Moths

[AugmentedToast]

Have had them since moving into the house three years ago.

Can’t get rid of them. Tried mothballs, moth powder, these little insects that allegedly eat the larvae. Put most clothes and textiles in the attic, in bags with moth powder.

This seems to have limited the main problem to the bedroom (I kill ca 15 moths there every day, just the odd single moth elsewhere). Trouble is, there isn’t really anything left in the bedroom where they could lay their eggs, no idea where they’re coming from now.

What else can I do? Pest control? I’m reluctant because of chemicals, I have a 2 1/2 year old toddler.

Any advice welcome!

We had this issue but last year I noticed the attic was lined with off cuts of carpet and it was harbouring them. Still got a few this year but nothing like we used to have. Check the hidden areas. Could you have wool insulation ? Or are they eating carpet under a bed or something?

It was actually inside the eaves - I overlooked the carpet for 6 years before I finally realised

We are having this problem too, we think they're coming through the extractor fan in the bathroom ☹️

We had them in the old house and think it was the carpets and lack of proper ventilation and I bought a spray and it seemed to work and you can get sprays that do not have strong chemicals. We had a massive moth in the house the other night and then could not find it and I was having a wee and then saw it on the ground and jumped up and ended up not been able to stop mid flow wee so all over my trousers but did kill the moth with tissue. It was huge with big body yuk. But those little ones soo annoying but look up online for chemical free spray and hope you sort them out as they do eat your clothes and leave holes.

We’re having a similar problem - moved into a house 3 months ago, we have not fully loved in - problem is getting worse, sure it’s the season for them to hatch into moths but nothing we have used so far has killed the larvae - all our clothes are zipped up in bags, we have no wardrobes or drawers. We have pheromone traps all around the house - they attract the males so the breeding cycle is disrupted but I suspect they are in the attic - we have taped up the gaps and are waiting to see if that helps, but we are rapidly moving towards calling the pest control getting the house treated whilst we are out - maybe staying overnight in a hotel. I think it would be cheaper than buying loads of products and obsessively hoovering, bagging, tumble drying and watching out for the buggers to kill them. It’s exhausting.

I suspect we have them in the loft. Last year, we ripped up the wool carpets they were eating and replaced them with man made fibre carpet. That has helped enormously, but I have started seeing them again in the last month. However, only a few, and if we can keep it to that, I can live with them. If I start seeing more, I'll need to start the daily vacuuming again.

How are you getting on OP?

I've now seen two in two days. As pp said, this is the time of year for them.
Not sure where to start with getting rid of them!

So the result of us taping up the loft was....drum roll - one moth! We left a phermone trap up there and got 2 in two weeks - so that is not the source of our problem - which is quite a relief because dh and I are both terrified of the loft.😁 We have no clothes in the rooms they appear in, no wardrobes etc. The bombs are pointless...they kill the moths, they made no difference - nothing in the rooms, so I can easily kill any that appear - and I check obsessively! Hoovered up everywhere and then set the parasitic wasps free...I'm considering drenching the house in white vinegar - they apparently hate that and it kills them and although quite stinky it gets bonus points for not being toxic! I spray all my clothes with it - the smell evaporates - or am I just slowly going mad? Now only finding about 5 a day...is that progress?

@MovingatPace Have you tried Acclaim? It's technically a flea spray but it's not that choosy about what it kills so you need to be cautious. Good job we have all these nice masks! Spray it in a room, in cupboards, drawers, etc and then shut the door. Leave it at least a couple of hours. When you go back in, open the windows. I promise you, it'll kill your larvae and moths but not the eggs. So you need to spray every few days to catch any new hatchings.

It's probably carpet moths if they are tiny and brown. Read up about them online. We treated our carpets with RugRemedy carpet moth spray, bought from Amazon and it was brilliant. The moths lay eggs in dark places, not just in carpets but in soft furnishings-eg curtains (even inside the linings). The larvae feed on the fibres and look like grains of rice. You don't need to spray the whole room, only around the edges and in dark places so it involves shifting furniture. Check the back of furniture too.

One bottle was enough for nearly the whole of our home so it's very affordable. I spray annually now and haven't had a problem since.

Will have a look at Acclaim. We only have carpet on the stairs - no signs of activity, don’t think it’s wool but carpets have already been treated with Rentakill powder and Lakeland moth carpet spray…with no improvement in situation. I expect the little feckers can almost live on fresh air. Thanks for all the suggestions.

I got a man to come in and spray everywhere with a chemical. He also found the main site where they all need from under the stairs in some old cow hide carpet. Once rid of that + the spray, it dramatically improved. I spray in the wardrobes with a spray from Amazon to keep it at bay called Zero In moth clothes killer for under a fiver. (See photo)
Any new carpet is now polypropylene (very nice too) as the winged bastards love woolly carpet. I can genuinely say I only ever see the odd one

Also look for any pupae hanging from walls and ceilings and act fast with spray and hoovering cupboards out

You will win!!!!!!

I eradicated moths by using the sticky pheromone traps in the loft, wardrobes, under the beds etc.

At the same time Zero moth killer papers in wardrobes, drawers, etc.

We have clothes moths. You never quite get rid of them but you can knock them back.
They need something organic to live on - wool, skin, etc. I traced one outbreak back to the bird food, fat balls were sustaining them!
If you think they're in one room but can't find exactly where, you can use the aerosols as a room treatment. Close windows etc, spray very generously into the air and close the door. Leave for a couple of hours/overnight then ventilate.
Unfortunately I find I just have to try and keep on top of dark places and vacuuming.

If only they were living on fresh air! They're munching away on something and I don't want to freak you out but their larvae are quite big. They don't just live on wool carpet, though. They feed on any natural fibre with keratin, eg, wool, silk, fur. And maybe even cotton, I cant remember.
My tip would be to spray each room in the morning before leaving for work. Shut the doors after spraying. Check when you get home to see where the moths bodies are. Even better to do it at night when the moths are active but obviously you can't do your bedroom.

If you spray your kitchen, an attractive room for moths, make sure all your food is away and the unit tops are cleared. Wipe the tops down before you use them in the evening. Acclaim is serious stuff.

Yes the phermone traps are certainly doing their job - we've caught loads! We bought this house in February and the problem has got worse but that coincides with the time of year for all the pupae to mature into moths. I honestly have sprayed everywhere. I suspect they are laying eggs between the floorboards and under the skirting -old house must be enough dust down there to last them a lifetime. Have hoovered but how do you ever clear dust underneath your floor.

We have this problem every year, they are here for the yummy wool carpets! Early Spring we move all the furniture, vacuum & spray with the amazing Amazon moth killer which gives 6 months protection. We make sure there are clear sight lines in all rooms around all furniture so we can vacuum weekly throughout moth season.

We also have removable 'moth screens' (wood battens & stapled-on cheap net curtain) which are put in place in the evenings when lights are on and windows open. So far so good, but some squishing of the carpet variety is occasionally necessary. (Sorry!)

What's the amazing Amazon moth killer? We have a pet so toxic products are a bit of a problem.

Acclaim is designed for pet fleas so can be used with pets BUT they need to be out of the room when you've sprayed. It IS toxic.
But these other products, sound good too. I'm making notes. My Acclaim has killed loads of larvae but I still see the odd moth so I might try something else if this doesn't get everything.
Did you get these traps from Anazon? Are they the triangular ones or sticky paper?

Yes we bought the London Moth brand - good value and they are working - in the sense that we are catching loads

Thanks. I've looked them up on amazon and will give them a go. I might get ideas of numbers.

I've bought them. They'll be here by tomorrow. Thanks, Moving.

I think the traps are a good way of checking whether you have a problem or not. All moths are not eating your clothes so it's important to know what you are dealing with.

My friend has a theory that the traps actually bring moths into your home. Worth considering?

How old is the house? A relative had a Victorian flat and when dry rot treatment was carried out the workers found that thick fabric had been laid between the floors to act as sound insultation. Could there be something like that under the floorboards?