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.

Good garden pest spray

Something's eating my geraniums. It could be snails, slugs... I'm not sure. Mum recommends this homemade, cheap-as-chips garlic spray, which won't damage the plants but should keep the bugs at bay. – Pru

Garlic garden pest spray

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 litre water

1/2 teaspoon dish-washing detergent

spray bottle with trigger

Place garlic and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil for a few minutes. Remove from heat and strain. Stir in detergent until dissolved. Leave to cool. Pour into the spray bottle and spritz your plants, either early in the morning or late in the afternoon when your plants aren't in direct sun.

PS You can also use beer to attract slugs or snails away from your plants. Put some in a wide, shallow container (saucer or lid) and leave it out overnight. In the morning, you should have a container of intoxicated slugs. Not sure about the bad karma (they won't wake up), but it's got to be better than squashing them.