Clothes moths?

[majorcamaiden]

I've never had a problem with moths, but I have a few of those sticky clothes moth traps in the wardrobes just in case. They caught 3-4 moths last year in my wardrobe. I have wool and silks as well as every other fabric in there but no damage. During the heat wave in the summer I had our bedroom windows open quite a lot, and I did noticed a fair few new moths that got stuck to the traps. (I'm talking a total of 15ish between 2 wardrobes. I don't open my windows unless it's super hot, so haven't had them open for a few months now and won't do until next spring / summer. I've checked the moth traps and there are no new additions. Is it safe to assume that no eggs were laid and that there will be no moths living in the wardrobes now? I only ask because I've acquired a few quite expensive silk dresses and shirts in the past couple of months and want to make sure they're safe in the wardrobe. I have actually kept one silk dress folded up in a sealed plastic bag. Would I be better to do that to them all just to be sure?

I'm inundated with the damn things and can catch about 30 a night during spring and summer. They disappear when it gets cold and reappear again when it starts getting warm so don't assume they've gone.

You might want to try buying some wasps, forget what they're called but they did reduce my population drastically this year. Apparently the National Trust use them effectively.

Oh Jesus. 30 a night!?! Could you perhaps get your house fumigated? The thought of 30 a night is enough for me to keep my windows closed for the rest of my life. I will continue to keep an eye on the traps in the wardrobes though.

I wonder what their lifecycle is like?

Trichogramma Parasitic wasps are your friend, we got ours from Dragonfli.co.uk. The flying ones are male, the females are hidden from what I can remember!

The sticky traps are useful but do not keep them in the wardrobe! They actively attract moths, that’s how they work. Put them in the opposite side of room to the wardrobe.

As well as the sticky traps (which only catch males anyway), add two things which do go in the wardrobe:

1. Freshly sanded cedarwood, balls or coat hanger rings. Remember to re sand slightly every few months.
2. moth poison. We use Pest Expert clothes moth killer cassettes.

You can get both of the above on Amazon.

With these three things we ended a moth infestation and have been ok in the wardrobe since. We do find the occasional clothes moth in the bathroom / downstairs though.

Moths are little bastards. Very hard to get rid off.

I live in fear < shudder >
Do you see them flying about?

@majorcamaiden Unfortunately I can't because I have aquatic pets.

But follow the advice given and buy wasps! I was told that as soon as you see them, you have a problem. Definitely cedar and lavender in your wardrobes, sticky pheromone pads everywhere else. Only the males fly.

eek, do the females crawl about then?

I've never heard of wasps. Does it really work?

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/press-release/national-trust-launches-pioneering-new-trial-to-protect-precious-collections-from-a-rise-in-insect-pests

You might find this interesting!