How to Get Rid of Moths

September 19th, 2008 Posted in Pantry & Linen Pests

Moths—they make bug zappers entertaining, but are also the culprits behind the holes in our wool sweaters and the demise of our cereals and flour.

In this article, you will learn to identify different types of moths, take a look at what moths eat and find out how to kill moths safely without endangering loved ones or making clothes and food smell terrible.

Types of Moths

The first step to getting rid of moths is to identify which moths are causing problems and to exterminate them accordingly. There are over 10,000 identified species of moths, two of which we will look at more in depth:

Indian Meal Moths (a.k.a. flour moths or pantry moths):

Pantry moths are found wherever dried foods are stored, particularly in hot and humid climates. They are notorious for being hard to kill, due to their ability to squeeze into tight spaces like Tupperware.

The lifespan of the pantry moth is around a month.

Here is its life cycle broken down:

Eggs: Usually 0.5mm in diameter. Females lay 40-350 eggs on or near food sources.

Larvae (2 weeks): Light in color, ranging from cream to pink with dark brown heads. They eat a wide range of natural dried foods, such as coarse grains, dried herbs, nuts, and flour. While eating, they leave behind a silky waste that creates webbed clumps in food. After they’ve eaten through all of your food, the larvae will pupate in tight, dark spaces.

Adult (1-2 weeks): The average size of the adult moth is 3/8” long, with a wingspan of 5/8”. They are gray with brownish wing tips. While adults do not feed during their short lifespan, they reproduce and lay eggs during this stage.

Case-Making Clothes Moths:Adults and larvae prefer dark places and are not attracted to light, making them harder to find. They also prefer natural (expensive!) fabrics, such as wool, silk, fur, feathers and hair–including taxidermied animals!
Clothes moths can be found in dark spaces and have an affinity for clothing with spill and sweat stains.

The life spans of case-making clothes moths can range anywhere from a few months to a few years, depending on the living conditions of your closet (i.e. humidity, light, etc.).

Eggs: Same size as those of the pantry moth. The female adult lays around 40-50 eggs on or near the food source, such as your expensive down pillows.

Larvae (2 months-2 years): Larvae are a creamy white color and are about 1/2” long. The name “case-making” comes from the silken feeding tube created by larvae as they chow down on fabrics.

Like pantry moths, they find dark, inconspicuous spaces to pupate.

Adult (4-6 days): After emerging from their pupae, adults are only around for one thing—to reproduce and lay eggs. They are about 1/2” in length and buff-colored.

Common Swift:Common swift moths make up a large portion of the gazillion insects swarming porch lights every night. Do not confuse them with the bugs wreaking havoc in closets and cupboards!
While common swift moths are ugly, and while they can be considered agricultural pests, they do not cause direct damage to households (aside from debris made by their dead bodies in windowsills and fluorescent light fixtures.)

How Do You Tell a Moth from a Butterfly?

Watch them when they’re resting: Butterflies usually hold their wings together, perpendicular to their bodies, while moths wings rest flat.

Look at their antennae:

Butterfly antennae are slender with bulbous tips, while those of most moths are feathery.

Check out when they eat:

Butterflies still eat in their adult stages, using coiled straws attached to their mouths.
Moths usually only eat during their larval stage, not as adults.