Wet cotton balls and put them in the kitchen cupboard. It’s a simple way to keep the flour worms coming back

Food pests are most often brought home with shopping. Thanks to the easy access to food and the favorable conditions in the kitchen, they quickly start to multiply and feed, especially on flour products. How to get rid of them, and which insects most often invade kitchen cabinets?

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Have you noticed worms in the flour? It’s probably moles. How will you recognize them?

The most common in flour are by far mealy moth and the borer borer, commonly known as food moths. In adult form, they resemble tiny moths, as they have double, gray-brown wings with zigzags. In turn, their larvae take on a light yellow, cream or brown color with a dark head and they are extremely voracious. They will not despise flour products, teas, spices, and even salty snacks. Their presence is often indicated by a small, bright cobweb that you can notice in packaging or cabinets.

Not only moles. What other pests feed on flour?

In addition to the above-mentioned moths, food products are also often preyed on by:

• mealwormsi.e. small beetles with almost black coloration, whose larvae first take on a white and then light orange color,
• pantry crotches, which is a slightly larger night butterfly, whose caterpillars are confusingly similar to the corn borer. Its name comes from the fact that it “lifts” its abdomen up during rest,

Of course, these are not all the worms that can be found in flour, because there are several thousand varieties of moles. In addition, there are other beetles, such as the brown jackfruit with dots on the wings, or the grain weevil with a shiny shell.

How to get rid of moles and other worms? Start with the arrangements

If you notice that food products have infested them, you must first throw them away. This often applies to anything pests could get into. Then, wash the cabinets and drawers thoroughly, not forgetting the edges and spaces between the shelves. Use water with vinegar, the strong smell of which will drive away insects. Try to keep all flour products in glass, tightly closed containers, and always check them carefully after returning from shopping. Place bay leaves, dried citrus fruits, cotton pads soaked in lavender, clove or eucalyptus oil in the cupboards, or a bowl of apple cider vinegar. Pests hate their smell.