Clothes moths

[WiseOne]

Anyone here battling clothes moths and willing to share tips & experiences?

My place has been infested for over a year now, and dealing with it has taken way too much time and energy. They came in on a wool blanket that got infested while in storage. I put the blanket in the freezer as soon as I realized what happened. I thought I was safe after that, but unfortunately I was soon to learn lesson #1: freezing may kill adults and larva, but won't kill all the eggs even after 3 weeks.

Having moths immediately condemns you to doing several rounds of deep cleaning of everything you own, and getting rid of any textiles you aren't that invested in. Having cats makes the problem worse, because the moths regard the fur as a food source, and I discovered at some point that the cats themselves were spreading eggs around. I found that you can't limit your attention to the usual clothes and rugs. Some items that I've found to be infested: wicker baskets (with some pet hair collected at the bottom), the backs of wool wall hangings, clean towels in closets, a bicycle handlebar bag, and the outside of a heavy-duty nylon storage bag. Also, I had an infested wool rug that never showed any evidence of moths until I picked it up and found dead moths underneath.

Here are things that worked to clear potentially infested items: washing in hot water and drying on high heat, dry cleaning, packing items into plastic bags sprayed inside with SLA and closed up for 2 weeks, spraying closets and under/behind sofa with SLA repeatedly, baking wool items in a 170 degree oven for 30 minutes, and microwaving for 5 minutes. I've also packed away any textiles not in active use into airtight plastic bags, as that's the only way to prevent (re)infestation. Also I finally just had every carpet in the place sent out for cleaning with a (very expensive) two-step soaking process that should get rid of all the eggs (standard carpet cleaning won't do that). The carpet cleaners gave me an added tip: spray the floor with rubbing alcohol to get the eggs and larvae hiding in cracks between floor boards. Seems that may have helped as I haven't seen a moth since, but of course it's too soon to declare victory.

Things that did NOT work: freezing as mentioned, steam cleaning, repeated vacuuming. Which of course are the most frequently recommended methods on pest control websites.

Two ideas I found online that I wouldn't mind trying, both unsubstantiated. One is to buy beneficial insects that feed on moth eggs (Trichogramma wasps). Unfortunately, the strain that goes after clothes moths (Tineola bisselliella) is not available in the U.S. The other is heating the place above 99 degrees for a week. That's feasible in the summertime, if I can manage to go out of town during a heat wave.

Hoping to win the moth war but I suspect they're entrenched and all I can do is protect the stuff they could damage. They are welcome to the nylon and towels, as long as they stay away from my wool sweaters. And they provide great entertainment for the cats.

[Mountaineer]

Anyone here battling clothes moths and willing to share tips & experiences?

My place has been infested for over a year now, and dealing with it has taken way too much time and energy. They came in on a wool blanket that got infested while in storage. I put the blanket in the freezer as soon as I realized what happened. I thought I was safe after that, but unfortunately I was soon to learn lesson #1: freezing may kill adults and larva, but won't kill all the eggs even after 3 weeks.

Having moths immediately condemns you to doing several rounds of deep cleaning of everything you own, and getting rid of any textiles you aren't that invested in. Having cats makes the problem worse, because the moths regard the fur as a food source, and I discovered at some point that the cats themselves were spreading eggs around. I found that you can't limit your attention to the usual clothes and rugs. Some items that I've found to be infested: wicker baskets (with some pet hair collected at the bottom), the backs of wool wall hangings, clean towels in closets, a bicycle handlebar bag, and the outside of a heavy-duty nylon storage bag. Also, I had an infested wool rug that never showed any evidence of moths until I picked it up and found dead moths underneath.

Here are things that worked to clear potentially infested items: washing in hot water and drying on high heat, dry cleaning, packing items into plastic bags sprayed inside with SLA and closed up for 2 weeks, spraying closets and under/behind sofa with SLA repeatedly, baking wool items in a 170 degree oven for 30 minutes, and microwaving for 5 minutes. I've also packed away any textiles not in active use into airtight plastic bags, as that's the only way to prevent (re)infestation. Also I finally just had every carpet in the place sent out for cleaning with a (very expensive) two-step soaking process that should get rid of all the eggs (standard carpet cleaning won't do that). The carpet cleaners gave me an added tip: spray the floor with rubbing alcohol to get the eggs and larvae hiding in cracks between floor boards. Seems that may have helped as I haven't seen a moth since, but of course it's too soon to declare victory.

Things that did NOT work: freezing as mentioned, steam cleaning, repeated vacuuming. Which of course are the most frequently recommended methods on pest control websites.

Two ideas I found online that I wouldn't mind trying, both unsubstantiated. One is to buy beneficial insects that feed on moth eggs (Trichogramma wasps). Unfortunately, the strain that goes after clothes moths (Tineola bisselliella) is not available in the U.S. The other is heating the place above 99 degrees for a week. That's feasible in the summertime, if I can manage to go out of town during a heat wave.

Hoping to win the moth war but I suspect they're entrenched and all I can do is protect the stuff they could damage. They are welcome to the nylon and towels, as long as they stay away from my wool sweaters. And they provide great entertainment for the cats.

Wow, you evoked a memory of moth ball odor (naphthalene if I remember correctly) at my parents home. Do they still sell moth balls (no jokes please), and if so, did you try them?

[Maddy]

Wow, WiseOne, it sounds like you've become a veritable expert in moth control. And I thought I had moth problems!

There are only a couple of things I can add:

(1) Re freezing: I've heard that repeated cycles of freezing and thawing will kill what merely freezing once does not.

(2) I'm assuming that at some point in the life cycle of these moths they are flying around live. I'd explore a hanging lantern-style device called the Flowtron (another brand is the Stinger) which attracts and then electrocutes them. I've got one hanging outside a back window, and during the evening hours when moths and mosquitos come out in droves, I hear a nearly constant (as in four per second) zapping of bugs. The ultraviolet light attracts moths, and for mosquito control you simply insert an Octenol attractant. I have no idea whether these devices can be used safely indoors, but you might look into that question.

So sorry you are having this problem. I've lost more than a few really nice wool items from the same thing, and it's a real drag and a half.

P.S. Letting wasps loose in your house just might earn you a visit from the guys in white jackets.

P.S.P.S. Turns out the Flowtron is recommended for outdoor use only. But here's something similar that is approved for indoor use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072TNVMFV?psc=1

[Maddy]

Here's another thought: Decahydrated borax. It can be sprinkled on and under carpets, along baseboards, etc., and then easily vacuumed up after a few days. I became familiar with this item years ago when battling fleas. It apparently works by dehydrating the little buggers and their eggs. A quick internet search reveals that people are using it successfully with clothes moths as well.

[WiseOne]

Wow, WiseOne, it sounds like you've become a veritable expert in moth control. And I thought I had moth problems!

There are only a couple of things I can add:

(1) Re freezing: I've heard that repeated cycles of freezing and thawing will kill what merely freezing once does not.

(2) I'm assuming that at some point in the life cycle of these moths they are flying around live. I'd explore a hanging lantern-style device called the Flowtron (another brand is the Stinger) which attracts and then electrocutes them. I've got one hanging outside a back window, and during the evening hours when moths and mosquitos come out in droves, I hear a nearly constant (as in four per second) zapping of bugs. The ultraviolet light attracts moths, and for mosquito control you simply insert an Octenol attractant. I have no idea whether these devices can be used safely indoors, but you might look into that question.

So sorry you are having this problem. I've lost more than a few really nice wool items from the same thing, and it's a real drag and a half.

P.S. Letting wasps loose in your house just might earn you a visit from the guys in white jackets.

P.S.P.S. Turns out the Flowtron is recommended for outdoor use only. But here's something similar that is approved for indoor use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072TNVMFV?psc=1

General: No kidding! It's been my favorite hobby for the past year. And yes, drag and a half indeed. It's exhausting and demoralizing. Hoping I could pass on some of this knowledge in case anyone else has the same problem.

Re mothballs: they're toxic and not effective, ditto cedar unless you use them in an enclosed space like a storage bag. I got some cedar blocks for the bags where I packed my woolens. Only non-wool/silk items get put directly into drawers or hung up, except one silk scarf in my closet that I'm using as a moth detector - I inspect it about once a week. This seems to be working so far.

(1)The fact that people recommend repeat cycles tells you immediately that the eggs survived freezing. The idea is to get some of them to hatch after thawing, but there's no guarantee that all of them will cooperate. Given that there are other easy methods that work more effectively, I don't see why you'd bother with this.

(2) Moths only rarely fly around, and that's only the males. The pheromone sticky traps will pick them up but really that's only for detection purposes. Trapping won't affect the moth population significantly and I assume neither will zapping.

P.S. They're microwasps and harmless to humans. Not an option anyway unless I can score some in Europe this fall.

Borax is a good thought for under carpets especially but I'm not sure it's cat-safe. The rubbing alcohol for floorboard cracks is better, as I just had to lock the cats into my bedroom until the stuff dried. Also, the problem is WHERE to put it?? Finding sources has been the major battle. The nylon bag thing really blew my mind.

[Maddy]

How about ozone? You'd have to rent an ozone machine and vacate for the prescribed period of time, but then you'd be done with it.

[dualstow]

WiseOne, as usual, you know ten times as much as I do.

Why does the wasp thing conjure images of Silence of the Lambs?

I had a favorite cashmere shirt ruined before I realized how severe the problem was. At a party down the block, I met a guy who was selling some kind of Tibetan wall hangings for a living, though we both used to work in the same huge company years ago . Moths were wreaking havoc on these hangings. He said our city was "Moth Central", and that he hadn't had a problem before moving here from the southwest.

Also had a problem with Indian meal moths. They like starch, but used to wake up and attack me in the shower in summer months. Harmless but scary in that claustrophobic enclosure. (door, not curtain).

Sorry to say, they (both) only went away when we renovated. I'd tried some kind of chemicals that cause cancer in California, hanging in the closet, but all they did was make my eyes burn.

I would consult a professional exterminator.

[Mark Leavy]

Bring your room temperature over 120 degrees F for the good part of a day.
Side benefit, it also kills another NYC problem - all bedbugs.

If you plan on staying in the apartment to monitor the heaters, prepare a few pitchers of mojitos and watch The Rum Diary while you sweat it out in your beach clothes.

[dualstow]

Ha, I was going to mention that heat kills those, too, but I'm too afraid to even invoke their name. We haven't got those...yet.

Watch 'Joe's Apartment'.

[Maddy]

We use BT (bacillus thuringesis) to control moth larvae on organically grown crops, especially broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. It occurred to me that it might work on clothes moths as well, and, by golly, it does:

https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-prob ... h-control/

To my knowledge, exposure poses no problem to humans or animals, but it paralyzes the digestive tracts of caterpillars and other moth-type insects. Works like a charm in an agricultural setting.

[WiseOne]

Bring your room temperature over 120 degrees F for the good part of a day.
Side benefit, it also kills another NYC problem - all bedbugs.

Good plan for next heat wave! I think I'd rather enjoy those mojitos somewhere else though, and I'm not sure running heaters full blast would be a good idea if I weren't sticking around. Natural greenhouse effect with outside temp 100 degrees should do the trick though. Also it would probably kill houseplants and shorten the life of electronics even if they're turned off and unplugged.

Thankfully no bedbugs, but there are silverfish. Less yucky than roaches but I wouldn't mind getting rid of them.

[Mountaineer]

Bring your room temperature over 120 degrees F for the good part of a day.
Side benefit, it also kills another NYC problem - all bedbugs.

Good plan for next heat wave! I think I'd rather enjoy those mojitos somewhere else though, and I'm not sure running heaters full blast would be a good idea if I weren't sticking around. Natural greenhouse effect with outside temp 100 degrees should do the trick though. Also it would probably kill houseplants and shorten the life of electronics even if they're turned off and unplugged.

Thankfully no bedbugs, but there are silverfish. Less yucky than roaches but I wouldn't mind getting rid of them.

Embrace the critters. They will be food for you during the coming apocalypse.