How To Deal With An Invasion of Indian Meal Moths
Indian Meal Moths (Plodia Interpunctella) are thought to be the most common pest to infest domestic and industrial kitchens and dried food storage areas. They specifically target foods such as cereal, bread, pasta, rice, spices or dried fruits and nuts. These moths usually measure up to 10mm long and can be identified by their distinctive dual coloured wings which have a copper colouring, light at the front and dark at the rear. For getting rid of moths in the case of a moth infestation there are a variety of sanitation methods you can use.
Firstly, you will need to check each of your foodstuffs for traces of the insect. Indian meal moth infestations cause damage to food product packaging and visible webbing in the food. The moths might collect around windows however these won’t show the degree of the issue, as eggs and larvae can exist for as much as a year before hatching into moths. An infestation is most likely to happen if product packaging has been opened without being perfectly resealed again for a long period of time; although they can also occur during the food processing plant and warehouse storage. For this reason broken packaging shouldn’t be purchased or should be returned to the store once found. If you are unsure about an item being infested if a trace of Indian Meal Moths has been discovered it is advisable to destroy it. Meal moths can notoriously find their way into very tightly secured food stores like secured bags.
Once the problem has been identified the sanitation process can begin. Eliminate any small sources of food by cleaning thoroughly vacuuming and cleaning around food areas and inside the refrigerator. If old foods are infested the Indian Meal Moth will quickly invade the new so do not bring any new foods in until you are certain that all the food sources containing eggs, larvae and moths have been destroyed.
You can freeze foods that contain traces of Indian Meal Moths to kill them, although the eggs of the insect require up to 3 weeks of a temperature of -15?C to be killed, and the foodstuff will still contain the bodies of the moths and the eggs. Moth traps with or without pheromones will eliminate the moths but once again it is tricky to destroy the eggs and larvae. Indian Meal Moths will crawl over floors and climb up walls to make their way into cracks and crevices to build a nest. It might be necessary to bring in professional pest management experts to spray the area with an insecticide to fully destroy this pest’s lifecycle.
To avoid a future outbreak of Indian Meal Moths open food items must be stored in airtight clean Tupperware containers with lids. Ensure that cupboards and other storage units are tight and can be cleaned easily and keep them dry; humidity helps the development of meal moth larvae.
For further help on eliminating moths consider Terminex, a professional pest control service. Indian Meal Moth infestations around London and Hertfordshire can be dealt with by visiting our website.
Processing your request, Please wait....
