What to do if there are moths in walnuts? Every person faces this problem in their life. Moths settle not only in them. It often affects cereals, flour, dried fruits, clothing, fur products, and carpets. I want to preserve the product and get rid of the pest. If the walnuts were stored in shells, then they can be saved.
Description of the pest
The butterfly is about 2 cm long. Belongs to the order Lepidoptera. The wings are brown-gray. There is a pair of antennae on the head.Has 2 pairs of legs. The insect lays eggs in cereals, dried fruits, flour and other places. The eggs are small, up to 0.5 mm in diameter, and are almost impossible to notice. Larvae emerge from them and cause the main damage to products. After the larval stage, the moth develops into a pupa and then into a butterfly.
Important! The main damage to products is caused by butterfly larvae.
Damage caused by moths
The butterfly itself does not harm the walnut. She lays eggs in the sac, but does not feed on them. When the larvae hatch to the surface, they contaminate the surface of the shell with feces and chitinous particles. If the fruit is in shell, then it can be saved.
If stored peeled, you will most likely have to get rid of them. The insect attacks food at any time of the year.
Products spoiled by moths can harm the human body:
- intoxication;
- poisoning;
- decreased immunity.
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.
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.
The nuts themselves are not treated with chemicals. They can be saved only if the moth was discovered quickly and the nuts were in the shell. To do this, walnuts are washed in warm water, drained, and calcined in the oven at 100°C for 2 - 3 minutes.
Important! Chemicals are absorbed even through the dense shell of fruits; food products cannot be treated with them, this will lead to poisoning.
Application of traditional methods
Folk remedies are suitable for those who do not want to resort to the use of chemicals. They are prepared on the basis of herbs, the smell of which is difficult for moths to tolerate. The best recipes are considered:
- Bay leaf. This method serves not only to combat, but also to prevent moth infestation. Leaves are placed in cabinets and containers where the insect has entered.
- Traps are prepared from flour and boric acid. Mix the ingredients in a ratio of 1:3, then pour them into a container and place them in a closet where the larvae and adults end up.
- The walls of the cabinet and furniture where the insect has appeared are lubricated with lavender or fir oil. In addition, dry branches of these plants can be placed on the shelves.
- The smell of tobacco effectively repels moths.To do this, crumble several cigarettes onto a plate and place them in the room where the pest lives.
- Orange peel. After peeling the orange, it is laid out inside the furniture.
- To kill eggs, wipe the shelves with ammonia.
Important! Folk remedies not only get rid of moths, but are also means of prevention.
Features of prevention
To prevent the appearance of moths in the apartment, you need to follow preventive measures. This insect appears indoors at any time of the year. As soon as optimal conditions for it are created in the room, it immediately settles in cereals, dried fruits or nuts. To prevent infection you need:
- Wipe the walls of kitchen furniture with food vinegar 2 times a year. The pungent odor of the solution will be partially absorbed into the furniture and will repel the pest.
- Do not create clutter in the room. Clean up and sort through old items from time to time. Throw away and remove old clothes, spoiled dried fruits, old cereals.
- Sort through the nuts and throw away damaged ones.
- To store cereals, dried fruits and other products, you need to use containers with tight lids. This will create an additional vacuum and prevent insects from entering. If they appeared in such a jar, then the fruits were already infected.
- Wipe the cabinet walls with ammonia.
- Dry products are calcined once a year in the oven at 100°C.
- Plant leaves are placed in cabinets and on shelves to repel butterflies.
