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!

Oh no! I can't bear it. I read somewhere that carpet moths can't fly very far. But I found one in the outside of the back door. I'm beginning to think there must be some moth flyers up somewhere. “All you can munch at Letitias house." 😏

I think that’s where our moths are underneath the floorboards - the thing is they are in every room upstairs, so that would mean lifting all the skirting and floor boards in the entire first floor! I’m considering boarding up the floor boards instead and then if that holds them off putting down a synthetic floor covering.

Just realised we only have to lift on floorboard across the middle of the room and spray the feckers.

The carpet moths in my house have started coming out again for the warmer months… I hate it 😞 anyway, best tips from me are to regularly spray edges of carpet and darker areas under furniture with a carpet moth spray. Vacuum regularly and move furniture if you can. I am a bit obsessive at times and go round with a torch to check the edges of the carpet and under furniture, I see if I can find any eggs/moths and vacuum and clean those areas. If you vacuum any up, best change your vacuum bag after in case the buggers are still alive inside! It will be an on going battle until we can change to a man-made fibre carpet, never buying wool carpet again :(

So they hate vinegar - spray anything you'd like them to stay away from.

Sprayed "Zero In" aerosol underneath the floor boards, repeated 3 times. Went into the room this morning and there was another bloody moth on the wall.
Lifted floorboards in another room - the joists were full of insulation - we think it's fiberglass but one fly out - so they are surviving on something and there is no way we can lift all the floorboards. I have sprayed the floor with vinegar to discourage them from coming up for air while we hardboard the floor - and we will do it to make sure the job is done right and lay LVT on top - sealing the little buggers in. I'm so exhausted by the whole process.😩

Apparently they hate the smell of lavender and some other natural smells also.

This: copied from "Healthline" online

lavender, bay leaves, cloves, rosemary, and thyme. Moths also hate the odors of these herbs. You can also dilute the essential oils of these herbs and spray them on your clothes and belongings or use a diffuser with one or more combinations of these oils.

I already spray any wool I have to leave unprotected for any length of time (after washing the garment or when I've just taken it off..). Add a few drops of pure essential oil of lavender in room temperature water in a fine mist spray, put the eg: cardigan on a hanger inside out and spray liberally. Especially under the arms. Seems to work - I'm very fond of fine wool clothes so I keep at it. 🌹

The vinegar idea is good for cleaning especially when you have an infestation. I have read that the eggs and grubs cannot live on an acidic surface, so not only does it deter them, it will kill them too - I can't vouch for the killing but I can for the deterring and I have sprayed vinegar all over the floor, am also getting some diatomaceous earth to drop between the floorboards. We have a lot of wool clothing too - the carpets will put down will be man-made fibres.

They live on anything with keratin in it, so wool, fur, hair, silk, etc.

Not all moths are equal! You may not like the big ones - but please don't squish them as they are not the ones that are eating into carpets and clothes. The little pale brown ones are the problem.

London Moth brand pheromone traps are working for me. (Carpets are quite badly affected.)

I advise anyone who is purchasing a property to ask the vendors via the info form if they have had any moth, insect or vermin infestation so that it can be checked and dealt with before move in.

Protector C. Best stuff ever, sorted our moth problem completely. You can get it on Amazon.

Edit...just realised this is an old thread!

Thanks though - we are still battling with moths - haven’t lost much knitwear but we’re nearly two years in and we still need to spray

Sorry to hear that. You do have to be persistent with it - honestly the stuff I mentioned above sorted our problem in about 6 months. Spray on rugs, floor boards, skirting boards, in the loft, around old fireplaces, in the wardrobes, shoe boxes…. Good luck.

I moved into a house with wool carpets and have had three moth problems in 12 years. The first two were solved by buying (quite expensive) spray from Waitrose and spraying the carpets in the affected areas, concentrating on the edges under the skirting boards. The last was centred around a log basket which had some wood dust and newspaper in the bottom.

And regular thorough hoovering.

Just pulled up the carpets last week - they are most definitely not wool - the backing is plastic and the fibre melts. The diatomaceous earth spread all over the floorboards made a big difference but I read that the grubs can live without food for up to 3 years - so for a bad infestation (and it was) you aren't properly clear from them with one season of spraying. The Protector C is on my wish list - no doubt they will reappear in the spring.

@movingatpace I know this is an old thread, but I wondered if you have managed to get rid of your moth infestation yet? We have been struggling 2 years and done loads to get rid and still finding them. I think they may be under our floorboards, so looking for any advice if you found anything that worked. Thanks