Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Hi. I have always brought food moth papers from the South but now not able to go across and I am on my last one, I wondered whether anyone has ever seen them in the North?

I'm sure its me, but I haven't a clue what food moth papers are. Maybe it's the sheltered life I lead!!

If you mean something similar to mothballs, I looked everywhere for a month and eventually found a pack at 'the army store' next to the now closed '1001', centre of Girne. Ask for 'naftarine'. They smell of mint rather than the old insipid ones.

They are sticky pads with something that attracts Mediterranean Food Moths. If you put one on the inside of your food cupboard, you will be horrified at how many you catch. They lay their eggs in dried foods, mostly.

I used to buy them in the south too. Following with interest

Are these the ones which are printed with a 'moth motif'?

At first glance it's difficult to distinguish the real moths from the printed ones

They certainly do the job, got ours in the South though...

Sounds as if they attract the moths to your food cupboards!
Can't say I have noticed any moths in mine, but then I freeze dried foodstuffs for a few days, and then put in those click and lock containers or glass jars, so suspect the moths would have trouble getting in.

I have pretty much stored everything in airtight containers. Sometimes when I open cupboard I see little brown specs on sides, are these moth eggs?

As Soner said, Airtight containers, all day long. All our dry goods we left in original Lock & Lock "Tupperware" type containers. Rarely need replacing therefore cheaper in the long run and saves the native beneficial wildlife suffering horrifying drawn-out deaths. Flies are the exception of course, though i suppose even they have a purpose, even if only to irritate me to the core flying round in circles in my peripheral vision while i'm on the laptop.

MnM, we haven't needed to buy any this year (perhaps its been too hot) but I love the old fashion sticky fly paper which catches all flies beautifully. I love to see them hitting the paper and never leaving it. To think that any fly will have a walk around a pile of dog turd one minute and then land on my tuna sandwich the next, means I break my own rules regarding not killing. Friends of ours used to have have one of the those electric fly things and every time we heard a "ZAP", there was a general "die you "ooops"" !!

I also use airtight containers, but if it is not possible, when I have more than fits in the jars, especially for dried goods like flour, semolina etc, etc, I clip little twigs of bay leaves onto the bags or just leave the in the various cupboards. Never have any moths now!!

When there was suddenly a 'scare' about shortage of flour, I got my neighbour to bring me a big sack of Bespinar Flour. I put it in one of our big black bins, I used to use for goat and chicken food and dropped several twigs in there - no moth problem - I do sieve my flour just in case!!
I do have a little bay tree!!!

sophie wrote: ↑

Fri 21 Aug 2020 8:28 am

I love to see them hitting the paper and never to leave it. To think that any fly will have a walk around a pile of dog turd one minute and then land on my tuna sandwich the next, means I break my own rules regarding not killing.!!

I agree totally Sophie. Our next door neighbour has a huge horse of a dog which can pee for England and the smell of ammonia takes your breath away. Craps like a horse too. In fact if it were a horse it'd be much more tolerable. Twice a day they'll stand at their back door and use a hosepipe on jet mode to "wash" or rather spread the urine around and make it smell worse, no cleaner, no disinfectant! The amount of flies that i get in my house is unbelievable and it's cringing to think where they've just been. You can have lots of fun with an electric "tennis racket" if you can get them over there, instant sizzling, no mess and the dead ones go down the plug hole. I do feel for the beneficial wildlife though as I once had a go on a velcro wall. Last year I sprayed insecticide on my Ollies to stop them getting eaten by the little green maggoty type things we get over hear that bend the leaves together to make their cocoons, - a few days later i found a dead Cinabar Moth in the pot - never again. All i use now is Growing Success non-toxic slug pellets round my mini Hostas. Slightly digressing.