How to deal with mole in an apartment: 8 ways

You once again opened the winter clothes before the start of the season and found a few holes in your favorite sweater? This means that in this unpleasant incident, the mole, or rather its larvae, is to blame. After all, an adult does not eat organic products. But she can lay larvae in huge quantities. They then eat everything around. Do not think that the mole is scary only for the wardrobe. This unpleasant insect can settle in the kitchen and in the pantry, slowly but surely devouring your food supplies. Today we will talk about moths in an apartment - how and why it appears, what happens, how to deal with it in professional and home ways, and also learn about ways to protect the house from this insect.

Mole types

There are several groups of moles, which differ according to their taste preferences.The largest group is the kitchen moth, which can often be found in food supplies. Fruit prefers dried fruit and tea, flour loves flour and can penetrate even into closed containers. The potato mole settles right in the tuber of the potato and feeds on its pulp. Grain affects the cereal partially or completely. If you open a container with cereal, moths will be visible immediately - holes in the grains, fine dust, insect excrement, discarded skins. There is also a barn moth, which likes to eat different nuts. These are the main groups of insects that eat food.

In addition to different types of kitchen moth, there is a clothes moth, which feeds on natural wool. It can be sweaters, lining outerwear, upholstery, curtains, carpets. Mole can eat pet hair. In some cases, the mole damages and simple textiles, if it is saturated with urine, then with other organic secretions. Most often, the mole lays the larvae in the folds of clothing, in the gaps of carpets under the sofa, that is, in secluded places. As noted, the female can lay larvae, which need wool nutrition. The offspring of one individual can eat up to 10 kilograms of wool.

Another mole is a fur coat.Damage from its actions is especially sensitive, since natural fur and articles made of it cost a lot. In addition to fur, this insect feeds on felt, felt, natural feathers, down, etc. A fur coat moth can even lift up your pet's tail. A moth can also be furniture - its preferences are very strange. Such a moth eats upholstery, both natural and synthetic. Such a mole settles in secluded places, gaps of wood, behind the padding of the upholstery. In some cases, the furniture mole strikes even the wood itself, punching hollow passages in it. But the carpet moth is considered the most hard-to-remove and sustainable - it is not sensitive to naphthalene, lays eggs deep inside the villi, it is almost impossible to find them.

Knowing about the types of moths and places of its residence, it is possible to carry out the elimination of these insects more qualitatively. How to act if the mole was found in the house?

What to do if a mole appeared in the apartment

To evict an unexpected guest and prevent his return visit, you need to act comprehensively.

1. If you find some kind of moth in your apartment, look at other parts of the home. The fact is that the mole rarely settles in the house alone.If insects appear in the kitchen, carefully inspect all food supplies, wardrobe and textiles in the house.
2. If you find a nest of larvae moths, it must be eliminated. To do this, vacuum the entire affected area, wash it with a sponge and water. In the water except soap you need to add a small amount of detergent with chlorine.
3. If the mole is found in the closet, carefully and painstakingly shake all clothes, even from synthetics. After all, insects do not always lay off their offspring in edible wool.
4. Ideally, all clothes should be cleaned in a high-temperature wash mode. Massive wool sweaters can be cleared from the larvae in another way - just put the clothes in the freezer for a few hours - the larvae will not survive. Large outerwear must be cleaned with a brush, especially folds, pockets, hard-to-reach areas of the lining. Ideally, jackets, fur coats and coats can be treated with a steam generator, this will not leave the larvae any chance.
5. Wipe all that is possible - curtains, carpets, curtains. If the item is not washable, it should be left in direct sunlight for a few hours - a mole will not survive.
6. If the mole struck your kitchen, a thorough revision is also needed here. Affected grains, dried fruits and nuts can no longer be saved, and it is impossible to take them for food. Therefore, we send them without regret in the trash. All containers, cabinets and the most inaccessible places need to be washed with chlorine or acetic solution, allow the boxes to be sufficiently ventilated.

These simple steps will help you eliminate visible foci and nests of moths. But often this is not enough and only one unnoticed larva can reproduce the population in large sizes. What to do in these cases?

Professional ways to deal with moths

Here we will talk about household chemical insecticides that are designed to kill flying insects.

1. Aerosols. The largest group is presented in the form of sprays. They must be used clearly according to the instructions. As a rule, the poison is sprayed in cabinets and hard-to-reach areas of carpets, furniture, etc. After that you need to close all windows and doors in the house, leave the apartment for a few hours. Processing must be carried out in a respiratory mask. Then everything is thoroughly washed, the clothes are washed.Aerosols will help to get rid of not only adults, but also from the larvae. Here are some popular insecticides. Dichlorvos can only be sprayed on hard surfaces, such as in a closet. Antimol is very effective against moths. For textiles fit Armol. The Raptor gives excellent results - it affects the respiratory system of the larvae and kills them. This remedy is safe for humans. Many aerosols can not be used in the kitchen. Also effective are sprays such as Clean House, Morimol, Foxy, Maskitol, etc.
2. Fumigator A fumigator is a fixture that plugs into an outlet. When heated, a plate or a special insecticidal liquid evaporates and releases special components into the air that kill the mole. For humans, a fumigator is considered safer than an aerosol. Most manufacturers make insecticides in different formats - aerosols, traps, fumigators, you can use what you prefer. The fumigator has a small lesion area, but it is very convenient to use it to disinfect the cabinet if you put the device inside with an extension cord.In this case, you do not have to wash all your clothes.
3. Pheromone traps. This is one of the safest and most effective ways to clean your house from moths. Pitfalls are a small piece of cardboard that emits the subtle smell of the feramones of the female moth. The male flies on an attractive scent and firmly glued to the cardboard. The life cycle stops, there is no one to reproduce the offspring. But you need to know one rule - you can’t hang several traps in a room at once - an excessive smell disorients males.
4. Plates. These are small pieces of cardboard or organic material impregnated with special fragrances and insecticides. You just need to put the plates in the closet. This will get rid of the already existing moth and prevent its re-settlement. Plates are one of the most durable means of protection against insects - the effect of the device lasts up to several months.

These are the most popular, effective and safe means of destruction of the moth and its larvae. But is it always worth resorting to chemical insecticides? You can try to get rid of the moth with the help of folk remedies, especially if there are old people, children or pregnant women at home.

Home remedies for moths

Here are some recipes that don't kill a mole, but scare it off nicely.

1. Herbs. Put fragrant smelling herbs in the cupboard that will scare away the mole. Among them, wormwood, tansy, tobacco, geranium, mint, eucalyptus, cloves, walnut leaves. In order for the branches not to become moldy, they must first be dried, and then placed in fabric bags so that they do not fall out and do not litter.
2. Toilet soap. Many cosmetic fragrances have a rather pungent odor, which also repels moths and other insects. Put the pungent soap in the pockets of your coat, wrap it in wool sweaters.
3. Citrus peel. Earlier in the new year there was a lot of tangerine peel, but experienced housewives did not throw it in the trash. Fragrant citrus peel can be put not only in a wardrobe, but also on kitchen shelves, unlike soap and herbs.
4. Lavender. Essential oil of lavender will not only save you from moths, but also give the clothes a pleasant floral scent.

These simple recommendations will help you not only solve the problem completely, but also forget about it forever. While in your closet there are protective bags, the mole to you definitely will not turn up!

The moth family has more than two thousand species of this insect. The phrase “eaten by moths” implies a description of a very old, dilapidated and abandoned thing.Unfortunately, a mole can spoil even a new thing in just a few days. Therefore, to treat it dismissively is not worth it. Protect your wardrobes, clothes and products, use only proven moth products!

Video: how to get rid of the moth folk remedies