Moth infestation - professional spray

[maggiethecat]

Just moved home and it seems we brought moth/s with us from previous home - I set up a moth lure and after about 5 days we've caught one.
I've seen the damage they do and want to ensure we are rid of them and would like to get professional treatment.

Has anyone had this done/do you know the chemical used/repeat treatment or one-off and finally, are you now rid of the buggers???

[PigletJohn]

I have only done DIY.

You need the chemical killers containing transfluthrin. It is the one that works. Cedar and lavender don't.

If you think yopu already have an infestation, put everything through the tumble drier NOW - the heat will kill eggs and grubs - and immediately seal the stuff into clear plastic bags or crates, sealed shut, with a moth killer in each.

After that, hoover, hoover, hoover, especially inside, underneath and behind furniture, and round the edges of carpets where they like to hide in the gap by the skirting.

The moth killers (usually) last three months, so keep enough stock for all your wardrobes and drawers to have one (including the cupboard under the stairs) usually at the rate of one per half-cubic-metre. They emit a tiny amount of vapour, that builds up to kill moths in a closed container, but breaks down in fresh air, sunlight or moisture, so will not treat a room. You might need to spray carpets especially round the edges.

In a year you will know if you have got rid of them.

[maggiethecat]

Piglet, I'm glad that you're around. It was your advice to someone else I had seen about transfluthrin that made me buy it months ago when we were in the rented house but I think that although it may have dealt with clothes there was a larger problem generally eg carpets, behind furniture.
You may have seen my recent post about them attacking our bed which was tucked behind furntiture - such a waste.

I don't know to what extent we have taken them with us ( we got rid of bed) but I don't think I can manage tumble drying everything we own and sealing them away

I've called pest control and I know there are various commercial chemicals they use and will get them to focus on carpets. Hope that a spray plus transfluthrin strips will do the trick.

[Quodlibet]

Maggie, hate to be the bearer of bad news but when it comes to moths unless you attack them on all fronts they will just return (speaking from bitter experience). You do need to tumble dry or freeze any natural fabrics that they might be in. Hate to tell you this but you probably have larvae in the seams of jumpers/coats etc - look very closely and you will see seams of thin silvery cocoon. You need to do it all at the same time.

[Alwayscheerful]

They seem to love curtains, Moths drove me mad in a previous house, I ripped own all he velvet curtains they were infested. I hinkley thy like wool carpets too.

[maggiethecat]

Quodlibet, really struggling at the moment to take any more bad news.

Right, I am trying to figure out the logistics of doing this. We have a spare freezer that I could put stuff in (do you know minimum freezing time?). I cannot possibly do all of our clothes at the same time and wonder if I would do each room at a time eg dd's room, our room etc.

Unless I see evidence on clothing I suppose it's difficult to determine what could be infected so I suppose everything would need to be done.

I was hoping that by having a professional spray done plus using an over the counter repellent (containing transfluthrin as Piglet mentions) that that would do the job.

Mercy!

[PigletJohn]

A tumble drier is far far quicker than a freezer. If need be you can take them to the big machine in the laundrette. You don't have to wash them all first (unless they are dirty)

The advantage is that by doing everything in one go you will avoid re-infestation of treated clothes by insects hopping from something untreated.

You can get very big clear plastic bags in rolls from the supermart, they are sold as "recycling bags" and are bigger but thinner than bin-liners. You can stuff them full (with a moth-killer) and knot the tops; or you can put one garment in each, with a moth killer, on a hanger like a dry-cleaner's bag.

[forheavenssakes]

We had moths in a downstairs carpet, we got Rentokil in to do the whole house - cost a fortune but it worked.

[maggiethecat]

okay, how long do you think they should be tumbled for and on what heat? I suppose that for things that the label reads 'no tumble dry' I would have to freeze?

[PigletJohn]

I would use 10 minutes or so. When I had to do it for my old mum, I just put them through a standard drying cycle, which I think might have been 20 mins minimum. I put everything through, including "do not tumble dry" and silks and furs, as they were not wet they did not shrink. Moths will do more damage than tumbling. Polypropylene on mattress covers or duvets will melt though.

As they are tumbling, the whole garment would quickly reach the right heat.

In refugee camps, delousing is done by putting a temperature-indicator inside each bale of clothes, but yours won't be in a bale. Put your hand in to make sure they are hot.

Sensor dryers insist on clothes being damp; if no steam comes off, they cool down.

[maggiethecat]

Thanks Piglet, that's what I thought - if not wet then tumbling should not be an issue.

Will use multi pronged approach - tumbling, transfluthrin strips and getting a spray around the edges of carpet. Will also get more of the zero in traps for spotting the adults.

They used to like the laundry basket and I found larvae at the bottom of this - immediately binned.

Anything else that you might recommend by way of checking/keeping on top of them?

[PigletJohn]

lots of hoovering.

don't leave stuff in the airing cupboard; dry it, and put it in a crate with a moth killer.

I use the plastic hangers rather than the paper strips.

[Quodlibet]

From my experience and research they only eat natural fabric with clothing - so cotton, silk, linen, wool, cashmere. Anything nylon/polyester/Lycra etc will be ok. So it's not ALL your clothes. But remember to do things like hats and scarves, anything that sits for a long time without being disturbed is prime moth food.