How to Get a Moth Out of a Refrigerator

Open the refrigerator door and leave it open, as you do not want the moth to get trapped inside. If the moth is exposed to the cool temperatures of an enclosed refrigerator, it may lose its ability to move or even die. The Amateur Entomologists' Society notes that some night-flying moths, such as the December Moth (Poecilocampa populi) and the Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata), remain limber and can fly in temperatures as low as 0 F.

Turn off the light bulb in your refrigerator, as these insects are drawn to bright lights. Penn State University professor of entomology Mike Saunders notes that moths use the moon and rays of moonlight as references to sustain a linear flight at night. He also says that artificial lights, like the light bulb in your refrigerator, seem brighter than the moon to moths, and their ability to triangulate a straight flight line is thrown off.

Use a large plastic cup, or another small object, to coax the moth out of your refrigerator, as the large object will scare the insect away. The flight muscles of moths can take more than 20 minutes to warm up by shivering, so it's important not to let a moth get trapped in a refrigerator for any length of time.