Moths in the kitchen

We recommend flour moth traps to prevent and control moths in the kitchen:

Which moths thrive in the kitchen?

If you have simply found a single adult moth in your kitchenFor example, a moth that has simply wandered into the kitchen - especially in the summer, when moths thrive outdoors and windows are often open. However, the moth can also be a sign of a moth infestation.

If you find more adult moths in the kitchenthis is an almost certain sign of a moth infestation.

In all cases, you should inspect your dry foods for the presence of moths. In practice, it's the moth larvae and their droppings you should be looking for.

When you find moths in your kitchen, they are most likely two-colored seed moths or seed moths:

 

Kitchen moth control in 4 steps

If you follow these 4 steps, in most cases you can get rid of kitchen moths relatively easily:

1. inspection: Open all bags and containers of dry food and inspect them thoroughly for the presence of larvae, their webs and excrement. The latter often cause food to clump together or appear slightly spoiled. Caterpillar eggs are very small and difficult to see with the naked eye, and often people claiming to have seen caterpillar eggs are actually excrement.

2. Disposal: You should discard all the food that the moth larvae have infested. If the damage is very limited, you may be able to discard only the damaged part and freeze or heat the rest at -18°C for two days or +55°C for one hour.

3. cleaning: Empty all kitchen cabinets of food and vacuum them thoroughly. Pay particular attention to cracks, crevices, holes, corners and similar places. Wipe with a cloth dampened with ordinary vinegar and peppermint oil. Never use water as it will give the moths even better living conditions!

4. PreventionStore all dry foods in airtight containers and place bay leaves in all kitchen cabinets. This will reduce the moths' ability to lay eggs, which significantly reduces the likelihood of future moth infestations. In addition, you should install flour moth traps to prevent and control food moths:

In the event of a heavy moth infestation, you should inspect all movable elements in the kitchen and possibly also dismantle kitchen cabinets etc. to check the conditions behind them.

If moth larvae and eggs are found here, they should be removed by vacuuming and cleaning as described above.

 

Where do the mills come from?

Moths can enter the kitchen in two ways:

• Via a foodWhen you buy a dry food product in a supermarket, for example, there is always a small risk that it contains moth eggs or moth larvae. Often the problem has to be traced back in the distribution or production of the individual food to find the point where the moths lay their eggs in the product. As a consumer, you should therefore make your retailer aware of the presence of moths in purchased food.

• From nature: Moths can find their way from nature into the home. This is especially true for moths (seed moths, fur moths and sticky moths) that can live in bird nests and insect nests around the home. In the summer when kitchen windows are often open, moths that stray into the home can also be enough to start a moth infestation.

In other words, when you find moths in your kitchen cupboard, they always originate from outside - but if the moths have established themselves in the kitchen, they must of course be controlled here. In these cases, they will often hide behind kitchen elements such as cabinets, stoves, fridges, hoods, etc.

 

Which moths live in the kitchen?

When you discover moths in your kitchen in a Danish home, they are usually two-colored seed moths - although they can also be other moth species. Below is a list of the moths that can thrive in the kitchen and their prevalence:

• Two-colored seed moth (very commonly occurring)
• Frog moth (commonly occurring)
• Fur moth (occurs occasionally)
• Meal moth (rarely occurring)
• Sticky moth (rarely occurring)

In addition, there is also a handful of other specieswhich in very rare cases can occur in the kitchen.

Note that food moths (i.e. moths that feed on food in the kitchen) are attracted to light and often fly around - unlike clothes moths (i.e. moths that feed on textiles) which are shy and prefer to run rather than fly.

 

Moths in food

All of the above moth species feed on dry foods such as:

However, it's not just dry foods that are attacked; some species can also feed on rotten foods and other items such as tea, tobacco, etc.