Found moth larvae on baby cardigan left in bedroom next to open window

[Icantrememebrtheartist]

Posting here for traffic....

I’m completely repulsed! I found a dead moth on the bedroom floor near window and only one other moth on the hallway wall about a week ago.

Am I likely to be infested or could these two moths and a cardigan with one big larvae and 3 small ones be it?

Really freaking out at the possibility of an infestation in bedroom.

Didn’t mean to have voting

What? I don’t get why you’re worried?

Repulsed? By a moth?

Gosh, if that's the worst thing that's happened to you, you've had a chared life.

I rater like moths, although the year they ate holes in my favourite cashmere jumpers and a couple of antique rugs was a bit annoying. I now use a clothes moth killer spray on all the drawers in my chests of drawers (spray it into the edges & corners), anti-moth strips in my clothes drawers and wardrobes, and a moth-killing powder on my rugs, which I hoover off.

We've had an infestation. It's a pain. Just take out all your cashmere and put it in the freezer for 24 hours - it will kill the larvae. Get some smoke bombs - should kill the moths. When you put the jumpers back give them a really good shake and then use a tonne of those smelly moth-repulsing packets. Hopefully everything now holy can be repaired!

Erm...........just buy some moth balls, and as PP said, put delicate woolens in freezer.

it's nothing to freak out about

At least you have found larve OP. Hopefully thats all of it! We had a carpet moth infestation and I never managed to find the ‘source’. It was a PITA and the only thing that has pretty much got rid of it was replacing all the carpets with laminate. Luckily they never really went for my clothes (probably because they are all cheap fabric rather than the wool carpets). I have those sticky pheromone strip thingys that attract the females now so that keeps on top of any stragglers!

@onedaysoonish

We've had an infestation. It's a pain. Just take out all your cashmere and put it in the freezer for 24 hours - it will kill the larvae. Get some smoke bombs - should kill the moths. When you put the jumpers back give them a really good shake and then use a tonne of those smelly moth-repulsing packets. Hopefully everything now holy can be repaired!

What is a smoke bomb and how do you use it?

Have you got a tumble drier?

Sadly, now you (probably) have an infestation, you need to make serious efforts to destroy it. You can lose a lot of value in clothes, blankets etc.

Buy some large, clear plastic bags big enough to hold a garment on a hanger (they are cheap by the roll) and some of those plastic storage crates with a tight-sealing lid.

Modern mothproofers contain Transfluthrin, which will kill moths, larvae and eggs. It is sold in units that are just enough to treat a drawer or small cupboard by building up vapour inside. They will not build up enough vapour in a room, and it will dissipate in ventilation or break down in sunlight. It can take a couple of weeks to build up in a container. Hanging units for wardrobes usually treat half a cubic metre each.

But if you put your clothes through a tumble drier, the heat will kill larvae and eggs, and if you then seal them in a box or bag with a sachet or ball, they will not get re-infested while you deal with the outbreak. Zero-in is a good brand. You can put one ball or sachet in a pocket of each coat or suit if it is in a bag that you can tie or tape to seal. They do not smell like old mothballs and may last 3 months.

You have to clean inside, and especially behind and under, furniture and beds, and the gap under skirting boards. Frequent hoovering is best for this, especially in a baby's room where you do not want to use chemical sprays.

You can get things scented with lavender or cedar. These do not kill moths but will make your clothes smell nice when you throw them in the bin.

Examples
www.robertdyas.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=Moth

www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2505460.m570.l1313&_nkw=zero+moth&_sacat=0

www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/294937409

@CircleofWillis - I don't know if I can post a link but my husband found them on amazon - pest expert clothes moth killer smoke bombs is what they are called. Personally for the giant amount of faff I'm not sure they are worth it. You can't go in the room for hours because it's smoky - then when you can you still smell the stuff. It's non toxic but it's a bit grim. Also DH managed to burn a hole in the carpet setting them alight - you're supposed to put them on a plate but DH doesn't like to read instructions and I didn't find any dead moths afterwards so maybe just freezer and the strips and spray is the way to go!

Thanks Oneday I like the idea of a moth bomb. (Does it actually explode?)

Moths are the souls of dead people

It's a little plastic container and you basically light it and then put it down - on a plate!!! - and leave the room quickly. The plastic container melts and the room is filled with smoke almost immediately. No explosions though I'm afraid!

It must be toxic because it fatally poisons the moths.

Just checked, they contain Permethrin, which is a common insecticide, also used in fly sprays

I meant non toxic to humans - hopefully! Bit late anyway already used them (but still alive!)

PFB?

Get a grip, it's just a moth.

I get why OP is repulsed, we have a moth problem that is seemingly impossible to sort out. When I find larvae on anything it makes me feel sick, especially if it's DC clothes.

OP go through clothes especially woollens - if you have an infestation, that's where they're likely to be. You can get these sticky traps that are quite good at showing how many moths there are - it doesn't sort the problem but if you catch loads in one corner and none in another, it tells you something.

I keep moth sachets in our clothes drawers and have mothproof bags for things like jumpers in the summer months. They especially like to chomp things that are left undisturbed and crammed in for a long time, and dusty undisturbed places.

wait till your child gets headlice, thats huge fun

Hi to the moth bomb lovers... Do you know if they'd be likely to set off our smoke alarms?

After years of using the normal traps and many jumpers ruined I decided to go all out to get rid of our moths. We removed every carpet in the house and had a man come round with a super heater to heat the house up to a temperature they can’t survive in. We now have these pheromone dust trap things around the house, a bit like chalk, that confuse them and stop them from breeding. They use them in costume departments and areas too big to treat with smoke bombs. Two years on and not a single moth or hole in any of our clothes. Works perfectly.

Pooh @crayonedwalls what brand of chalky moth confuser do you use?

*oooh rather than Pooh :-)

Large larvae probably isn't going to be the cupboard type

Why would you be repulsed by a moth? Are you repulsed by every animal that makes it's way inside your house? Go put the moth larvae outside and forget about it