How to Spot and Get Rid of Pantry Moths in the Kitchen
Pantry moths often arrive in the home with store-bought food and hide in dry goods. The outlet “Desired” outlines how to recognise an infestation and eliminate it.
If small reddish-brown moths fly out when you open your kitchen cupboard, pantry moths may have settled in. These household pests often enter a home along with groceries bought at a shop. They can be controlled with a consistent approach, according to the outlet “Desired”.
What they damage
Moths do not attack every food. The Julius Kühn Institute in Quedlinburg (Germany's Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants) says they do not eat fats, oils, sugar, salt or heavily smoked foods. Coffee and black tea are usually left alone too. Dry goods are the most at risk: flour, semolina, muesli, pet food, nuts, chocolate, dried fruit, legumes, spices and teas.
Recognising an infestation
Adult moths are seldom seen in the food itself. Eggs or larvae are more likely to turn up, and the main signs are small clumps and fine webbing. The larvae are tiny and easy to overlook, and they can squeeze through even the smallest gaps in packaging. An infestation is not a sign of poor hygiene.
What to do
- Destroy infested food completely: seal it in tight bags and put it in household waste, because droppings and webbing can harm health, and the wing scales of flour moths can be allergenic.
- Wash containers with dish detergent or run them through the dishwasher.
- Vacuum cupboards, crevices and shelf edges with the narrow nozzle, then wipe with an all-purpose cleaner. Vinegar is not recommended, as it can encourage bacterial growth.
- Warm hard-to-reach spots with a hairdryer, as advised by Germany's Federal Environment Agency (UBA); the heat kills eggs and larvae.
- Store supplies in containers with tight-fitting lids or seals, and do not add new food to half-filled containers.
Monitoring
Measures should be repeated until there are no more signs of infestation. Pheromone traps attract male moths and help gauge the situation. Microscopic parasitic wasps, which destroy moth eggs, may also help, as may lavender, clove and cedar essential oils, which are believed to repel the moths.
