How do you recognize the appearance of the cocoa moth (Ephestia elutella), also known as the storage moth? How does the moth harm us and how to combat it? We show how to get rid of storage moths naturally.
Ephestia elutella is a moth of many names. The storage pest is known under the names cocoa moth, storage moth, tobacco moth or hay moth. These names do not come about by chance, but only describe the products that the little borer likes to attack. This also makes it immediately clear why the moth is considered a pest in our eyes. The larvae contaminate a whole range of products: from foodstuffs such as cocoa beans and other chocolate preparations, grains, nuts and dried fruits to luxury items such as tobacco, straw and hay. The cocoa moths can cause both minor damage in private kitchens and pantries and major problems in warehouses and granaries or silos. In the following sections you will find out how to recognize the small storage pests in your household and how to combat them in a targeted manner.
Cocoa moths: origin and properties
The cocoa moth is a native pest and comes from Central Europe. Here the species also occurs in the wild, but over time it has adapted very well to humans and their habit of storing food. Due to the worldwide trade in products, the moth eventually reached the southern parts of Europe, North America and finally the whole world. The adult animals fly here from May and well into autumn, sometimes into November. During this time, the eggs are usually laid directly in a usable source of food, for example a grain silo or an open pack of tea, chocolate or oatmeal. The larvae hatch directly in a food paradise and can develop into new moths within 40 to 100 days, depending on the temperature, humidity and food supply.
How to recognize storage moths
To prevent a storage moth infestationyou have to look for a few typical signs, because the adult animals are not always clearly visible flying through the kitchen. Often only the inconspicuous larvae or their webs can be found.
Moth traps like our Plantura food moth traps help with early infestation detection. These are provided with pheromones, which are given off in nature by females willing to mate, in order to attract male moths. In search of females, the male moths fly to the traps coated with glue, to which they stick. This way you know early on whether there is an infestation with food moths and can act quickly. However, since pheromone traps have no effect on females or larvae and do not catch every male, moth traps are not a complete control method. They are only used for infestation detection and monitoring.
Appearance of the cocoa moth
The adult cacao moth is a small, inconspicuous moth about 1 cm long and up to 2 cm wingspan. The slightly shiny front wings of the moth are brown-grey in color and have a few dark horizontal stripes. The hind wings appear a little lighter - almost silvery - and are adorned with a fringed hem at the edges. The larvae, which are usually found directly in the stored food, are maggot-shaped caterpillars up to 15 mm in size with a dark head and - depending on the food - a whitish to yellowish body. You won't find a beautiful and colorful butterfly here.
Recognize storage moth damage
The adult animals are not always found in flight or the caterpillars directly in the food. Nevertheless, the little animals leave traces in the infested products. The webs of the larvae ensure that cereal grains, flour or tea leaves clump together. The damage is therefore very similar to that of the flour moth (Ephestia kuehniella) and is difficult to distinguish from it. However, an exact determination of the food moths is not necessary in this case either. Glued products must always be disposed of immediately.
Fighting cocoa moths: How to get rid of them naturally
If you want to declare war on the pests, you have the choice between a whole range of conventional control methods. The classics are herechemical moth sprays designed to kill the small pests. However, such chemical clubs are often based on ingredients that are neither good for the environment nor for he alth.
A sustainable and harmless method, on the other hand, is the use of parasitic wasps. The tiny beneficial insects are the natural opponents of the moths and fight them safely and efficiently. But the same applies here: Infested food must first be completely disposed of, because the webs and larvae droppings are harmful to he alth.
Since parasitic wasps are living helpers and only have a short lifespan, you can't just buy them in hardware stores. Instead, the beneficial insects are delivered directly to your home fresh - just like our Plantura parasitic wasps against food moths. You will receive these on small cards that you simply have to place in the affected areas. The number of cards depends on the size of your kitchen or pantry. For a normal sized kitchen, we recommend deploying four maps. Lay out the cards as soon as you receive them, because the parasitic wasps hatch a short time later and get to work immediately. They search specifically for moth eggs and parasitize them very efficiently. In order to ensure complete elimination of the pests - and any subsequent generations - this process must be carried out four times, which is why you will receive three further free deliveries of fresh parasitic wasps on small cards at intervals of 14 days.
The parasitic wasps themselves are extremely discreet helpers. Hardly visible to the naked eye, they do not represent any disturbance. After the work is done, the little creatures die after only a few days, since they can no longer reproduce themselves without moth eggs. In addition, parasitic wasps are completely harmless to you, your children or your pets - they don't even have a stinger and they can't fly either.
Summary: It's so easy to fight cocoa moths with parasitic wasps
- Order our Plantura parasitic wasps against food moths (the number of cards depends on the size of your kitchen/pantry: one card covers one square meter).
- Put the cards out in the affected area for 14 days.
- You will receive a subsequent delivery of fresh parasitic wasps free of charge 3 times every 14 days.
- Repeat application after each delivery.
Tip: Pheromone traps like our Plantura food moth traps forIncidentally, you can continue to use the male moths during the application, they do not disturb the parasitic wasps. However, they should not be attached directly next to the parasitic wasps, because otherwise they could accidentally walk over them and also get stuck. While moth traps are not a control method, they can be used to monitor moth populations.
Prevent storage moths
Once you have fought the annoying pests, you naturally want to protect your supplies from infestation in the future. The best way is to use airtight glass or plastic containers in which you can safely store your food. Unfortunately, the thin paper and plastic packaging in which the food is usually delivered does not offer sufficient protection and is therefore unsuitable for longer storage. The small storage moth caterpillars simply eat their way through the thin material. Also refill freshly bought groceries, because sometimes moths can get into the packaging at the producer.
If you've had problems with food moths in your home before, it may also be worth keeping a closer eye on the occurrence of the moths. Pheromone traps help with this - like our Plantura food moth traps. When using it, however, it must be remembered that the traps lose their effectiveness over time and should therefore be replaced approximately every six weeks.
Tip: Even jars with screw caps without a seal do not offer sufficient protection, as young larvae are small enough to overcome this obstacle as well.
Summary - Prevent Storage Moths:
- Transfer food to airtight glass or plastic containers for storage
- Also check freshly bought groceries
- Hoover regularly
- Place pheromone traps for quick infestation detection
Parasitic wasps have proven to be an effective solution against a variety of pests. You can find out more information about the biology and usefulness in our large parasitic wasp profile.