Clothes moths - how many are too many?

[Streatfeild]

I bought those pheremone stick moth traps - but them in the wardrobes two weeks ago and went on holiday. Came back and each one had about 6-10 moths on it. Is this too much - as in should I consider this some kind of infestation and call someone in? Or is this the traps doing their job? Thanks

Isn't 1 moth 1 too many?

Yes you need to take action.

Not if you are another moth.

You have an infestation. They will not go away by using traps and placing smelly things they don’t like in your wardrobe i.e lavender herb bags, cedar wood balls etc.
You need to properly clean out your wardrobes and spray with moth killer spray, put the little blue paper squares in every drawer, treat all carpets and curtains etc.
Took me eight years before I bit the bullet and used the chemicals and they finally died.

what chemicals did you use? Is there something you just spray on carpets, or do you have to get it done professionally?

That's more that I ever has and I decided I was infested. Although I did have evidence that two items of clothing has been destroyed, just caught fewer moths than you.

All clothes hot washed and hot ironed or frozen if they couldn't be, cupboards cleaned and sprayed, regularly shake out jumpers and silk dresses and never put away dirty. Under control now.

I also bought parasitic wasps but no idea if they're a scam!

You'd need serial stuff like what this company sells. Air everything, hoover and wash. All swollen items need to be treated. I put into the freezer many of my yarn bags. And store them in a protective bags since.
www.pestcontroldirect.co.uk/product-category/household-pests/moth-control-products/

I used to see the odd moth, and for years I thought it was fine.

Then I moved the sofa in the sitting room and the carpet underneath had a hole in it. They'd spread to four rooms of the house.

Something obviously changed that allowed their population to explode.

I had to throw out cushions, soft toys, even a few books that they were munching through, or that just didn't survive the boil wash.

I paid a few hundred pounds for two treatments and that killed them off.

If I ever see even one again I will be straight on to it with the spray.

I can’t remember which one I used but I went on Amazon and read through the reviews and picked one with good reviews that explained the process they had used . Not just ones that say 5 stars and excellent.
I also had these blue papers that you put in drawers, I cut them in half and put them in everything . They had chewed through all my merino knitting wool, cashmere cardigans, hand made baby clothes put away for grandchildren, it was horrendous.
I also put all the rugs in a skip and pulled the stair runner off the stairs so the whole house was bare , noisy and draughty but I did get rid of them. I was determined they weren’t coming on the next house move!

They were in spray bottles not the smoke bomb things.

One.

One is too many of those fuckers. The only way I cope is with those sticky traps - I have about five in my wardrobe all year round, and use lavender spray, keep wool in boxes. Also have a free standing rail of the current seasons clothes, so more of my clothes are being aired and not providing a nice little home for those fucking moths.

I would say about 6 little moths on a trap in a week is probably normal for a breeding season. I leave them up and mine have probably about 20 on now!

They are very small moths so they are not reaching adult stage, which makes me feel its managed. There must be one that is reaching adult stage though as they keep coming. In winter I see very, very few, almost none.

I did have Rentokil come out but to be honest there must have been one left, as about 6-8 weeks later I saw a small moth again. Maybe it's a case of having them come out twice or two treatments like PP says. I just couldn't afford it.

I think it does depend on your set up. It's just me and I don't have many clothes. Whereas if it's a whole household, lots of nice clothes, its going to be harder to stay on top of, costly damage.

The other thing I do religiously is freeze any knitwear to kill eggs before storing it away.

I had an infestation last September/October, ate through some carpet in DD's wardrobe, lots flying around. Found they were nesting in a sheep skin rug she had stored in there, and also a sheepskin teddy bear in another wardrobe.

All I did was take everything out, hoover and wipe down. Spray the wardrobes. Obvs chucked out the two sheepskin items. No clothes were eaten. One thing with many pleats had loads of eggs on, so I chucked that too.

When I had aired the wardrobe post spray (Rentokil and Acana), I doubled up! I then put hanging Acana and Rentokil killers in all the wardrobes, and haven't seen any in those since. I also put the little tabs in drawers with woollens just in case.

Now, there have been a few fliers around since, particularly this Spring, so also put sticky things up, but only caught a few. I went through a period of squashing three or four a night in the two worst rooms, but haven't seen any now for two months.

I will stay vigilant, but I think the odd one will always be around. Sept/Oct will be telling.

Additionally, I also moved every bit of furniture and did a really good hoover, and again in the Spring. I will do the same again in the next couple of weeks.

I always feel that moth traps entice moths in!

Also I don’t have any wool clothes for that very reason. So does it matter if I have them?

They will also happily chomp silk and occasionally nibble cotton or linen if it’s been put away without washing. I have never heard of them going for artificial fibres.

Consider smoke fumigation OP. These are very effective - light and leave to burn in the middle of the room. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Super-Fumer-Carpet-Killer-Smoke/dp/B011UZ8F6O/ref=sr_1_6?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.I_eRrSJYCjM-aXr1WfjjOcYRqh355wnMo0nyUNBaTiP262Qn4zjnsHAPOmpls17ETsC1PVcuWiz_76RBUaC_lD4ydZSm74uM8PaLmprVOUuDk_icG4PghtlTb6dWxHkpS6QPiSVukuhLwWjDw23lDYQHpmyW6_eb5jUreOU_Pjd8ehUR6I3cNMzT2QkFS5M7ye74seyi_Ehbgb6a3ZoLdQlh6XCqAl2baPApOIHKPxm7_R4imv9nffGlMI88i0lzxfa3tBzm8HsvbZmja04eKzeQJZmsfyaw3JgEUwlZsw8.bMYsfSqKHny9eyJlMW2lzRLTriJ2pG-70NolMctgwgk&dib_tag=se&keywords=moth+fumigation&qid=1756418437&sr=8-6

Agreed. I am a bit traumatised from our experience with them when we lived in our old 1930s flat. I lost a nice wool jacket :( I did all the spraying, smoke bombing and hot washing/ironing and fortunately they didn’t come with us when we moved.

No moths is my favourite thing about living in a new build.

The tiny wasps seem to have sorted my moth infestation. If that hadn’t worked I’d have tried some form of chemicals but fortunately haven’t needed to.

I am too.

Unfortunately I lived in a shit room at DFs while saving for a deposit - carpet was falling apart which should have been a clue. So I basically bought the moths with me into my absolutely wonderful new build 😂. I did not know at the time though.

I've now resigned myself to the fact that the only way I will rid myself of them is probably when I die. I truly believe the fuckers will follow me to whatever property I move to. Although your story does give me a glimmer of hope.