Small moth larvae are very afraid. What domestic moth larvae look like: from the development cycle to signs of their habitation in a residential area

Many are diligently fighting the moth that flies around the apartment, not even assuming that the pest is not a butterfly, but larvae. In adults, the mouth apparatus is underdeveloped, and they do not feed during their short life. But moth larvae can destroy the entire wardrobe and groceries. Consider how to get rid of moth larvae and prevent their appearance in the future. But before that, let's talk about where the pest comes from in the apartment, how to identify it and what it is afraid of.

How to identify moth larvae

Before you start fighting a pest, you should find its habitat. There are two types of moths in apartments: clothes and food. By the names it is easy to guess that the first lives in a wardrobe, the second - in the kitchen. If we talk about the appearance of butterflies, then it will be possible to distinguish them only on an enlarged photo or under a microscope. Moth larvae are outwardly different, but these differences are insignificant. The larvae of the clothes moth or, as it is also called wool moth, weave a silk cocoon for themselves, in which they are before they turn into a butterfly. After molting, they change the old cocoon to a new one. Food moth larvae do not hide in a cocoon.

Otherwise, the wool moth larva looks the same as the food larva. The caterpillar has a light body color and a brown head. Looking closely at the enlarged photo of the moth larvae, we will see 12 paws with which they move.

An interesting fact is that in the tiny body of the moth larva there are more individual muscles than in the human body, which allows it to travel long distances in a short time.

The main difference is not what the moth larva looks like, but where they live. Food moths will not live in a closet with things. The same applies to clothes moth. You will not meet her in the kitchen.

Features of the development of moth larvae

To effectively deal with a pest, you need to know its features. Depending on the temperature regime, the development time of the larvae varies. The optimum temperature is 240C. At a temperature regime close to 240, the wool moth larva develops for 3 months. Before she turns into a butterfly and lays new eggs, another 2.5-3 months will pass. The food moth larva develops faster. This is because the food she eats is more nutritious than the wool or other natural fibers that the clothes moth feeds on.

With an increase in temperature to 300 C, the time it takes for a moth larva to develop decreases. When the temperature drops to 13-150 C, the larvae develop much more slowly.

Signs of the appearance of moths in the apartment

If you know what to look at, then you can identify the mole even before the butterflies fly around the apartment. If lumps of unknown origin appear in cereals or flour, then harmful larvae most likely live there. The insect feeds on groceries. It is most often found in dried fruits and cereals. Less commonly, the pest is found in flour.

As for the larvae of the clothes moth, then, bald spots on your favorite mink coat or holes in a woolen sweater speak of its vigorous activity. In the absence of fur and wool products, the larvae feed on any natural fibers.

Fur flying around the closet also indicates that the time has come to audit and take a closer look at things. Moth larvae do not move along the wool. They cut hairs, clearing their way.

Insects pupate near the food source. Therefore, the only thing to look at is groceries and wardrobes.

Methods of dealing with moth larvae

The currently existing methods of combating harmful insects can be divided into 2 groups:

1. chemical;
2. biological.

The former involve the use of chemicals and are more popular, while the latter destroy the insect, taking into account its biological characteristics. Let's consider these groups of methods separately and find out why the population prefers chemical means of control.

Chemical methods of dealing with moth larvae

There is a wide range of aerosols and sprays on the market that effectively fight harmful pest larvae. Each tool is accompanied by instructions that must be strictly followed. Moth is a pest that tends to adapt to any conditions, and is able to develop immunity to certain means. If at least a few individuals remain alive after treatment, they will give a generation insensitive to the previously used insecticide.

Insecticides that are designed to control moth larvae are not dangerous for warm-blooded animals. In rare cases, if the recommendations for use are not followed, an allergy may occur.

In addition to aerosols, fumigators are presented to the attention of the consumer. They differ from sprays in that they act slowly. While you are getting rid of moth larvae with fumigators, they destroy the wardrobe. Therefore, this tool can hardly be called effective.

Biological methods of dealing with moth larvae

To destroy pests without the use of chemicals, it is enough to know at what temperature the moth larvae will die. Adults, like their offspring, do not tolerate too high (more than 500 C) temperatures. In the home environment, provide such temperature regime does not seem possible. But this method of destroying harmful insects is used in dry cleaners.

Insects do not tolerate strong odors. However, this is more true for adults. Therefore, this method of dealing with larvae is not effective.

If we are talking about food, then it is impossible to treat them with insecticides. In this case, you can get rid of the pest only by throwing away all the infected groceries, and processing chemicals cabinets in which food was stored.

How to properly handle things and cabinets from moth larvae

In addition to clothes, the closet should be processed, especially hard-to-reach places. A miniature larva can fit in any gap.

As for cabinets with products, before processing them, we take out all the groceries and review them. Infected food should be thrown away, the rest should be dried in the oven at a temperature not lower than 600. Many, for some reason, do not process food cabinets. This must be done.

After carrying out the above measures, it is necessary to lay out in the cabinets the means that repel the winged pest.

Prevention of the appearance of moths

Fighting an insect is much more difficult than preventing its appearance. There are special sections for moths on sale. These are plates that are impregnated with essential oils. The pungent smell itself does not kill the pest, but it scares it away. An insect does not need to live in uncomfortable conditions, so it will not linger in your closet.

An alternative to sections are tampons soaked in essential oils. Moths especially dislike the smell of lavender. Apart from essential oils of this plant, you can use its inflorescences, which need to be laid out in a closet.

The herb with a pungent odor is another effective prophylactic against harmful butterflies. It is advisable to lay out sprigs of wormwood or St. John's wort, fir, tansy, dill on shelves with products or in a wardrobe.

If we are talking about groceries, then garlic is put in containers with cereals and dried fruits, which repels the pest. It is advisable to dry all cereals in the oven after purchase. Even if there are 1-2 larvae there, they will die, and the cereal will be usable.

You should know that moths cannot fly long distances. Often a person brings it home with purchased items or cereals. Therefore, before buying goods in which a harmful insect can live, carefully inspect the purchase. Despite the fact that the larvae of the domestic moth is small, it is clearly visible due to the brown head contrasting with the white-yellow body.

And remember, in order to avoid the reappearance of the pest in the apartment, you need to answer the question of why it appeared for the first time and where did you bring it from. If food is the problem, change the store that sells the contaminated product to you. When buying things, carefully inspect them for bald spots and passages left by insect larvae.

Conclusion

The physical size of the moth is miniature. Despite this, she is able to destroy all the groceries in the apartment and destroy the wardrobe. Before you get rid of moth larvae, you need to find their habitat. Then, treat clothes and cabinets with insecticide if it is a clothes moth, or throw away groceries if you have a food moth.

The insect is insensitive to folk remedies, so it will not work to remove moths with essential oils or wormwood. Moths and their offspring do not die from pungent odors. They can repel pests. Here are some preventive measures folk remedies irreplaceable.

But destroying the moth, unless it threatens your wardrobe and food, is not worth it. It plays an important role in the biological food chain. So, for example, exotic frogs feed on wax moth caterpillars, and medicine is made from its larvae. An extract made from insects is used to treat tuberculosis, bronchitis, anemia, and pneumonia. It can also bring a person out of a state of depression. Therefore, many specifically remove the wax moth. Burdock moth larvae are used by fishermen as bait, which fish eat with pleasure.

When we say that “the moth has ruined all things”, meaning both clothes and food, we are not quite right. It is not an adult that spoils all this, but only moth larvae, since with which she could do this. An adult individual lives at the expense of those reserves that the larva managed to make. And in order to “hold out” longer in its adult state, the caterpillar eats everything around, which corresponds to its ideas about good nutrition.

Every housewife knows that not only clothes suffer from a pest. But not everyone understands that hundreds of species of this insect can live in a house, each of which eats one type of food. Moth larvae, depending on the species, eat fabrics, furs, feathers, bread, flour, nuts, cereals, dry fruits, pet food, and more.

Distinguish "in the face" moth larvae different types only a professional is capable, since they are all very similar to each other.

The benefits of pests

wax moth

It is curious that the moth larva can be beneficial. So, for the treatment of tuberculosis, a beehive pest is used -. Caterpillars of this species are used as the basis for tinctures and. The enzymes used by the insect to break down the wax act in a similar way on the tuberculosis bacillus. Once exposed to the enzyme, the disease responds more quickly to antibiotic treatment.

Other species, like the larvae of the burdock moth, are used as bait for ice fishing and other types of fishing.

Features of different types

In the house, moth larvae are usually divided into clothing and food. It is easy to understand that the first of them eat haberdashery, and the second - groceries. Moth larvae in the photo and at a “personal” meeting seem to be exactly the same, but there are differences between them.

It is not difficult to recognize food moth larvae: they are small worms, white or almost transparent. The head is clearly defined, 2 pairs of legs are located on the first segments of the body, 4 pairs - on the abdomen. The length of these worms does not exceed 2 cm. The volume of the caterpillar directly depends on the type of feed it prefers. If it is fatty food, the faces of food moths will be thick. If the caterpillar has sat on a "diet", it will be very thin.

On a note!

Food moth caterpillars feed only on food. Damage to furniture or things is not on her conscience. Therefore, those housewives who saw the larvae in flour can be calm about the contents of the cabinets. But preventive actions should be carried out regularly, since there is no guarantee that another type of moth that eats fur coats does not live in the house.

Those products in which it is easy to meet food moth:

• Flour;
• Cereals;
• Dried fruits;
• Nuts;
• Pasta;
• Seeds;
• Candies;
• Cookie.

Moths and their larvae, eating food, prefer products rich in carbohydrates. The jaws of the moth caterpillar can gnaw through even the hard shells of the grains. You can find out that a pest has settled in the closet by the following signs:

• Spider web in croup;
• Tunnels filled with waste products of larvae;
• Lumps in small cereals and flour;
• Leftover skins.

Interesting!

If you break the shell of the cocoon or lumps of grains, you can see what a moth larva looks like, curled up in a cocoon. Caterpillars almost do not move, often they are found only in the finished dish.

Larvae can be found wherever favorable conditions for development and suitable food. This insect has already spread all over the world, where it successfully devours products on various scales: in warehouses, in houses, in shops, at grain processing enterprises.

Clothes moth larvae are similar to food caterpillars, only it is impossible to find them in the kitchen. Only objects containing keratin are suitable for food. It can be down, hair, wool and feathers. In our homes, these insects feed on:

• woolen clothes;
• fur coats;
• carpets;
• Felt products;
• Natural edging on the collars;
• Feather or down pillows.

Depending on where the caterpillars “graze”, furniture, woolen, fur coat or carpet moth larvae are distinguished. Like their food counterparts, they build their own houses from what they live in: fluff, wool, small hairs. It is very difficult to notice a hiding larva; this can be done by indirect signs:

• Holes in clothes;
• "bald spots" in furs;
• The pellets are cocoons;
• Moves on carpets or furniture upholstery.

Even shoes can be eaten by moth larvae. Not all, but made of fur or felt. The insect devours felt boots and insoles made of felt.

Clothes moth is no less common than food moth.

Reproduction and development

The insect has several stages of development; in the larval stage, several molts pass before pupation. The period that the insect spends in the larval stage depends on the environmental conditions and the particular insect species. It is known that the food moth caterpillar develops faster than the clothes moth, since their diet contains more substances useful for caterpillars. Such a larva is capable of developing in just 1-1.5 months. And the warmer the house, the faster the cycle will end. Under the same conditions, clothes moths take at least 2-3 months to fully mature.

The larvae of the domestic moth prefer to pupate in dark secluded places. Rare species for this purpose crawl closer to the light. The pupa can reach 6-9 mm. The outer areas of the "skin" of the caterpillars harden and darken. Inside such a shell, the transformation into a butterfly takes place.

After 1-2 weeks, a completely adult insect is selected from the cocoon, living only up to 3 weeks. In this short time, she must meet a partner, find food suitable for offspring and lay eggs.

The eggs laid are very small, even invisible without additional devices. Their length is not more than half a millimeter. Most often these are white oval grains. In suitable conditions, after only 7 days, a transparent small caterpillar emerges from them. As it feeds and grows, it darkens.

Lifestyle

The development period of caterpillars depends on the conditions environment. Clothes moth prefers a temperature of 23-25 ​​degrees. Under these conditions, it will take 3 months to develop. If the temperature rises to 30 degrees, this period will be reduced to 2 months. If you maintain a temperature of 13 degrees in the apartment, the caterpillar will be forced to drag out its existence for 6 months and 10 days.

If the temperature falls below 13 or exceeds 30, the caterpillars will die.

On a note!

The movement of the pest between human dwellings occurs with the help of a person. Most likely, it is the caterpillars that are transferred, since the butterflies are practically unable to fly. The larvae are brought into the house with clothes, carpets, food.

Feeding the larvae

The way moth larvae look does not affect in any way: although they are very small, they can eat a lot. In nature, moths eat bird feathers in nests, animal hair, crops, berries, nuts, and vegetables.

Getting into human housing for moths is like hitting the jackpot for humans, since the conditions here are incomparable with natural ones: comfortable temperature always plenty of food. Therefore, on the shelves of our cabinets you can find much more larvae than they live in natural conditions.

Among the pests there are those who are not interested in clothes, furniture and products. Among such insects is a wax moth that spoils honeycombs. And some species that settle in anthills destroy the larvae of the owners of dwellings.

Very often, insect varieties change their "specialization". This does not mean that the larvae of the food moth will snack on the locker, but having ruined all the rice, it is quite capable of switching to flour or cookies. So the clothing moth, "tired" of chewing a fur coat, is able to move to a carpet or to a shelf with woolen things. In especially difficult times, moths are even able to survive on semi-synthetic clothing. It is the omnivorous larvae that is the reason for their high survival rate. To save things and products, it is necessary to start fighting the emerging pest as soon as possible.

The main enemy of things

Any natural tissue can become food for the larvae of the clothing moth. The older the thing, the more likely it is to be liked by moths, because such fibers are easier to destroy with small jaws. One caterpillar eats relatively little, outwardly you may not even notice damage. But remembering that a butterfly lays at least 100 eggs, one can imagine the damage caused by hordes of these larvae.

Struggle

Although outwardly the larva does not look too dangerous, it is necessary to start immediately, as soon as the first signs of its appearance have been noticed. The methods of dealing with it are quite simple and effective.

Clothes and furniture moths can be removed by treating furniture, carpets and clothes with chemicals sold in any hardware stores. After processing and keeping a certain time, things must be washed, and the furniture thoroughly washed.

The larvae do not hold tightly to clothing, so even with normal shaking, they begin to fall. If things are hung out in the sun or frost, the caterpillars will die. Moth larvae should be dealt with as follows:

1. Shake out all clothes.
2. Warm up in the sun or wash at a temperature of 50 degrees.
3. Spray clothes and closets with insecticides.
4. Use scented repellers to prevent insect re-infestation.

Fighting food moths is somewhat more difficult. It is impossible to poison the larvae with chemicals, as the poison will get into the products. The following set of activities should be done:

• Throw away all bags and packages containing caterpillars;
• Kill all visible butterflies;
• Treat food storage areas with aerosols from flying insects;
• Wash cabinets with soapy water;
• Don't buy a large stock of groceries.

Prevention

Avoiding contamination of things and products with moths is easier than getting rid of it. To do this, it is necessary to wash all purchased items and carefully check all products. In kitchen and wardrobe cabinets, you should lay out the peel of lemons and oranges, hang sprigs of wormwood, sage, string.

Only domestic moth larvae cause damage to every thing made of natural fabric. Street butterflies, even getting into the house, will not cause any damage. The maximum that she can accidentally get into a mug of liquid. There are more than a hundred domestic species, and they all try to taste cotton, wool or other natural fabric. There are also varieties that are marked not on clothes, but on:

• pet food or nuts;
• bread or cereals;
• flour and dried fruits.

Moth larvae, not butterflies, are the main pests

But the caterpillars of all domestic moths look almost the same, and only a specialist can notice the difference. If we compare an adult from a larva, then the difference is significant. It's hard to confuse here. And as for the babies of clothes and food moths, is there a difference? Only in addictions and small changes in the body. Appearance:

Name	Appearance	Taste preferences
Clothes	The color is white or yellowish. They do not exceed 2 cm in size. At least 1-1.5 cm. The head is dark brown, on which large jaws can be seen. They look like worms. Limbs: 6 pairs, but very small legs. The whole body is muscle tissue. Thanks to this, the movement is faster and more active.	wool; cotton; the fur is natural, but will never damage silk or synthetics
food	Almost one to one like a wardrobe, but the size is smaller	All kinds of cereals and flour
Kozheed	Dark body with hairs. Rapid movement on six limbs. Size 1 cm	Only damages carpets and leather furniture

All species for arranging a house for their future offspring are weaved from the secreted liquid, which turns into silk strands. To this are added the remnants of wool. As for food, it is enough for them to add dust from cereals. When constructing such a cocoon, the insect puts it on itself. If necessary, it is able to move, but for short distances. Kozheeds build a tunnel from their excrement. They add the remains of their food and, of course, silk saliva. Also comes food. But he attaches his house not to grains, but to the walls of the jar or bag in which the product is located. The remains of saliva or housing can be seen not only on the surface of the container, but also on the croup itself. It looks like lumps held together by gray matter.

There is another representative of this kind of insects. Honey lovers and those who professionally breed bees know about it - wax. What does a mole of this type look like and why is it dangerous? She does not eat dresses and fur coats, but the medic and perga - favorite treat. It can also eat bee larvae. Therefore, beekeepers always look through and carry out preventive measures to combat it at all times of the year. But especially before hibernation when the honey workers will rest.

Moth caterpillars, like all representatives resembling butterflies, appear from cocoons. The hatching process is the same for everyone, but the timing of development is different for everyone, however, as well as the duration of life. It also depends on the climate and temperature conditions. So, for example, the best temperature conditions for clothes and furniture moths and their larvae, the temperature regime is 23 degrees (plus or minus 2 degrees). In such comfortable conditions for itself, it develops up to 3 months. Add to this the location: a fur coat. If in a dress, then less by 5-7 days. If you take life cycle of such representatives, then half a year will pass from the moment the egg appears to the self-laying masonry.

Food moth larvae develop much faster, but they also die earlier at a temperature of 28 degrees. The life cycle will be approximately 2 months. And at low temperatures it can live and develop for more than 180 days. The same regime is arranged for food moths. But development is happening faster. Reason: nutrient mineral intake and size. An increase in temperature causes the moth to significantly accelerate its rebirth from an egg to a larva, then to an adult, and after 30 days it will grow back into a cocoon.

Moth larva molts. During the entire life cycle, this happens only 4 times. Therefore, there are five stages of development. Experts also call them ages. Caterpillars have little to no movement until they are young. After laying out, the female flies away, and her offspring grows, overgrows and feeds. After hatching, they calmly move in the direction they need. Some representatives do it quickly.

A moth that turned from a caterpillar into a butterfly

Need to know! Clothes or clothing moth has more subspecies. So the fur coat moth likes to be only on fur coats. The larvae are not particularly different, except that they eat only natural animal hair. You can notice their presence by the tracks left on the product.

The inhabitants of cupboards and flour tubs will never go out into the streets in search of food. On the fresh air they won't last a day. Able to live, reproduce and eat only in human habitation. The reason for this is nutrition. In nature, it is simply impossible to find cereals or a large amount of wool. They do not live or reproduce on living beings. Let's face it, fresh air is deadly for them. They can live in nests or barns, in gardens in summer season and the animal's kennel. But for a long time they are not able to live in such uncomfortable and uncomfortable conditions. Again, living in a nest is very dangerous, as birds quickly destroy them.

In a person's house there is always something to profit from a pest

Let's move on to action

As soon as at least one flyer is noticed near a cabinet or in a table, active measures must be taken immediately to identify cocoons and destroy pests. This whole event won't last long.

1. It is enough to take out and view all the clothes made from natural fabrics, the walls of the cabinets. Especially often they settle on shelves where there are hats, scarves and tights. Almost no one looks here for a long time.
2. Go through the table and drawers that store cereals, spices and packages. Quite often, gray flyers leave their offspring on plastic bags near food. They often leave crumbs from food. So the caterpillars in the first couple will have enough food, and having matured, they will independently move to places where there is flour and other loose food for food.
3. Do not forget about the shelves where bedding is stored. Everything should be unfolded and shaken. Not necessarily there will be dolls. Sexually mature individuals can hide in sheets or blankets. Already in the form of caterpillars, they will not hold well and will fall out with a slight shaking. Because they can't stick.
4. In the presence of badly damaged things, there should not be any patches and stitching holes. Such things are immediately sent to the scrap, which will provide peace of mind, first of all, to the owners.

Such checks should be arranged every time it is carried out independently. This is not only a precautionary measure, but also a great opportunity to view everything that is out of use. It is also easier to deal with moths in summer, when the sun bakes and it is above 30 degrees outside. Such heating dries and eliminates mold, dampness. This event also destroys pests.

But what if the "enemy" was discovered in winter? There is a way to neutralize: wash all things for high temperatures. Natural fabrics most often tolerate them normally. This procedure ensures the complete destruction of larvae, cocoons. Provided that the label indicates a ban on washing with a temperature of more than 40-60 degrees, you can freeze. In this case, we use either freezer, or we hang everything on the street at a time when the temperature is below zero outside the windows. After this procedure, wash in the usual way.

While our things are freezing, roasting and stretching, we are cleaning the furniture. This will require a vacuum cleaner and a damp cloth. Using the device, we remove all plaque and cocoons on the walls, then wipe everything with a rag. Do not forget that cabinets and shelves should stand open to dry for at least a day. To make disinfection better and more effective, we treat the surface with aerosols or sprays. Disinfection should take place on all furniture without exception.

After completing all the procedures step by step, we lay out preparations in the corners that prevent re-infection, and put the processed things in special bags, thereby blocking access to food.

Moth larvae emerge from eggs laid by an adult moth. In this form, the insect undermines food, things (food habits are determined by the type of pest). Due to its small size, it is not always possible to detect the caterpillar in time, which allows it to feed freely. The longer the pest remains unnoticed, the greater the damage caused to it.

The food source is keratin. This substance is found in natural materials (wool, fur hair), products. This means that the moth is able to populate any dwelling, since it can find food for itself almost everywhere. However, the pest gives preference to an apartment with suitable conditions: temperature from +23 to +25 degrees, humidity level up to 50%. The warmer the room, the faster the development of the insect. However, at temperatures above +30 degrees, the moth larva dies.

If the microclimate is cooler (+13 degrees), the development process slows down. When the temperature drops below this indicator, the insect dies.

In addition, butterflies and moth larvae prefer shaded areas, as they do not like sunlight. Negatively affects their vital activity and frequent airing of the room.

Signs of the appearance of larvae:

• A skin is found, it is shed by caterpillars during molting;
• Cobwebs appear on things and products;
• The dolls are striking, which are usually fixed under the ceiling and inside cabinets;
• In the products you can find sticky grains;
• The structure of the material is damaged, holes appear;
• The grains are corroded (moves are visible on them).

Features of representatives of different species

It may seem that the same moth caterpillar lives on the carpet / clothes and in bulk products, since according to appearance it is not easy to distinguish insects in larval form. However, in fact, individuals of different species feed on food and woven materials. There are dozens of varieties of pests. To choose a method of destruction, you need to find out what the larvae of different moths look like. In fact, if you look closely, the differences between them are very significant.

Description of food moth in larval form

The color is white, the shells of the body are slightly transparent. The head is dark in color, six pairs of legs contribute to the movement. The average body length is 1.5-2 cm. The caterpillar can be of different thickness, which is determined by the type of food consumed: the more fat, the larger the larva, respectively. She prefers bulk products (groceries). It can be cereals, flour, nuts, cocoa, dried fruits, seeds and sweets or pasta.

In the photo is a food granary caterpillar - a well-known food pest

The main source of energy for moth larvae is carbohydrates. It is able to gnaw even solid particles. For protection, the pest builds a kind of cocoon around itself, for which it uses improvised materials: grains connected by cobwebs. The larva is inactive, which complicates the task of its detection. The spread of the pest is facilitated by the ability to gnaw through plastic packaging.

Features of clothes moth in larval form

By external signs, representatives of this species are no different from food moth caterpillars (size, color). However, it is still possible to distinguish a domestic moth. So, the larvae of the clothes butterfly do not populate food, but feed exclusively on woven materials. They undermine fur, woolen products. For the clothes caterpillar, the source of food is protein, which it extracts from a derivative of the epidermis: hair, feather, wool.

It is typical for clothes that their caterpillars make a cover for themselves - a small cocoon from their own silk-like substance.

For this reason, moths and caterpillars are found in certain things:

• natural coat
• Wool sweaters
• Down products
• Carpets
• Felt.

Due to the fact that the caterpillar strikes things of different types, it has received several names: fur coat, carpet, woolen, furniture.

Description of bee moth in larval form

It develops up to 1-2 cm, is characterized by a grayish color, the head yellow color. The incubation period is short: only 5-10 days. Immediately upon emergence from the eggs, moth larvae do not exceed 1 mm in length. The source of food is honey, wax, perga, and sometimes bees are also destroyed. The pupa is usually attached to the crevices of the hive, on the frames. Its color is yellow, less often brown. After three months, a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis.

Bee moth is considered a terrible pest that all beekeepers are afraid of.

More about burdock pest

Moth larvae of this species are dangerous for the crop. They colonize the inner part of plants, which leads to the death of plantings. As a result, the yield in such areas is reduced or the plants do not bear fruit at all. The color of the pest is white. Its main feature is resistance to frost and drought.

Development and lifestyle of larvae

The growth rate of the pest varies depending on habitat conditions. For example, if the temperature is maintained from +23 to +25 degrees, the caterpillar will develop for 1.5 months. When the temperature drops to +13 degrees, the same processes take longer - up to 6 months. During its life, the caterpillar goes through 4 stages of molting.

The butterfly lays its eggs close to the food source of the future young generation, since the larvae are inactive. However, some of them travel considerable distances in search of food.

At temperatures below 13°C and above 30°C, the eggs do not develop, and the larvae die.

Moth harm in larval form

The mouth apparatus of the caterpillar is able to gnaw through solid particles, and the digestive system successfully copes with the task of digesting them. Due to this feature, the larvae infect dense carpets, clothes, furniture upholstery and even shoes made from natural materials.

It is the larval form that is dangerous for things and products, since the butterfly has an undeveloped mouth apparatus and digestive system. The larva, eating food or clothing, accumulates fat, which allows the butterfly to live for some time after pupation without replenishing its nutrient reserves.

Useful video: How to get rid of moths and their larvae

How to fight?

For destruction and repelling, chemical and folk remedies are used. Having noticed a nest of a moth, you must immediately apply potent drugs for the prevention and control of initial stage infection, you can use home remedies.

Available chemicals against the pest

Used in pest control:

1. Aerosols. They are used against the clothes moth, since the processing of products in case of damage to the food caterpillar is impossible. Popular brands: Raptor, Armol, Kombat.
2. Fumigators. Their action is extended in time, since the toxic substance is released while the device is connected to the network.
3. Tablets (Antimol). They are laid out inside the furniture. The tablets do not affect the larvae, but they remove the butterflies.

Folk remedies

If furniture is wound up, the larvae cannot be destroyed with home solutions. For prevention, deterrent methods are used: herbs (mint, lavender), lemon peel, orange peel, bay leaf or garlic. Funds are laid out inside cabinets. Such a measure allows you to scare away the butterfly, which will not allow it to lay eggs. As a result, the larvae will not appear on clothes.

Moth larvae are serious pests. It is the larvae that spoil clothes, furs and textiles. Butterflies can't ruin things. They don't eat at all. The mouth apparatus of butterflies is atrophied. Their task is to reproduce their own kind.

Butterflies prefer dirty fabrics for laying eggs. They are especially attracted to clothes with traces of human sweat, as well as carpets on which liquid has been spilled.

Here for insects there is plenty of not only food, but also moisture. Caterpillars don't drink water. Therefore, their food must contain moisture.

Females lay 30 to 200 eggs. Soon, literally in five to ten days, small, almost microscopic caterpillars hatch from the eggs. The larvae immediately begin to feed intensively.

The range of products eaten by moth larvae is very wide. They eat cotton, linen, silk, woolen fabrics and furs. They can also eat bran, flour, semolina and other products. Able to digest feathers.

After passing through several instars, the larva pupates. Immediately after emerging from the cocoon, adult butterflies begin to search for partners for procreation. Shortly after mating, males Females die after laying eggs.

It leads to the death of moths and a decrease in temperature to minus 8 degrees and below. Things packed in plastic bags are frozen for several days in the refrigerator or fumigated with dry ice.

Naphthalene can be used to protect tissues from moths. Its vapors, in sufficient concentration, kill insects. It should be remembered that naphthalene is toxic. Keep it away from children and animals. Naphthalene also leaves bad smell on clothes and other household fabrics. A fairly easy-to-use way to reduce the number of moths is pheromone traps.

If there is no possibility or desire to apply the above methods, then aerosol insecticides can be sprayed. As a rule, insecticides contain pyrethrins, chemical substances, providing a quick death of the moth and not leaving persistent toxic precipitation.