(OT?) clothes moths, carpet moths etc

May 21, 2009

We had a post the other day about carpet moth. I'm just posting to say that the

manager of my local hardware store tells me things are extremely bad at the

moment with both. Almost all the chemical killers have been withdrawn from the

market and all that is left are repellants. Personally I think the cedar wood

repellants are useless. A carpet or clothing can be ruined in three weeks.

There are a few things that can be done:

Wash and dry clothes then immediately put them in sealed bags with repellant.

Anything that might be infested, seal in a plastic bag and put in the freezer

for several hours then take out and (presumably once thawed) shake hard and look

for eggs, grubs etc.

Put repellant stuff inall wardrobes etc.

You can place pheromone traps in every wardrobe and check every few days for

clothes moths. The traps need replacing every 3 months; they are non-toxic.

Moths can ruin all your best clothes . They especially love fine wool, cashmere

and (I think) silk.

Carpets - vacuum everywhere with a powerful cleaner every week, especially in

the dark and hard to reach places. I suppose steam cleaning might kill the eggs.

Moths can also hang out under floorboards, sadly and emerge at night to wreck

your clothes and carpets. They are untreatable if they are hiding there.

Almost makes me long for DDT...

I came into the bedroom tonight and a moth flew off a lovely never-worn angora

jumper I had taken out to wash and put in store. It's the freezer for it

tomorrow!

I suspect the increase in population is to do with 1. unavailability of

pesticides 2. warmer houses 3. our wearing natural fibres 4. putting clothes

away without washing them first- moths are attracted by sweat. 5. we don't

spring clean any more 6. ahem, lack of housework - turning out of wardrobes,

thorough hoovering.

Fingers crossed, I don't (yet) have a problem. As I left the shop a woman

approached the manager to ask how to get rid of bedbugs - yes, there's a plague

of these, too.

Margaret

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