Where does moth come from

Many owners of even the cleanest apartments periodically have to think about where the mole comes from. It seems that everything is clean in the house and there are no other insects, but these nondescript gray butterflies are beginning to catch the eye more and more often. In fact, the reason for the appearance of moths depends primarily not on the cleanliness of the dwelling itself (as, for example, in the case of cockroaches), but on other factors.

The most important thing is what kind of moth wound up in the house, what type it belongs to - there are clothes moth and food moth. These pests, similar to each other, but completely different in their biology, enter the house each in their own ways.

Important!

When wondering where the mole comes from in the apartment, it is useful to remember that it does not care about the sanitary condition of the room. The pest equally effectively infects both unhygienic barracks and elite housing. The main thing for her is the availability of a food base, and it is this food base that is most abundant in expensive houses.

 

The path of the food moth to the apartment

To understand where the moth comes from in the kitchen (food), it is worth remembering how often you have to bring food home from the store. Basically, it is in the original packaging that this unpleasant parasite enters the apartment. The reason is leaky packaging or improper storage of the food product at the factory, warehouse or directly in the store.

The favorite food of the moth is cereals, seeds, nuts, dried fruits, milk formulas, flour, animal feed, dried berries, herbs and roots.

On a note

Very often, products in warehouses infested with moths are sold at bargain prices. Sometimes this means that by buying buckwheat or flour at a “holiday” discount, a housewife provides herself with a headache and bewilderment about the appearance of moths in the apartment. It is important to remember that the food moth does not appear in the kitchen on its own - in the vast majority of cases, it is brought in by the owners of the premises themselves.

Sometimes the reasons for the appearance of moths in the house become clear after a conversation with neighbors: the pest moves through the ventilation systems passing throughout the house. This means that moths in your apartment may well appear from the next room.

Important!

The moth is a bad flyer and rarely moves between apartments. Much more often, larvae, pupae and moth eggs enter the house with food or furniture.

If there is a grocery store on the ground floor of a residential building, it is possible that this is the place where the food moth comes from in an apartment building. Storage of cereals and flour in warehouses in large quantities provokes the reproduction of this pest.

Like any other winged insect, a moth can simply fly into an apartment, for example, from a landing through an open door, but this happens extremely rarely.

 

How does the clothes moth get into the apartment

So, where do moths come from in the closet if everything is new, clean and neatly folded? To find out, you should remember whether the following products were bought recently:

• natural wool carpets
• furniture with natural upholstery
• outerwear made of fur or wool
• wearable wool or knitwear
• shoes with natural fur.

If a moth started up at home after one of these purchases, then it is safe to say that the larvae were already in it at the time of purchase. After settling, the moth began to multiply and spoil other things that came across its path. Unfortunately, the pest can even be in expensive items from trusted stores that protect their reputation.

Store-bought or used furniture can also serve as an excellent "vehicle" for transporting moth larvae to a new place of residence. This is especially true of old furniture, in which it is very easy to get to the "delicious" filler.

The clothes moth can also choose a more exotic way to enter the house - on the fur of pets. In principle, moths do not parasitize living creatures, but they can very well use their fur as a temporary shelter. Cases when a moth appears in this way are quite rare, and only adult butterflies can settle in this way and on dogs with long, shaggy hair - bobtails, giant schnauzers, wire-haired dachshunds, South Russian shepherd dogs.

The above are the main ways in which clothes and food moths appear in a person's home. But whatever the method of its penetration, it is important to prevent the reproduction of the parasite throughout the apartment.

 

Causes of infection of the premises with food moth

It is unlikely that it will be possible to completely insure against the appearance of food moths in an apartment, because one larva that has flown into an individual or one larva in a packed cereal is enough to infect the kitchen. It is much more important to create conditions at home that will not allow moths to reproduce comfortably and spoil food.

First, let's see what conditions are most favorable for food moths:

• Feed. Without food, moths simply cannot reproduce, so they always need a source of food: boxes of cereal, bags of flour and nuts, or at least dried herbs.
• Convenient place to live. The moth prefers lockable kitchen cabinets, pantries, where it can both live and eat at the same time. Finding a food moth on open kitchen shelves is almost impossible - it avoids light.
• Lack of ventilation and darkness. The moth does not tolerate fresh air and direct sunlight, preferring enclosed spaces where food is stored.
• No harsh odors. There are fragrances that are very unpleasant to moths and make them move away from their source. These include the smell of citrus, lavender, eucalyptus, tobacco, vinegar.

 

How to prevent moths from entering the house?

Anyone who knows well where the moth comes from in the apartment can competently approach the prevention of its appearance in the home.

You can avoid the appearance of a clothes moth only with the help of a thorough inspection of all new things that enter the house. Even if a fur coat or hat is bought in an expensive store, it is worth carefully examining its outer and inner sides for damage by moth larvae right there. At home, you should hang the purchased item on the balcony and leave it there for three days. It is worth doing this in clear sunny weather without dampness, so as not to spoil the fur or wool.

Lavender or orange peels spread out in the closet (they need to be changed as they dry), you can also put an open bottle of essential oil of any of these plants.

For lovers of ready-made preparations, you can offer special moth sections that are hung in a closet and also have a pleasant aroma. The fur coat, hat or carpet itself can be treated with a moth spray - this is especially recommended when storing warm clothes in the summer season.

It is interesting

There are several more ways to save your favorite things from clothes moths. Before storing them, you can cover them with fresh newspapers or put a few strong cigarettes in your pockets (the moth does not like the smell of printing ink and tobacco, but it can last for a long time and spoil the pleasure of wearing things). Another good way is to freeze things or food. To do this, in the cold season, they can be “forgotten” on the balcony for several days, after which any moth will die. The central heating battery also works, which will destroy moths on small woolen and knitted things - socks, hats, sweaters.

The principles for preventing food moth infestation are similar to those outlined above. After coming from the grocery store, you need to look through all the goods where the mole can start: cereals, dried fruits, nuts, dry spices, herbs. If nothing is found there, food can be stored in glass jars or linen bags.

Some folk recipes advise soaking the bags with brine or just salt water. Definitely do not store cereals or flour in an open original packaging.

It is recommended to periodically ventilate kitchen cabinets and wipe the shelves with vinegar, lay out lavender or orange peels in them. It is not recommended to purchase cereals and nuts in large quantities "in reserve", since the longer such a product is stored, the more likely the moths to multiply in it.

 

Interesting video: how to get rid of butterflies and moth caterpillars