How to get rid of moths - hot days have come, and you are increasingly ventilating the apartment by opening the windows wide open. But along with the next gust of cool wind, an unwanted guest may fly in - a moth. And if it’s not difficult to deal with one individual - catch it, and that’s the end of the matter - then with several that have managed to lay eggs, you’ll have to tinker. You can eliminate moths in your apartment using folk remedies.
Does it help?
Lavender can be used in a variety of ways to combat harmful butterflies. And it really helps to eradicate small numbers of moths and prevent them from appearing. This is explained very simply - all insects have plants whose smell they do not like or cannot stand because of their toxicity. For moths, such crops are lavender, mint, geranium and others. But at the same time, these plants are absolutely harmless to humans and have a pleasant aroma.
In rare situations, lavender can cause allergies and, if used correctly, does not cause any side effects. Therefore, its use is safe even in homes where children live.
Typically, this crop is used to prevent the appearance of a pest . If the insect has proliferated greatly and there is a large family, first they need to be destroyed using chemicals. Then, to prevent the moths from returning, fragrant lavender bags should be placed in closets or chests of drawers - this smell will repel both adult moths and caterpillars.
Features of application
People often encounter the vital activity of various types of moths. What varieties of it can appear indoors? These are clothes, destroying woolen things, grain (food), which loves cereals, furniture poses a threat to wood, mushroom or fruit, fur coat.
In addition to the pests that visit our homes, there are also those that harm gardens and vegetable plots. Wax moths love to live in hives. Cabbage is an enemy of cruciferous plants. The potato moth is rightfully considered one of the most dangerous representatives of the species. It is the potato moth that can destroy a large amount of the crop of everyone’s favorite root vegetable. The body of the potato moth is colored greenish, pink, gray or yellow. Potato moth caterpillars happily eat not only potatoes, but also tomatoes, eggplants, and nightshade crops. Vegetables placed in winter storage suffer the most from potato moths. Rowan and apple moths are also known.
Popular methods should be used depending on what type of pest you have encountered. Such methods are aimed at repelling, rather than physically eliminating, the indoor parasite. Their disadvantage is their delayed duration of action. This must be taken into account without expecting instant results when using these methods. They are suitable for those who do not fear for their health and do not want to use “chemicals” in pest control.
How to use?
Both dried lavender twigs or flowers and its essential oil (often used in many industrial products aimed at getting rid of pests) will equally help to get rid of harmful insects.
Dried
If the herbaceous plant is grown in the garden or grows nearby, then it should be cut and dried in the summer (it is better to start collecting 2 weeks after the start of flowering - then the crop will have the most intense aroma).
You can dry lavender both in the apartment (for example, on the balcony) and on the street. To do this, a fresh bouquet needs to be divided into several bunches , tied and hung to dry.
If you don’t want to make the preparations yourself, you can purchase already dried grass.
When the plant is prepared, it can be made into a fragrant sachet, which is then placed :
- in closets with clothes;
- in chests of drawers;
- in dressing rooms;
- in chests, etc.
Lavender bags can be placed on shelves between piles of clothes and hung in different places in the closet.
To make such a fragrant product, you will need:
- two square pieces of fabric, with a side of 10 cm;
- threads, needle and scissors;
- crushed dried lavender.
Now you should sew two pieces of fabric together (from the wrong side), leaving a small hole - through it you will need to lay the dried grass. Now the hole should be sewn up and the fragrant sachet is ready.
There is an easier way to make a lavender bag. To do this, you will need a small square piece of fabric, in the center of which the dried crop is laid out. Then the 4 corners are gathered in the center and tied with ribbon, rope or thread. You can also place the grass in special porous bags.
The validity period of such products is approximately 2 months . After this time, they cease to be fragrant and therefore require replacement.
You don't have to make sachet - you can just hang bunches of dried lavender in your closets. For a longer lasting effect, other strong-smelling herbs can be added to this crop. But in this case, it is necessary to ensure that the inflorescences do not fall off onto clothes or bedding.
To repel moths, you can place fragrant, dry bouquets of lavender in all rooms - they will not only prevent the appearance of insects, but will also become an excellent interior decoration. In addition, this herbaceous plant is safe for both humans and pets.
You should choose strong-smelling branches, otherwise there will be no guaranteed effect from using the crop.
In the form of essential oil
Essential oil is no less effective in fighting moths.
The easiest way to use it is to place open vessels directly on the cabinet shelves. To protect clothes, you can spray them with a decoction of lavender flowers, which is prepared as follows:
- Place 1 tablespoon of lavender inflorescences in a container.
- 400 ml of boiling water is poured.
- Close the lid tightly (so that the essential oil does not evaporate) and leave for 10-15 minutes.
You should not spray clothes with pure ether, because if it contains an additive in the form of palm or sunflower oil, noticeable stains will remain on things that cannot be removed.
A proven method used to combat moths for several centuries is the production of sachets. It's very easy to make it yourself. For this you will need :
- linen fabric (for one product you will need a square with sides of 10 cm);
- lavender oil;
- odorless edible sea salt (or woolen threads);
- ribbon or thread and needle.
To make a sachet you need:
- Place salt or threads in the middle of the fabric.
- Sprinkle with lavender oil (7-10 drops are enough).
- Sew the fabric along the edges to create a pillow or connect its ends, tying tightly with ribbon.
The fragrant sachet is ready. It is laid out on shelves in closets, dressing rooms, chests of drawers with bed linen.
You don't have to use only lavender oil to repel moths. You can add a couple of drops of citrus essential oil or rose, geranium, pine, and mint oil.
Another effective way to combat harmful insects is to use a spray with lavender essential oil. To do this you will need :
Combine lavender ether (10 drops) with ethyl alcohol (10 ml).- Pour the solution into a container with a spray bottle.
- Spray linen drawers and cabinet shelves with the resulting spray.
Lavender oil can be added to water when washing floors or wiped furniture with such fragrant water. Thanks to this, the pleasant smell of lavender will reign in the room for a long time, which will protect the house from moth invasion.
Where do moths live?
Clothes moths reveal themselves by the appearance of small through holes in textiles. She has good taste - she prefers natural fabrics like wool, cashmere, silk. Signs of food moths are even less pleasant - you will find tiny moth eggs or even hatched larvae in flour, grains, cereals and other products that are not stored in the refrigerator.
Secondary signs of moths appearing in an apartment are various cobwebs, short white fluff, and lumps of unknown origin. They remain after the pupa transforms into a moth. But still, the main sign that we will focus on is moth eggs.
An adult moth does not lay eggs just anywhere - it creates specific nests. Their walls usually consist, like those of birds, of any “available materials”: villi, scales, dust, even the feces of the insects themselves. It is not difficult to identify the nest - it is a light “clump”, as if molded from softened oatmeal. In size it usually does not exceed 2–3 cm in diameter.
Once you find the nest, you can immediately destroy the main threat
Where should such nests be looked for? Clothes moths usually create nests in the folds of some clothing made from natural fabric. She doesn’t disdain upholstery either. Small nests can even be found in the seams of textiles. Food moths choose other places - namely bags with flour, cereals, dried fruits. The nest may also be in a hermetically sealed jar - perhaps the purchased products have already been infected with eggs.
If you find a moth nest, you must dispose of it immediately. Wearing gloves, place the item that the moth has chosen in a plastic bag and wrap it tightly. Dispose of the nest in the yard without delay - no need to put the nest in your own trash can.
If a moth has chosen a piece of clothing that is very dear to you as a nesting site, then you can save it. Scoop the nest from the clothing into a bag. Be careful not to leave any eggs on it. Then take the damaged item to the dry cleaner.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of using lavender culture as a means of combating harmful butterflies include:
- strong but pleasant smell that lasts a long time;
- placing lavender pads and dried bouquets not only repels moths, but also fills things with a delicate aroma;
- long lasting effect;
- safe for humans and pets;
- almost does not cause allergies and various adverse reactions (unlike chemicals);
- environmental friendliness of the method;
- ease of use: just place ready-made or self-made pads in cabinets - and effective prevention of moths is guaranteed.
However, this method has one drawback - if there are a lot of moths in the house, then it will take a lot of time to completely get rid of them using only lavender. The insects will not fly away immediately.
Traditional remedy
The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, naphthalene. The product has proven effectiveness over generations, is used traditionally and has even given rise to the idiom “smells like mothballs,” i.e. strongly associated with moths.
Modern research has proven that naphthalene is dangerous not only for gray pests that devour fur coats and natural dresses, but also for humans. Despite this fact, a folk remedy with a characteristic odor is still widely used in everyday life. Whether to put yourself and your family in danger for the sake of a quick and effective method of fighting moths is everyone’s personal choice.
Types of flying insects
Household moth is a general term for all varieties of insects that can get into an apartment and ruin your favorite clothes and groceries. They differ in their feeding habits and external characteristics. There are six types.
- Clothes moth. Light yellow butterfly with a lilac tint on the wings. The larvae of the parasite are white, with powerful jaws, and feed on soiled areas of clothing, gnawing them to holes.
- Fur moth. A white moth with black spots on its wings. Caterpillars eat products made of fur, velvet and wool. Standard cellophane clothing bags do not pose a barrier for them.
- Furniture moth. Butterfly with yellow-gray wings. The larvae eat sofa upholstery and fur items. They live inside furniture or in closets.
- Buffalo bug. The moth is dark brown in color with specks on the wings. Lives in carpeting, gradually eating fluffy pile.
- Wood moth. A small moth that climbs into apartments for the winter.
- Food moth. The butterfly is brown or gray in color, belongs to the moth family, the wingspan does not exceed 15 mm. Lives in the kitchen, eating groceries.
Additional Tips
For many years, naphthalene, which has a specific odor, was used to repel moths. Today, its use is not recommended, since in addition to the unpleasant aroma, the substance accumulates in the human body and has harmful carcinogenic properties.
Moth repellent grass and other harmless natural substances that have a pleasant smell work more effectively in tandem with each other. With their help, interesting mixtures are combined that repel insects while filling living spaces with fragrance.
Clothes moth larvae feed not only on natural, but also synthetic materials. When laying out repellents or using chemical insecticides, artificial food sources for the pest are also treated. Over time, the moth develops immunity to most folk recipes, so a periodic change of natural remedies is recommended.
Insect larvae do not take root well in low humidity conditions and in bright light. It is advisable to keep the locations of clothing and groceries dry and clean. After purchase, not new fur products must be aired in the cold or dry cleaned.
To avoid encountering harmful moths at home, it is advisable to use one of the many folk remedies to repel them. When moths are found, which are likely to provoke the appearance of larvae, natural substances become ineffective. In this case, you cannot avoid purchasing chemical insecticides, giving preference to drugs that are effective but harmless to human health.
Scented herbs
Insects are repelled by bunches of wild or cultivated fragrant herbs. Among them, the most effective means are the following:
- Sagebrush;
- Tansy;
- Chamomile;
- Valerian;
- Marigold;
- Carnation.
Other folk methods and means to repel annoying pests:
- Camphor . Soak swabs in it and place them in places where butterflies accumulate.
- A combination of lemon and cloves . The buds of a spicy plant are stuck into half a lemon and suspended on a strong thread above the shelves with things.
- Pieces of cedar twigs and wood are also not carried by insects. Place them in wardrobes where fur coats hang. You can also use cedar needle oil for this purpose.
- black pepper (peas) using the same method .
- Residents claim that sometimes gray butterflies are repelled by the smell of fresh newspapers . But experts consider this method rather dubious.
Advice! To prevent insects from infesting the kitchen, the best solution would be to store cereals in closed containers or tightly tied bags. Before storage, clean outer clothing and put plastic covers on it.
Do not forget to regularly ventilate the apartment and constantly clean it using disinfectants. Moths are afraid of low and high temperatures. So washing in hot water, frying clothes in the open sun or airing in frosty air makes it possible to get rid of females, eggs of pests or their larvae.
By the way, the larvae and eggs are attached to clothes very weakly, so they fall to the floor at the slightest shaking. For this reason, items that are constantly worn are rarely damaged. Those who hang in wardrobes for a long time and wait in the wings suffer the most.
Professional pest control is a radical way to quickly get rid of moths
So, to your horror, you discovered a dark gray moth in your apartment, sitting peacefully on the ceiling, flying out of the pantry or wardrobe. Naturally, you will try to destroy it. But you shouldn’t hope that by killing the poor moth you can sleep peacefully. Moths are the tip of the iceberg, since the main danger, as we have already said, lies in the larvae.
There is a professional moth control service. If you believe its experts, the moth and its larvae will be destroyed once and for all, which cannot be achieved by more traditional means.
- Professional exterminators of gray moths use products that are absolutely safe for human health, which is good news.
- Treatment of housing is carried out by spraying surfaces with a special preparation against moths (cold fog) or spraying the same preparation in the form of a cloud (hot fog), which costs much more.
- Barrier protection of the premises is carried out (coating with a special anti-moth gel around the perimeter of the apartment) and treatment of common areas if you live in an apartment building. This service is quite expensive, but if you can’t get rid of the voracious pest on your own or the situation is already too advanced, then it’s really worth turning to specialists.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible or rational to contact such a service:
- Not every city has such organizations;
- not everyone is willing to pay that kind of money for apartment pest control;
- It is often quite possible to solve the problem of moths on your own.
Exterminators use drugs that are effective against moths, but relatively safe for humans.
Fragrant tobacco
Tobacco is another effective folk method against gray butterflies. Fragrant tobacco is usually used as a houseplant, but as for smoking tobacco, it is better to use it in the form of small dry leaves, as in the cigarettes we are used to.
Place regular tobacco in bags and place inside pieces of furniture. Don't forget to ventilate your wardrobe periodically.
Attention! Do not use tobacco to protect clothing from moths. Things soaked in it will lose their attractiveness.
