How do I get rid of cupboard moths??

Question

I am so sick of seeing these little moths in my house. I have to put things like flour, rice, noodles in the fridge so they can't lay eggs in them. Does anyone know how to rid a house of cupboard moths. Please, I'm at my wits end.

Answer 1

Moth balls or naphthalene flakes,you will find these in the insect spays section of the supermarket.However if they are in your food cupboard there are special devices used for food storage,which you will find in the same section.

Answer 2

OMG! theyre horrible! i had those...theres no efective way to kill them...

what i did:

Got everything out of the cupboards, then, everything that had moths or eggs went to the trash.

before putting the egg-free food back in the cupboard check for moths in the cupboard walls (kill them with a flip-flop). clean the whole cupboard and put the food in.

Answer 3

my mom had this problem, she emptied everything, threw out open food, and now stores all dry pancake mixes etc. in a spare fridge downstairs.

Answer 4

Have you tried moth balls. I  have never had them but I have heard a lot of older people using them. for moths.

Answer 5

well mothballs would be an option, but i'm not sure if you could stand the smell.  i don't know how effective this would be on a large number of them, but i keep cedar shavings in a loosely knit bag in my cabinets and closets.  the smell is supposed to drive out any little bugs and moths according to my aunt.  i haven't had any so far so i suppose it's working.  might as well give it a try... : D

Answer 6

For a house filled with cupboard moths, you  may need to bring in the Orkin man or some other exterminator. Especially if it's a problem that is occurring in the whole household.

However, I'd advise throwing out all your old dry food, and replacing it. Buy some air tight containers and place the dry food in it. You could also try using moth balls, they stink to high heaven, but they do seem to work. There are also repellent sprays/wipes you can purchase at somewhere like walmart, or Lowes.

These moths usually hide in your cupboard cracks and what not, so another thing you could try is either vacuuming out the little buggers or even using a hair dryer on high to kill them in the cracks.

These critters are kind of a pain in the butt to rid yourself of, so good luck. Hopefully I helped.

Answer 7

Seija has the right of it but instead of using vinegar (soap and vinegar to wash the cabinets) but leave a 1/4 cup of ammonia to a cup of water in bowls or  cups on each shelf to deter them from coming back and killing the ones that tried to sneak back in.

Before you put your dry stuffs, pastas, flour, sugar, ect, back in the cabinets - even if they are in "airtight" containers, put a dried bayleaf in each one before closing. Even in the box of starch or baking soda or powder. I even put one in my salt as well. Dried bayleaf will not make your food taste any different the whole time it is in there. Replace with a new one about every month.

I make a mixture of "Bay rum" in a spray bottle and it deters ants, roaches, cupboard moths, silverfish, ect. I pint of water with a half cup of rum (no fruit or flavored rums just plain) and 2 to 3 bay-leafs (fresh if you can find them but dried will work well too) and let it sit in a spray bottle for 12 hrs or more. Shake it up then spray in cabinets and around edges of counters or base trims. You can do this every week to every 2weeks depending on how often you see them. It also deters the little p**s-ants too.

Good luck

Edit: you can also use this on your pets as well to deter fleas and mosquitos.

Answer 8

Unfortunately, once you have them, they are hard to get rid of.  First you are going to have to empty out the cupboard that you think they are coming from.  Give it a good cleaning.  As you are putting things away, check them closely.  Crackers, cereal, snacks, corn meal, anything that is food & not sealed in tupperware or rubbermaid containers needs checked, even if you have never opened it. I have found those tiny little holes in several different packages of things that hadn't ben opened.  The holes are not much bigger than what you could make with a pin.  Everything that is the least bit suspect gets thrown away in the bin outside.  Anything you find that seams OK, seal it in rubbermaid or Ziploc bags before putting it back.  

Hate to tell you this, but those things tend to come in with things like flour and cornmeal.  That is why they first invented a flour sifter.  

Answer 9

These things are a huge pain in the neck to get rid of. Moth balls and cedar will not work on these types of moths. They will live in almost anything but particularly love grains, cereals, noodles, flour, etc. First, empty out your cupboard completely. Check every container thoroughly. Throw out anything old or opened that you haven't used for a while. Transfer foods you're keeping to containers with tight-fitting lids.

Once the pantry is empty, you need to wash it out thoroughly. If you have a lot of moths, you may want to vacuum your cupboard out first. Pay close attention to corners and darker areas. Then wash your cupboard out with hot water and a little dish soap. You can add just a couple drops of bleach to the water if you want. You'll probably want to wipe down the sides of the cupboard as well as the shelves. Check the underside of the shelves too. Then put a couple bowls of vinegar on different shelves and close the door. Let sit overnight.

In the morning, check for moths. Wipe up any you see, maybe give a good vacuum again. Put your stuff back, making sure all foods are sealed tightly. If you take the food source away, they will die off. Be aware you can bring these home from the store without knowing it. They hitch a ride in the cardboard boxes. There are also pantry moth traps in stores you can try once the cupboard is clean, to help catch new ones. You should be able to find them in hardware or home improvement stores. Hope this helps. Good luck!