Cocoa Moths: Appearance & Tips to Control

How to recognize the appearance of the cacao moth (Ephestia elutella), also called 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 with 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 foods such as cocoa beans and others Chocolate preparations, cereals, nuts and dried fruit, to indulgence items such as tobacco and 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 stored product 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 originates 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 with us 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

In order to recognize a storage moth infestation, you 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 ours help with early infestation detection Plantura food moth traps. 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 an infestation with food moths available 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 up to 15 mm in size, maggot-shaped caterpillars 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 cannot always be 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 pattern is therefore very similar to that of 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 be disposed of immediately in any case.

Cocoa moth control: 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 classic here are chemical moth sprays, which are intended to kill the small pests. However, such chemical clubs are often based on ingredients that are neither good for the environment nor for health.

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 disposed of completely, because the webs and larvae droppings are harmful to health.

Since parasitic wasps are living helpers and only have a short lifespan, you can't just buy them in a hardware store. Instead, the beneficial insects are delivered directly and fresh to your home - just like ours 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. This process has to be carried out four times to ensure complete elimination of the pests – and any subsequent generations which is why they receive three more free deliveries of fresh parasitic wasps on small cards at intervals of 14 days.

The parasitic wasps themselves are extremely discreet helpers. Barely visible to the naked eye, they do not represent any disturbance. After the work is done, the little creatures die after just 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 sting and they can't fly.

Summary: Cocoa moths can be fought so easily with parasitic wasps

1. Order ours Plantura parasitic wasps against food moths (the amount of cards depends on the size of your kitchen/pantry: one card covers one square meter).
2. Lay out the cards in the affected area for 14 days.
3. You will receive 3 free follow-up deliveries of fresh parasitic wasps every 14 days.
4. Repeat the application after each delivery.

Tip: Pheromone traps like ours Plantura food moth traps By the way, you can continue to use it for 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. Although moth traps are not a control method, they can be used to monitor the moth population.

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. Because the thin paper and plastic packaging in which the food is usually delivered unfortunately do not offer sufficient protection and are therefore suitable for longer storage not suitable. 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 have had problems with food moths in your home before, it may also be worth monitoring the presence of the moths more closely. Pheromone traps like ours help with this Plantura food moth traps. When using it, however, it must be remembered that the effectiveness of the traps decreases over time and they should therefore be replaced approximately every six weeks.

Tip: Even jars with screw caps without a seal do not offer adequate protection, since 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 food
• Vacuum regularly
• Lay out pheromone traps for quick infestation detection

Ichneumon wasps have proven to be an effective solution against a variety of pests. You can find out more about the biology and usefulness in our large Ichneumon wasp wanted poster.