on a very limited budget.
Review
“And I acted the old fashioned way: I bought a bag of lavender flowers against moths, sprinkled them in canvas bags and laid them out in the closet. Before that, I treated all the clothes with Antimol. And that's it: no more butterflies, no more caterpillars.
Antonina, Moscow
- tansy - also repels moths and many other insects well
- sagebrush
- rosemary is a very effective herb for moths, but quickly loses its smell
- and the well-known dill.
Of these, it is lavender that remains the most recognized remedy for moths, since it does not exhale for a very long time and rarely leads to the development of populations resistant to it.
On a note
Geranium is a plant that repels moths all the time while alive. Therefore, having geraniums at home is not only pleasant, but also useful. In geraniums, not only the flower repels moths, but also the leaves themselves, the aroma of which is known to almost everyone.
Moth orange peels
Orange peels are also a good moth repellent, mainly used to control kitchen moths.
But this natural remedy has a serious drawback: after drying, the peels quickly lose their smell. Therefore, they need to be replaced regularly.
Essential oils
Essential oils against moths are used in the same way as the plants from which they are obtained. For example, lavender oil from moths is sprayed on the walls of a closet or placed in a special bowl.
The essential oil of fir, patchouli and lemongrass has also proven itself well against moths.
Moth Vinegar
Moth vinegar is one of the most radical remedies.It is undesirable to use it in the wardrobe, but in the kitchen, vinegar may well cope with its tasks.
The moth is really afraid of him, but spoiling the wardrobe with the aroma of vinegar is not very advisable.
Laundry soap
In fact, laundry soap is a kind of analogue of tablets and moth sections. It works on the same principle - its smell simply repels the pest. To fight moths, soap bars are laid out in the pockets of clothes or simply in closets. For these purposes, ordinary household, dust and strawberry soap can be used.
Among all the effective and really working moth repellents, there are those that the moth is not at all afraid of. For example, there are people who quite seriously rely on conspiracies from moths - they are used by lovers of esotericism and antiquity. It is possible to try to fight moths using such methods, but when there is a desire to finally get rid of moths, you will have to use something more effective.
Useful video: several effective ways to deal with moths in an apartment
A few more practical tips for fighting moths at home
Many thanks for the interesting article. I mainly use baby soap for moths. As soon as I bought a package of soap, I immediately laid it out in the closet. Now I also want to try hanging sachets with essential oils.
Try moth-scented wood balls.