Storing food in your freezer for four days will guarantee killing the moths. Heating also works. 130 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours should do the trick. Just make sure that insects are exposed to the heat for the required time.
Just like many (if not most) other insects, moths can not survive in freezing temperatures. In fact, it is for this exact reason that freezing your Clothes moth-infested items for 72 hours can be such an effective extermination method.
Combine 1 part vinegar with 1 part warm water, and add a few drops of peppermint oil. Wash the entire pantry with the solution. Pantry moths hate peppermint oil, so this will work to repel them in the future. 8. Wash any containers and jars from the pantry in hot, soapy water.
You can also control clothes moths by heating the infested item in an oven for at least 30 minutes at temperatures higher than 120°F, enclosing the item in a plastic bag and placing it in a freezer for several days at temperatures lower than 18°F, or fumigating the item with dry ice.
Life Cycle of the Pantry Moth
The life cycle may be completed in as little as 30 days or as long as 300 days, depending on food availability and temperature. The warmer the temperature, the faster the cycle completes. The average is 4-7 weeks.
Starving pantry moths can be difficult, as they can survive without food for several weeks.
Moth larvae might continue to pupate and hatch as moths from late Fall through to next Spring! For this reason we recommend keeping traps 'active' by replacing any old Strips with new Replacement Strips every 3 months.
Lavender — Lavender is a widely-loved moth repellent for good reason. Its floral scent is delightful to humans but repulsive to moths. Our 'Protect Me' Scent Bags can be placed in closets and drawers to protect your garments. Plus, they impart a lovely fragrance to all surrounding clothes.
Warmer winters, central heating and an increasing popularity of clothes made from natural fibres mean that clothes moths are now a year-long problem. There is, however, still a noticeable emergence in adult moths around April and May and a second wave in August and September.
Many people now wash at 30 degrees Celsius instead of at the higher temperatures they washed at in the past. Tests have indicated a wash of 60 degrees Celsius is required to kill moth larvae embedded in clothes. They will die at around five degrees under that wash temperature.
What smells do moths hate? Clothes Moths detest the scent of cedar. They also dislike rosemary, thyme, sage, mint, bergamot, and lavender. Rosemary, thyme, and peppermint oils can be great for keeping Pantry Moths away.
Pantry moth larvae can chew through plastic and Ziploc bags to access food.
An exposure of 2 to 3 days to temperatures of 5°F or lower kills the susceptible stages (larvae and adults), but eggs require longer to kill (3-4 weeks). An alternative is to freeze the food for a week, remove it from the freezer for a few days, and then refreeze it for another week.
Many find it easier and more effective to hire ApolloX Pest Control, the professional pantry moth exterminator. ApolloX Pest Control will also check your home for the presence of other pests. Once the moths are professionally exterminated, it's much easier to maintain a moth-free pantry.
The entire cycle takes roughly 4-6 months. So, a successful moth battle is twofold: kill the tiny, voracious larvae eating through your natural fiber textiles, and kill the moths before they mate, lay more eggs and begin the life cycle again.
Pantry moths do not die off during the winter. Instead, they enter a state of hibernation called diapause. Before going dormant, they'll find warm places with food sources to lay their eggs.
They make great Cedar Balls as the scent is a natural moth repellent! The natural oil in the wood are amongst the best natural moth repellents. How do I keep my Cedar Balls fresh? To keep your Cedar Balls fresh you need to spray them with a Refresher Spray.
Dryer sheets typically contain chemicals such as linalool, beta-citronellol, and geraniol, which are known to have some insect-repellent properties.
Cedar oil is strong and effective and the moths don't like it! Other good essential oils to repel moths include lavender, rosemary, lemon, bergamot, sage, and mint.
Thus, place your traps in darker, quieter, low-traffic locations. If there is constant airflow, the pheromones in our premium traps can permeate up to 100 feet.
PESTXPERT PANTRY MOTH PRODUCTS
Pro-Spray Flying aerosol is great to have on hand to spray any moths seen flying around the house.
Although pantry moths can enter via doors and windows, most infestations probably start when we inadvertently bring home eggs and caterpillars in our dried foods. Kitchens full of unsealed containers and spilled food create an irresistible smorgasbord for female moths looking for the ideal place to lay eggs.