MOTHS!!!

[daisie4]

I think I'm becoming obsessed with moths. I've never had a problem with them before, moved into our house two years ago and noticed a few but didn't realise what a problem they are. We took out stored clothes from a cupboard and realised they were full of holes. I bought some pheromone traps and caught about 150 in two weeks. I completely emptied the cupboard, hoovered it and sprayed with moth killer. Put more traps around the house, and thoroughly under beds, everywhere - this was about 3 months ago, but the traps are still catching them, and just unpacked winter jumpers from a sealed suitcase - more holes. What can I do - am desperate to save new jumpers?

Could they be in your carpets? My parents had a similar problem and worked out that the moths were living in the carpets at the bottom of walk in wardrobes. They have bought a specific carpet spray and it has helped a lot.

Hi Cloutie, thanks for your reply, I don't think so we've got stripped floorboards downstairs and upstairs is really old man made fibre carpet. I found a couple of small wool rugs that were infested and threw rgem away, but that was months ago and they're still obviously hatching or I wouldn't be catching new ones

lots and lots of hoovering

moth-killers containing Transfluthrin in your wardrobes (cedar and lavender just make your holey clothes smell nice when you throw them in the bin)

Tumble drier to kill eggs and larvare, and immediately put the clothes in a sealed plastic crate with a moth killer to prevent reinfestation.

You will take it seriously when you have suffered a bad attack and thrown away your favourite clothes.

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Thanks Pigletjohn, will they be in carpets even if they're manmade?

I've bought these www.amazon.co.uk/Moth-Killer-hanging-unit-RENTOKIL/dp/B002DYARYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351688162&sr=8-1 and put three in our large double wardrobe and one in my jumper drawer - are they what you mean? I do tumble dry clothes, but a lot can't be tumble dried.

Can you ever get rid of them? I am taking them seriously, just not sure what else to do

I can't read the label on that, but if it contains Transfluthrin, it'll be the right one. I get mine at Roberty Dyas, there are several brands. Each hanger will usually treat half a cubic metre, so you need about two in a wardrobe and one in a drawer. They kill the eggs and grubs as well as adults and lat several months. Check the directions on yours, and you can sometimes get impregnated flower-shaped mothkillers for a small space like a plastic crate, which works out cheaper.

Any summer clothes stored for the winter will be at risk as you won't see the damage for a while.

I meant, you can put things through a tumble drier to kill the eggs even if they are clean and don't need washing. Even woolens and furs can be tumbled if they are not wet.

If you have wool carpets, they need spraying especially round the edges where moths crawl under to lay eggs, and the hoover doesn't quite reach. An upright is better for bashing them out.

p.s.

they won't eat carpets if 100% polypropylene, but some have a natural hessian backing, and you may have underfelt which is made of wool.

But can I ever be truly rid of them

yes, eventually. Clothes tumbled and put in wardrobes or sealed boxes with the moth killer, lots of hoovering especially in corners and under furniture, spray round the edges, keep it up, when you have seen no trace for some months, you're probably OK, but keep up the hangers in wardrobes to prevent a re-infestation.

We moved into a new house that was infested with carpet moths. It took me ages to figure out the problem as I was looking for wooly bears and not cases! We used some products from a company called pest control direct. Ordered ove the website and sprayed and fumigated house. Repeated after 6 months as advised but was almost instantaneously effective. Bit of effort but well worth it.

Agree with piglet. Be Relentless. Even if you think you have got rid, continue on although fully infested!

If you rent, then think about moving.

If you own, throw away all your carpets and put down wood or laminate.

Throw away or wash at 60° or freeze for 48 hours every scrap of fabric you own - and don't reintroduce any of it until the last moth has gone. Use the best moth deterrent you can afford. Open all windows and doors and shake out cupboards regularly. If you have a spare £900, bring in Rentokil.

Oh and they lay eggs in your Hoover and the grubs crawl out, so empty your Hoover after every use. Sorry OP they are so grim you have my utter sympathy. We got rid of them - but we had to move house to do it.

I store my jumpers in the freezer, after a recent attack.

They are a nightmare. We had them in our old house and moved to a new house. Had all clothes dry cleaned but they must have come in the furniture as they are back. I've had to demoth 3 rooms, our bedroom being particularly grim as to my horror found that they had completely infested the carpet under the bed.

I bought some special moth killer kits from from an internet company which included sprays/ powder and special room fumigator things (but not smoke ones). It took a whole day to do each room as had to take all clothes out, check for moths, wash anything dodgy and then spray all drawers cupboards etc. So far the results have been good - I've got moth traps up and haven't caught many and am obsessively checking the carpets etc. Have also got moth killers in all wardrobes and special paper strips in drawers.

My final horrid job is to do the piano where the buggers have got into the felts on the keys.

Also agree that storing jumpers in those vacuum bags works well plus constant hoovering and opening doors/ drawers frequently to let light in.

It is a real pain but if you keep on top of it then you can win!

Thanks for all your replies, I'm glad there's still hope of getting rid of them, we're hoping to recarpet upstairs early next year with a lovely wool carpet and I'm reluctant to do it just to watch it be eaten.

agnesf - I've been looking at those fumigators - do they work? it looks like I'll need two or three for some rooms due to their size so I think I'd need to bulk buy - it sounds like it was more work than just letting it off in the room, did you wash all wool just in case? It seems once you can see signs of the clothes being eaten its too late?

Pigletjohn - when you say hoover under the furniture do you mean all of it? We've never moved over wardrobe or chest of drawers as their so large and heavy, done everything else, beds, side tables etc.

ha ha! that's why the moths live there!

spray it as well if you think you will not be hoovering it frequently.