Nut moth: how to get rid of it?

Brief description of the moth

The moth belongs to the order Lepidoptera insects. The color is pale brown, light gray, white with silver pollen on the wings. This small insect is nocturnal and feeds on the substance of the stratum corneum, that is, keratin.

The stomachs contain a large amount of acid, which perfectly digests fur, wool and other materials. The pest adapts well to different climatic conditions.

The greatest damage is caused by the larvae, and adults, upon reaching maturity, only mate and reproduce.

The pest is similar in appearance to butterflies, but its characteristic proboscis is missing. In the caterpillar stage, the butterfly consumes a large amount of food with its mouthparts, and this energy is enough to lay new offspring. The larvae have strong, large jaws with which they even gnaw through seeds, nuts and seeds in fruits.

Damage caused by moths

An adult butterfly cannot cause any harm to nuts, since its jaw apparatus is poorly developed. The only thing she does is find a suitable place and lay her eggs. When the larvae hatch on the surface of the nuts, they contaminate it with the remains of the cocoon and waste from their vital activity.

If the fruits are in shell, they can be saved, but if not, then such products are hopelessly spoiled, and their use as food threatens the following complications for the human body:

Spoiled nuts.

intoxication;
decreased immunity;
poisoning.

Cycle and lifespan

Caterpillars emerge from the laid eggs and turn into butterflies. Having reached puberty, butterflies lay offspring. In favorable conditions of city apartments and houses, this cycle can continue all year round without interruption.

The lifespan of an individual adult with wings is short and ranges from 15 to 30 days, depending on the species.

It moves little and only at twilight, since the wings are poorly developed and there is no protection from predators.

Stages preceding puberty:

laying eggs. Young caterpillars appear on average after 2 weeks at room temperature;
The larvae make a cocoon around themselves from the stratum corneum and live in it for a long time, from 90 to 300 days per year.

Causes and signs of appearance

Moths appear in the kitchen for several reasons:

bringing insect-infested food into the house;
storing nuts in a room with high humidity;
rare ventilation of the room;
finding open containers next to the window, bringing them in from neighbors.

To determine whether there are moths in the house, you need to pay attention to certain signs:

a small butterfly flies in the apartment mainly in the evening;
there is movement in cereals or nuts;
detection of larvae in nuts;
the larvae crawl onto the walls.

Important! Moths appear in places where old cereals, nuts or dried fruits are stored for a long time .

Type of moth

There are many species of this insect, and the most famous of them are:

Homemade.
Wax.
Fur coat.
Clothes.
Furniture.
Walnut.
Potato.
Cabbage.
Food.
Chestnut.

All species cause significant damage in many areas of the economy if they are not dealt with in a timely manner.

Wax

It poses a danger to bee hives: the caterpillars feed on beebread, collected honey and even attack bee larvae. However, moths began to be used in medicine for medicinal purposes due to their ability to digest wax with the help of special enzymes in the stomach. The result is a unique antibacterial substance with numerous beneficial properties.

Fur coat

Capable of ruining any, even the most expensive fur coat. In it she finds an inexhaustible source of nutrition and comfortable existence. Having eaten the required amount of hair with the help of a powerful mouthparts, the larvae move towards the nest, cutting off interfering hair along the way, resulting in stripes of clipped fur on the surface of the fur coat.

For the clothing type, wool products are a favorite delicacy. The appearance of this species is not very remarkable: light, golden color and small size of 8-9 mm. Females do not fly, they move by crawling to the right place, but males fly in search of females.

Room

Painted in light yellow with a golden tint. Caterpillars of this species are inactive and move only if they eat well. A special feature is a strong fear of light: when exposed to the sun's rays, they immediately hide in cocoons or look for a dark shelter.

Potato

It has a dark gray “dirty” color and can cause damage to agricultural areas. The female lays eggs on the inner surface of potato leaves; after 7-10 days, light green or pink larvae emerge from them, which feed on the tops and suck the juice from the bush.

Cabbage

Causes damage to the cruciferous family. The butterfly is elongated and sand-colored and has a special fringe on the edges of its wings. Such a butterfly flies poorly and is always close to the place where it appears. Cabbage caterpillars are green in color and have a brown head with jaws, and the eggs are painted dark green and are therefore hardly noticeable on plants.

Granary (food)

Such moths appear on food products that have been stored improperly, and most often live in cereals and groceries. Under natural conditions, this species feeds on nuts and plant seeds, and therefore is most often found in forest-steppes, mixed forests and steppes.

The length of an adult individual is about 8 mm, it adapts well to environmental conditions and is almost invisible to the naked eye.

The larvae are painted in light colors: pink, milky, sand. The life cycle lasts about 45-50 days.

Chestnut

Lives on maples and chestnuts. It waits out the cold winter time in the pupal state, and when the first warmth appears, adult individuals emerge from last year’s foliage and actively reproduce. The females forge the resulting eggs on young leaves. It is easy to find out about the appearance of such neighbors: orange spots are noticeable on the leaves.

Fighting methods

There are currently no universal methods for combating king moths that infest nuts. For example, folk remedies have a low level of effectiveness and may not cope with the task.

If there are moths in peeled walnuts, the use of insecticides is prohibited, as this can spoil the product.

If there are moths, it is recommended to do the following: inspect all products, throw away spoiled ones, and treat the room to prevent the reappearance of insects.

Chemical control agents

To get rid of moths in nuts, it is important to throw away any infested fruits and other products.

Application of traditional methods

Good results can be achieved through the use of folk remedies.

If you have moths in your nuts, you can do the following::

Bay leaf. The strong specific aroma of this spice repels parasites. To remove insects, it is recommended to make a sachet pad from several laurel leaves. Place the resulting repeller among supplies of groceries and nuts.
Essential oils. Essential oils have repellent properties. For example, it is recommended to apply eucalyptus, fir or lavender extract to the inner surfaces of kitchen cabinets and bedside tables. If this procedure is carried out regularly, the risk of pests is minimal.

To repel parasites, you can use sprigs of lavender or wormwood. Place dried bouquets of plants behind furniture and other secluded corners.

Disinfection of the territory

If there are moths in the nuts, it is important to carry out a procedure for disinfecting work surfaces and favorite habitats of pests, which include containers for storing groceries.

To carry out sanitization, you can prepare the following solution, which has disinfectant properties : eight parts of water, one part each of alcohol and tea tree oil. Mix the ingredients with warm water. The prepared solution should be used to treat floors and furniture.

Containers for storing cereals, if they are made of glass or other fire-resistant materials, are recommended to be heated in an oven or washed with boiling water. This measure will help destroy nut moth larvae and egg laying.

Why does moth start living in the house and how does it get into the apartment?

The most favorable living factors for this pest are:

presence of twilight;
constant access to food;
room temperature for continuous life cycle.

And it can get into your home in several ways:

Having flown over from the neighbors. Although the pest does not fly well and does not fly much, it is quite capable of covering short distances through ventilation openings or holes near heating pipes.
Having flown over from the street. In search of food and for reproduction, they can easily fly into a house from the street.
With contaminated food. If the manufacturer did not store their products correctly and did not pay attention to heat treatment, various food products may be contaminated with larvae. They are invisible to the eye, but once in a warm environment they begin to feed again and grow into an adult flying in search of a partner.

The most favorite “delicacies” for the pest are:

Flour.
Legumes.
Tea.
Coffee.
Cocoa.
Seeds.
Dried fruits.
Dried berries.
Cereals.
Herbs.
Dry mixes.
Animal feed.
Baby food.

To avoid infection and spread of the pest, when purchasing the listed products, carefully inspect the packaging, and if there is the slightest presence of insects, do not take the product under any circumstances.

When you get home, transfer the contents of the package to an airtight food storage container. In this way you will prevent the pest from multiplying. The larvae are harmful primarily because they spoil food products.

By eating them, they leave behind numerous traces of their activity: eggs, husks, corpses, skins, feces. Yes, and there is a product that is infested with these insects, hardly anyone will want it; they will have to throw away the spoiled product completely.

And adult individuals are dangerous for humans only because they make new offspring, laying clutches in unexpected places.

Description of the pest

This insect is an inconspicuous brown butterfly. If this parasite is found in nuts or other food products, it is quite difficult to recognize. When the pest is located on surfaces, it folds its wings and becomes almost invisible. In this position, the nut king moth resembles a slight protrusion on a wall or cabinet.

When an insect lays larvae, they are very similar in appearance to those of other types of parasites. The population of these pests has spread widely throughout the world, they attack kitchens or barns. In addition, parasites love to live in food warehouses.

The caterpillars of such butterflies do not have outgrowths or hairs, they are green in color and do not tend to catch the eye of people. Most often, the larvae hide inside nuts or other foods and sit there until they pupate. After this, the parasites crawl out and can be seen on the walls or kitchen units.

It is quite difficult to remove king nut moths, since there is no universal pest control product. It is strictly forbidden to use insecticides, as they lead to food spoilage. For this reason, fighting such insects is a labor-intensive process.

Ways to fight moths

There are several methods to combat this pest, but the most reliable of them are:

The most effective and efficient way is to prevent its appearance in the house. Be sure to follow the rule: after purchasing bulk products, pour them at home into hermetically sealed plastic, glass and metal storage containers. And the best option is to use transparent containers for these purposes.
Keep the kitchen area clean and tidy. Do not allow food residues to remain on tables, storage cabinets, and never store cereals, baby food, or animal food in the open. Do wet cleaning more often and periodically review your groceries.

Grandmother's anti-moth remedies

Most folk “recipes” for moth larvae, which are already in food supplies, do not work. However, there is a benefit from them, because a butterfly that has flown in “to visit” will quickly leave your house, smelling a scent that is unpleasant to it. Some plants with a strong ethereal aroma can help scare butterflies and prevent them from reproducing and laying eggs. Among them, moths dislike the most:

Place the branches of these plants on the shelves in the closet, and in addition – dried tangerine zest. Moths also do not favor citrus fruits. And into the jars themselves, where you poured the nuts, add a couple of bay leaves or tangerine peels.

How to get rid of food moths - video

How to save cereals, nuts, flour from moths?

If the pest has already appeared, you urgently need to take action and perform the following sequence of actions:

All affected products are thrown away, and if there are a lot of insects, then throw away good-looking cereals and flour without sparing, there is a high risk that pests are there in the form of eggs and larvae.
Place all untouched groceries into containers with lids.
Thoroughly wash all cabinets, kitchen surfaces and utensils with a strong soapy solution.
After drying, wipe the surfaces with a 9% vinegar solution. You can also treat cabinets against eggs, larvae and mature butterflies with aerosols: Raptor, Antimol, Armol.
Do a wet cleaning of the entire kitchen.
Ventilate the room well.

After such a general cleaning, carefully inspect the contents of the shelves and cabinets for 3-5 days; pests may appear again and then you will have to repeat the entire procedure again.

At the same time, it is possible to use special tools and traps sold in hardware and specialized stores. The traps contain special pheromones that attract adult insects, but such a trap must stand for at least 2 months for a visible effect.

Features of prevention

“Hercules” porridge is one of the favorite breeding grounds for food moths

Wipe down kitchen cabinets with vinegar. Use oils whose odor is unpleasant to insects.
Clear out the rubble - get rid of old things. The trash can harbor a parasite that will eventually spread to the kitchen.
Store nuts in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.
Review your inventory periodically.

It is not the butterflies themselves that spoil the food, but the caterpillars. It is quite difficult to see parasites because they do not announce their appearance. The danger is that affected products can lead to serious health problems: allergies, decreased immunity, intoxication.

It is necessary to destroy insects in a comprehensive manner: eggs, butterflies and larvae. The use of insecticides is not recommended, as they can poison the food. If you follow preventive measures, parasites will not appear! At the same time, it is important to carry out timely sanitization not only in the kitchen, but also in other rooms.

Read also How to keep greens fresh for the winter

Any insects in an apartment are always a problem, because getting rid of them is quite difficult. It is especially unpleasant if they appear in food products, for example, in nuts. Knowing what to do if there is a moth in walnuts, you can prevent it from spreading throughout the kitchen by moving on to cereals. After all, then these harmful insects will spoil all the supplies.

Nuts, be they walnuts, hazelnuts or any other types, are “loved” by a special nut moth – the moth moth. Adult butterflies are not dangerous; they only reproduce and do not eat the fruits themselves. But their larvae are quite voracious and eat all the nuts. They can be either in peeled kernels or directly inside the shell.

Traditional methods of getting rid of insects

Moths do not like sharp and strong odors, so the following tips will help to prevent and combat them:

Garlic. Peel the fresh garlic cloves and place 1-2 pieces in each container. The garlic smell from flour and cereals disappears quickly, but is a good deterrent to uninvited guests.
Dried branches of geranium or sweet clover have a specific strong smell that the butterfly cannot tolerate. Use this method with caution in families where there are people suffering from allergies.
Lavender. A fragrant branch can be placed in a closet; it perfectly scares away uninvited guests from the contents of kitchen cabinets.
Wormwood, tansy, and rosemary have a similar effect.
Fresh orange peels are often laid out in cabinets. Citrus fruits are very hostile to moths, and they will not breed or inhabit the area.

What to do if there are moths in walnuts

Don't wait for moths to infect all the food in the house. As soon as the first signs appear, you need to immediately begin fighting the insect. To completely exterminate the moth population, first throw away all affected products, then treat the containers and furniture.

Chemicals

Chemicals are used to combat butterflies not only in products, but also in carpets, clothes, and fur items. The most effective drugs are:

Raptor. Apply to the surfaces of wooden furniture. The smell repels butterflies;
Armol. Spray used to treat furniture surfaces;
Battalion commander Used in hard-to-reach places where moths and their larvae are hidden;
Antimol. Spray fabrics and clothing that are located near the insect’s habitat.