All (pantry) moth and bothered

It's the end of summer here in the Southern Hemisphere and the dreaded pantry moths (Indian meal moths or flour moths) have reared their feelered heads. I have it on good advice from Pop, who knows all about these things, that any eggs that are already in your pantry dry goods will hatch in February.

These sticky EnviroSafe Pantry Moth Traps (above), two to a pack, are cleaning up the moths that have appeared in my kitchen. Apparently it's only the male moths that head into the faux-wood cardboard traps, attracted by the lure that smells like a female moth. Some other natural, cheaper deterrents, such as cedar oil and cloves, in the cupboard may work, but the only real remedy, of course, is to go through the dry goods and throw out what's infested. Wish me luck. – Pru

PS I found these traps at Coles supermarket, but they are also readily online (try www.gardenersdirect.com.au).

How to make a fruit fly trap

Some of my more worldly friends raised their eyebrows when they saw this contraption sitting on my kitchen table. Of course, I had to assure them that my homemade fruit-fly trap is all above board and doing a marvellous job of protecting my $2.50 pomegranate (this week's decadent fruit treat!) – plus Pop, who's 88, gave me the instructions, so enough already!

Here's how to make a fruit-fly trap: take a soft-drink bottle, remove the lid and cut the neck off; take another bottle and use a sharp knife to cut a round hole in it. Insert the bottle neck into the hole in the other bottle, and chuck in a piece of fruit. That's it! The flies can get in, but not out. – Pru

PS To despatch the blighters more quickly to that big fruit bowl in the sky, forget the fruit and carefully pour in a cup of water, a splash of bleach and a teaspoon of vanilla essence.

How to keep cut lemons fresh

Here's a simple tip that really works! If you only need half a lemon for a recipe, wrap the other half in al-foil to keep it fresh. Sage and I have tried this with lemons and grapefruit; you can keep them in the fridge for at least a week and they are as good as the day you cut them. Too easy! – Pru

PS When you unwrap your lemon, re-use the foil for the next one.