Forewarned is forearmed! Here we will provide helpful tips on how you can detect food moths, effectively combat them and prevent a moth infestation long-term.

To detect an infestation by food moths you should regularly examine stored groceries. The first external indications for an infestation are little holes in the food packaging. Food moths can not only bite through cardboard and paper but also through synthetic materials such as plastic. Especially effected are such packagings of products that the food moths prefer: grains, cereal products, noodles, rice, nuts, dried fruits, tea, spices, chocolate, filled chocolates, pet food.

A further indication for a moth infestation are the so called white cocoons. These are fine white threads that remind of cobwebs and that can hardly be noticed with the naked eye. They cover the infested product and make it clump together.

If you have not been able to discover holes or white cocoons in food packagings but want to be very sure if there is an infestation or not, it is advisable to set up pheromone traps. These sticky traps release a sexual attractant that attracts the male moths that will stick to the sticky surface. Please take note that pheromone traps are only useful to detect a moth infestation but not to destroy them. This is because only male and not the female moths are attracted. The already fertilized female moths can therefore still lay out their eggs and the moth population can continue to breed although the males have been caught in the trap.

If a moth infestation has been detected with the help of one or more of these measures, it is essential to combat the infestation effectively.

If a moth infestation has been detected all infested groceries must be sorted out.

Thereby you need to proceed generously: Do not only remove those food packagings that are clearly infested (for instance by holes in the packaging or by white cocoons) but also all those groceries that have been stored in immediate proximity. It would be sufficient if just a few of the microscopically small moth eggs have been deposited in an otherwise not infested supply (i.e. a bag of rice or packet of flour) and the moth population can carry on breeding.

Food moths cannot deal with heat or coldness. The Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer protection and Food safety therefore advises not to discard infested groceries right away but to either deep freeze them for a couple of days or leave them in the oven at 60° - 80°C and only then discard them into the rubbish bin.

This is the only way to make sure that moths larvae and first and foremost the hardly visible moth eggs are effectively killed and are not able to carry on with nesting.

If all groceries have been removed the pantry should be cleaned. It is advised to start by cleaning the cupboard with a vinegar-based cleaner and then to wash out with a warm soap solution. Undertake a thorough cleaning in the whole room after that and do not forget to especially clean those sports that have been mostly forgotten during cleaning routines. Because especially such hidden corners are the place where moths preferably like to stay. Therefore you should also not forget to pull the cupboards away from the wall or in the case of a fitted kitchen to remove the kick boards to be able to clean the fitted cupboards from the bottom as well.

You can also tackle the food moths with heat in places that are difficult to access when cleaning and where the moths prefer to lay their eggs. These are especially corner and cracks of pantries but also cracks in walls or small hollows behind the kick board. Move a hair dryer set on the highest temperature mode over these places very slowly. The hot air will kill the moth eggs.

In spite of all thoroughness it can happen that individual moths, larvae and eggs are missed in the cleaning process. So final guaranteed certainty is only provided by a biological method when dealing with food moths: The deployment of ichneumon wasps. These are only 0,4 mm in size and completely harmless for humans. But therefore they are very consequent when dealing with food moths. This is because ichneomon wasps lay their own eggs into those of the food moths that eventually die. If the whole moth colony is whiped out with this procedure, the ichneumon wasps die as well. The ichneumon wasps come in little booklets that can be laid out in the moth infested rooms.

If these measurements have eliminated a moth infestation you should proceed to prevent a new infestation.

Fill groceries in resealable containers - especially those groceries that are preferred by the food moths (grain, cereals, noodles, rice, nuts, dried fruits, tea, spices, chocolate, filled chocolates, pet food). Please note that thin-walled or soft packagings such as plastic bags or boxes are no barrier for food moths. Suitable are containers made of glass or hard plastic.

Check supplies on a regular basis and look closely to see if the food packets show any signs of holes or white cocoons (see above A 1 and A 2). If you suspect a new moth infestation you should additionally put pheronome traps in place (see above, A3).