Various types of insects live near people in houses and apartments. Some species are not too annoying with their presence, others are downright harmful. Today we propose to talk in more detail about one such pest, more specifically about carpet moths. This publication will discuss the question of what types of house moths exist, what they eat, and how to get rid of the parasite at home.
Features of control by insect species
Since all types of moths still belong to the same family, the methods of combating these pests are similar. Therefore, we will not analyze the process of destroying each subspecies separately, but will divide it into only 2 classes: clothing (feeds on things made of fur, wool, natural fabrics, upholstery, furniture filler, carpet pile) and food (dangerous for food).
Check out our collection of quick cleaning tips.
Clothes moth
The fight against moths in the wardrobe begins with general cleaning:
- need to get clothes
- spread out in the sun (or take out in the cold),
- and wash the inside of the cabinet thoroughly.
Important! Treating one compartment is not enough; if the closet is large, inspect, sort through and wash every shelf, drawer, and hard-to-reach corner.
After sunbathing, be sure to wash items on which larvae are found in water at the maximum permissible temperature for the fabric. If the moth is a furniture moth, the sofa, chair or armchair should be dry cleaned (or call specialists to your home).
Advice! To prevent moths from getting in, hang clothes on cedar hangers - insects are repelled by the smell of this wood.
food moth
What types of moths live in our apartments?
Moths are keratophagous insects, representatives of which prefer to feed on horny remains contained in wool and fur products. Sometimes they like to treat themselves to organic food.
How does it get into our apartments:
- together with products contaminated with insect larvae, mainly in cereals, dried fruits, flour and sugar;
- flies from neighbors through ventilation windows;
- along with pet hair;
- hiding in the folds of old clothes where the butterfly lays its eggs;
- through the books we bring from the library.
The path that the butterfly took to get into your apartment is not important here. Much more important is the damage it can cause through damage to carpets, fur coats, and expensive items made from natural fabrics.
- Fur coat or wool
Photo: https://notklop.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/mol-shuba.jpg
This butterfly is gray-yellow in color. Its wings are covered with tiny black specks. She loves to live in wardrobes. Fur products attract her so much that she even chews through cellophane packaging to get to her goal. If there are no “tasty” clothes in the house, then she will eat old books, felt, and feathers from pillows.
- Furniture
Photo: https://thornservices.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CLothing-Moth-Web.jpg
The insect has yellow wings with a golden tint. Selects upholstered furniture, where it feeds on its fabric. But if he comes across wool or fur, he will never refuse such a delicacy.
- Clothes
Photo: https://avatars.mds.yandex.net/get-altay/1246719/2a00000164eddcdbdcfec9ab7ed2e83652ca/XXL
The wings of this butterfly are also yellow, but with a purple tint. Prefers to live in dark wardrobes. It doesn’t matter to her what fabric the dresses hanging in the closet are made of. She ruins everything, leaving behind numerous holes. Such clothes become unsuitable for wearing.
- Food (fruit or grain)
Photo: https://otvet.imgsmail.ru/download/u_34a934a397e70fec5c88149de5dff498_800.jpg
This butterfly represents the moth family. Its wings are gray with specks or brown with a characteristic stripe. It destroys food products such as tea, cereals, nuts, legumes, sugar, flour, and also leaves its excrement and skin particles on them. Food affected by moths becomes unfit for consumption and can cause intoxication in some people.
There is another type of moth - wax moth. It settles in bee hives and harms the bees. But people have learned to obtain a tincture from its larvae that has medicinal properties.
It is very important! An adult does not have a mouthpart, so it cannot eat and digest food, and therefore cause damage. But she lays eggs, from which caterpillars hatch, which sweep away everything in their path.
How to get rid of it using professional means?
If bald spots are already noticeable in your favorite sweater, there is simply no time to grow geraniums: you need to look for a solution in the store. Professional chemicals, coupled with preventive measures, will help get rid of moths in your apartment forever.
Aerosols
Sprays are suitable for treating rooms, individual items, and pieces of furniture. They help fight all types of moths and act instantly.
One of the disadvantages of aerosols is the strong odor: treatment with them should be carried out according to the instructions, wearing a protective respiratory mask and goggles. After finishing active spraying, leave the room closed for 1-3 hours. Afterwards, ventilate regularly for several days. It is better to treat individual items (furniture, clothes) outdoors (street, balcony) and leave them outside the apartment until the pungent odor disappears.
There are quite a lot of sprayers, we have chosen the TOP 3 with the highest rating:
- Armol Expert,
- Raptor,
- Raid.
Pills
Special anti-moth tablets work much like soap: they cause damage to insects with a strong, constant odor. Put the tablet on a shelf in the closet or leave it in a closed dresser drawer, and no one will harm your woolen items or favorite fur coat.
The tablets are mainly produced with the scent of lavender - so their aroma is absolutely not dangerous for humans. Although, we must admit that it does not fade quickly and not everyone likes it.
Advice! To protect your fur coat during seasonal storage, put one tablet in your pockets and hide the product in a special case.
Fumigators
If too strong a smell affects not only insects, but also you, choose a heat fumigator: most of the plates have a subtle or completely indistinguishable aroma, while the active substance (insecticide transfluthrin) quickly spreads throughout the apartment, settles on furniture and things, protecting them from pests for 3-4 months. Adults will not be able to reproduce, and already laid eggs or larvae will simply die.
Fumigators are great for people who prefer to sleep with windows open but do not have protective mosquito nets.
Traps
The trap is ineffective on its own, but has an undeniable additional effect. The fact is that sticky traps can only catch adult males (the stickers are impregnated with female pheromones). Which, firstly, leads to a reduction in the population of flying individuals, and secondly, reduces the chances of reproduction.
They should be placed in storage areas for cereals, flour, sugar - kitchen cabinets or drawers. Change as it becomes “filled” - from once every few days to several weeks.
Sections
They act on the same repulsive odor principle. But unlike tablets or plates, sections exclude human contact with the repellent - therefore they are great for allergy sufferers or families with small curious children and animals.
A small plastic box is attached anywhere (usually inside a closet/chest of drawers), closer to warm woolen and fur items. Thanks to the sections, the moth does not lay larvae, and those already laid simply die.
House moth larva is a formidable enemy of clothing
These larvae are small in size, inconspicuous and inconspicuous. The main pests that destroy things are moth larvae. This larva manages to extract useful substances from woolen products with the help of a pair of strong and long mandibles, which are sharp scissors designed for cutting hair. There are also teeth on the mandibles, thanks to which the larva increases the speed at which it chews things. The larvae of house and furniture moths have excellent chewing ability and a very large stomach in proportion to the body. Large reserves of food can be stored in the stomach and intestines of the moth.
This is what a moth larva looks like
House moth larvae love the dark. During the day they try to hide in the folds of things. If the moth larvae eat only cotton fabrics, they increase in size and within 12-13 days they molt 12-13 times and then turn into a pupa. If there is a lot of acetate in the food, they are not able to actively grow and reach the desired size within a couple of months. And they can grow in 6 months.
Prevention of occurrence
Taking preventative measures is always easier than getting rid of the consequences of emerging pests. That's why:
- Regularly “shake up” your clothes, wipe down the shelves and drawers where they are stored.
- Treat winter items before storing them for the season.
- Keep kitchen cabinets clean, remove spilled cereals and crumbs in a timely manner.
- Place purchased bulk products into sealed containers.
- Get rid of old clothes and expired products in a timely manner.
- Do not store used clothing in the same place as clean, put-away clothing.
- Place plates, tablets, soap, aroma, spices, cedar balls or hangers in the cabinets.
Start taking action as soon as you notice the first signs of the presence of moths: this way, the chances of removing insects quickly and without loss to the family budget are much higher.
Fumigators
They are a device into which special plates or vials of liquid are inserted. The fumigator operates from the electrical network. The plates or liquid heat up and evaporate substances that are poisonous to the moth. Very convenient to use and do not harm humans. The effectiveness of the fight can be increased by installing the device directly inside the cabinet using a carrier. The insect will die, and the clothes will not have to be washed to remove the smell.
Fumigator Mosquitall
Mosquitol's range is 30 square meters. m. The fumigator begins to operate immediately after you plug it into the network.
Fumigator Raid
Works on liquid and on plates. The spectrum of action does not differ from fumigators from other companies, but costs a little more.
Fumigator "Raptor"
It works similarly to devices from other manufacturers, from the mains on plates or liquid.
Sections or plates
Special sections in the form of hanging plates and perfume bags are made on the basis of natural ingredients and repel adults with a pungent odor. The device must be hung directly in the closet.
However, over time, the insect gets used to the aroma and continues its life cycle. Use the section control method after chemically treating the room using an aerosol or fumigator, then new pests will not get into the closet. You can buy sections of the brands “Raptor”, “Moskitol” with different scents.
Reproduction and lifestyle of the pest
During the breeding season, the male looks for a female. A distinctive aroma is used as a guide. The clutch is formed 3–5 hours after mating. One female forms 3 or more clutches. The number of eggs depends on the type of pest. For example, furniture moths lay about 290–300 eggs, while clothes moths lay no more than 60.
Mating and reproduction occurs year-round. At the same time, the speed of development of caterpillars depends on conditions, external factors and seasonality. Some types of insects go into a kind of hibernation for 3–5 months.
