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Fighting
Off Meal Moths In Your Kitchen
By Alex Daniels
Meal moths attack stored grain products or household
foodstuff. Once established in food, insect populations can increase and infest
vulnerable material throughout the home, apartment, or storage area. Some adult
moths do fly into the home through open door or windows, but most are carried
inside from outdoor storage or in packaged goods or groceries.
Everyone's home is vulnerable. However, those who do not store food properly
have the greatest problems. Spilled or exposed foods attract the insects and
increase the chance of infestation. Foods that are not tightly sealed,
especially those maintained for long periods of time, are particularly
susceptible to infestation.
Prevention and Control of Meal Moths
Sanitation is the primary method for avoiding problems with stored product
pests with good practices. Some points to remember include:
- Spilling or leaving food exposed (as a common practice) attracts and
harbors these pests. Avoid these practices and you will probably never have this
problem.
- Cookie crumbs and bits of dried pet food may fall behind furniture
or under appliances where children play or pets are fed. Toaster crumbs and
crumbs from food preparation fall into cracks beside the stove or refrigerator.
Stored grains, etc., may also fall behind storage drawers. Pull out appliances
and drawers occasionally and thoroughly vacuum these out-of-the-way locations.
- Most cupboard pests can chew their way into cardboard boxes or
plastic sacks. Place stored materials into tight-fitting containers, preferably
of glass or other tough material. If an infestation should occur under these
conditions, it probably will be limited to a single jar.
- Use a vacuum cleaner to remove debris form cracks and corners of
storage areas. Also clean the nearby areas with very hot water and a strong
detergent solution Allow to dry thoroughly.
- If you are not successful on your own than you should contact a
reputable pest control operator (exterminator). The situation may be too far out
of control at this point. The adults and the laying of eggs will just continue
the problem.
Pest control will always be a problem in any living environment. As long as
there is food to feed and eggs hatching out of the flour when stored too long,
you will have a problem. Take control before it becomes greater than it is
necessary.
About the Author: Alex consults for Metro Guardian, a retailer offering
furniture protection products including commercial-grade
leather cleaner and
stain remover for furniture and clothing.
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