General Question

occ's avatar

Non-toxic ways to get rid of moths?

Asked by occ (4179points) January 31st, 2007
help! something must have hatched and we suddenly have about a dozen tiny moths in our kitchen. They are really small, the size of flies...How can I get rid of them before they lay eggs and multiply? I don't want to spray anything toxic in my kitchen, and the smell of mothballs makes me gag. Are there any natural remedies??
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14 Answers

gailcalled's avatar
Cedar chips and small blocks (that can be sanded to release more scent) are the standard non-toxic moth prevention. About your problem, maybe fly paper (disgusting, I know) or the white fly trap....take a piece of clear plastic or glass and coat w. vasoline or mineral (for white flies you apply a coat of yellow paint). White flies get glued to sticky stuff..don't know what the life cycle of moth is. Good luck..sounds horrible.
skfinkel's avatar
Your moths may have hatched in an organic source of some kind: rice, flour, or something you may have recently bought and put away. Check your containers, and you'll probably find the source. When you get rid of that, they will go away. You're right, this is not a place for mothballs!
gailcalled's avatar
Susan, I have found teeny weevils over the years in flour, rice, etc but never moths. But I guess it is possible. Maybe the weevils hatch into something w. wings, even tho I haven't seen it.
sarahclif's avatar
we had the same problem twice this winter. make sure you check for old crackers. both times this was the source!
Bigfish's avatar
Bald faced hornets will lay eggs on larval moths. The larval hornets then devour the caterpillar while it is still alive. Therefore, releasing a large amount of hornets into your house should alleviate the moth problem.
occ's avatar
UPDATE: thanks for all the advice! we ended up going through our kitchen cabinets and getting rid of every item that wasn't sealed shut...the moths disappeared in 2 days. They must have been living in one of our grains.
rowenaz's avatar

FYI - they can also eat bird seed - we had a ten pound bag in the cupboard, and went away on vacation - when we came back there were THOUSANDS of moths and caterpillars in the corners, on the ceilings, and took 7 months to finally disappear....

grey's avatar

does anyone know how I would get an older model Jenn Air downdraft stove repaired?

hossman's avatar

Pet bats are an organic solution. Some bats can eat tens of thousands of insects in a single night. Plus, they are so cuddly.

rowenaz's avatar

and you can use the guano on your face because it’s an organic cosmetic!!

woman2u's avatar

Those are seed or aka flour moths . You can buy moth traps on the web that use a pheromone to lure the males . They are harmless to people and pets .. Well unless your pet IS a moth lol . Hope that helps !

laven45's avatar

Clean out everything that is not in a can and throw it away. Wipe down cupboard with vinegar and water, moths hate vinegar. That is the only way to see them disappea.r It is expensive to replace boxed items, but so is keeping things that harbor them and YES they can get into sealed packaging.

Aster's avatar

Flour moths. They reproduce fast. Now I keep rice, flower and cornstarch in the fridge. I saw them in the cornstarch & flower at our last house and they migrated to all the rooms in the house. Of course we had to pack up, I tried to clean the pantry but I don’t know if they’re still hanging out there or not.

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