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A moth infestation can be very distasteful. Once you begin to see signs, you have to act fast, pulling out all the strategies to combat
December 30, 2021
21 min read time
This information is reviewed by an independent pest control expert.
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Moths are dangerous insects.
We say this not because they bite or sting, but because they are great at destroying things. They can also cause mild skin irritations and food poisoning.
Moth infestation can do a lot of damage to your textiles, fabric, and even food storage bags. They can also attack your couch fabric, your beloved wool dress, or even your pet fur.
What’s more?
You could one day open your wardrobe and see your wedding dress destroyed and eaten by moths. Or your food source infested by these insects.
Unfortunately, these damages could go on unnoticeable, especially in their lava stage, making them very difficult to quickly spot and giving them a whole lot of time to destroy things.
With this in mind, it becomes apparent that having an invasion of this insect in your storage closet will be very detrimental.
If you have an infestation that has already gotten out of hand, or that is budding, and you do not want it to get out of hand, you need some expert help to handle the situation.
Not to worry, this article will give you all the specialist knowledge you need to quash the invasion.
Table of Contents
Moths are a type of insects that constitute about 160,00 species living all around the different continents. They are nocturnal and only live for a couple of weeks. Their stages of development are egg, larvae, pupa and adult. And even though adults are dangerous when eaten, that is about the only time they are dangerous.
If you are looking to get rid of them, you should concentrate on the moth larvae. At the larvae stage, they are most damaging to the fabric, textiles or even to the skin.
They love warm areas, and it will take a couple of days for the larvae to develop into a full-grown adult. It could take a couple of days to grow in hot environments and up to four months in and around cold areas.
Of all the species that exist, the clothes moths and pantry moths are the most common pests.
Clothes moths have a natural liking for the natural fibres in clothes, and they are always willing to eat through everything to get what they want, much to the detriment of the owner.
Pantry moths, unlike clothes moths, have a natural liking for food no matter where they are stored. Cereals, flours and the likes all serve as a source of food for this species.
Clothes moths because they feast on clothes, and pantry moths because they feed on pantries. Although they are of different species, they are both pests that we all find frustrating, and that can ruin the things that we love. The adult moths do not live for too long and solely exist to lay eggs.
If you have moths in the home, it might not be easy to notice and find them until you see the proof on clothes, or until you see adult moths moving around the house since moths do not usually move far away from their source of food.
Whatever the cause, moths are unwanted, and once you find moths lurking in corners, you should swiftly deal with it.
Moths like every other insect are pests attracted into the house by certain things. To eliminate them, you need to understand why and how they infested your home in the first place, before strategizing on how to stop them.
In a typical home infestation, moths pantry goods and clothes attract moths. Because they are just trying to find a suitable place to feed and lay their eggs, moths can come into your house in search of an appropriate environment.
Moths enter into the house in their egg and larvae stage. The Clothes moth is mostly transported from the moth ridden environment into the home on the clothes. And because moths like human sweat, hair and body oil, they are drawn to clothes or carpets that have these things.
Clothes gotten from thrift shops could have a whole lot of eggs or larvae that can cause an infestation once in the home. Pantry moths like covered boxes and containers, so the containers in the pantry can attract them. Once they get in through the crevices and cracks, they multiply quickly and can cause an infestation. Pantry moths, for instance, can lay up to 300 to 400 eggs at once.
Most insects are easily spotted, and it is not always difficult to know when you have a cockroach infestation and the likes.
But because moths do not bite and physically harass humans, an infestation can go on for very long and can sometimes only be noticed after considerable damage.
If you want to know if your home is infested, you need to keep your eyes peeled.
Here are some of the ways to tell if you have an infestation.
1.Holes: Most infestations are gotten to know when holes are drilled into the clothes or carpets. The clothes moth loves fabrics obtained from the fibre of animals. Clothes moth larvae will feed on the wool, leather or silk. This insect will eat through clothes in search of the fibres they want.
The carpet moth just like the clothes moth gets its name because of its notoriety of eating through the carpet. They love soft fibres and are usually found in dark places.
Holes in food items packaged can also be a sign of infestation. The pantry moth typically finds its food in the pantry, and they can eat through plastic or paper packaging to get the food they want like grains and flour.
When you come across a badly damaged cloth with holes in it, a food item packaging or the carpet in your sitting room, you are most likely already experiencing an infestation.
2. Adult moths: They always gravitate around the areas where they are sure to get a suitable food supply. They live for just a couple of weeks, so there is no need for them to cross long distances.
Some adult moths do not even eat; they only lay. When multiple adult moths are around, you are already most likely experiencing an invasion because it means those moths have reproduced.
3.Eggs and Larvae: Eggs and larvae seen around the home can give off a sign of an infestation. The eggs are tiny, and they mostly go unnoticed. But some species as small as a grain of salt are identified with the naked eyes.
The moth larvae are larger than the egg and can be more obvious. Eggs once identified will signal a moth invasion ongoing.
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Moths can be harmful. It is not just enough to know what causes them in and around the home; it is essential to understand how to remove them thoroughly. Here are some tips you can follow to remove moths effectively.
1.Vacuum regularly: Vacuum cleaning helps to remove dirt that is far-reaching, generally because they are too small, or because they are in tight corners.
Adult lay in places that have enough keratin, and the fibre that they love so much. Vacuum cleaning regularly will help to remove them.
If you are looking to eliminate an invasion, you should also clean house surfaces regularly with a vacuum cleaner. Because they are attracted to dirt, it is easier for them to occupy surfaces and corners that are dirty. But vacuum cleaners can help you reach them.
After cleaning with a vacuum cleaner, the cleaner should be dusted and cleaned thoroughly to avoid larvae hiding and subsequently resurfacing.
2.Moth Repellents: A moth infestation can be very stubborn to eliminate. To keep them away permanently, you can use, repellents. These repellents work against the system of the moths and are sure to keep them out.
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Moth repellents are quite reliable in getting rid of moths, the insects react to these repellents, and move away. Here are some of the best moth repellents that can aid in keeping them away.
1.Lavender:
Moths are allergic to the smell of lavender. To make it useful, wrap the dried lavender up, and drop in the corners, wardrobes, or areas where you think the insects are. Though as humans, we love the lavender smell, moths despise it and will help well to prevent further invasion.
2. Cedar:
Cedar has proved over time to be a natural repellent.
They are effective and have shown that they can work as a natural remedy to repel, prevent and help get rid of moths. Cedar is also a hundred percent natural, and it has no chemical side effects. Once the cedar is applied, it will make the pest move off. But you have to apply sandpaper every couple of months to sharpen the smell.
3.Cloves, thymes and Rosemary:
These are natural ways to stop and prevent the moth invasion by eliminating the moths and repelling them from where they can lay eggs to start another moth infestation. Although we love the smell of herbs as humans, some insects cannot withstand them, and they move away from the areas where these herbs are well in use.
4.Bay leaves:
Bay leaves placed in food sources are also great to aid in eliminating moths.
Once you place in the appropriate food sources, and you make sure to leave behind no space untouched, they will repel the Indian meal moth, the pantry moth, and every other look like species of moth that likes taking advantage of food items in the closet. Thus making them leave the closet.
To effectively get rid of the moth infestation, wrap the herbs in the corners where they are hiding.
Instead of using herbs wrapped up, the oils that are now in use can be an alternative to aid in repelling and to prevent moths. These herbs do not serve only one purpose, though, they are effective in sending them away.
1.Mothballs:
This should be only a last resort to get rid of them. The strong chemicals from the mothballs might be quite a lot. Though the traditional mothballs were banned because they were considered harmful, the mothballs produced should be used sparingly and in strict accordance with the guidelines of the manufacturer.
When using mothballs, you should streamline it to the pests the manufacturers produced it for, and you should use it properly in airtight containers where the risk to be exposed and to cause harm is low.
When you use the mothballs outside the airtight compartments, the gas becomes released into the air, and that can cause a whole lot of problems. So, mothballs should always be the last resort as it can be hazardous and harmful.
Mothball exposure can cause severe liver and kidney damage, and sometimes, mild skin irritation, nausea and the likes. To ensure this doesn’t happen, you must follow all the instructions stated on the label to ensure safety.
2.Moth traps:
Thanos moth trap is an apparatus used to catch moths.
These traps all follow the same design. They attract moths around the device and send them down into the box. These traps are mostly light attracted. Because light attracts moths, you will find that moths will gravitate towards the trap.
Once done, the pests most into the box. Depending on the trap, the moth can be killed or can be preserved for research purposes.
Some other traps use Pheromone. Pheromone attracts the insects as they help to trigger social responses of the same species. There are sex pheromones, alarm pheromones and the likes. And though moths are sure to be caught, the traps will also attract other kinds of insects with the light or the pheromones.
These traps attract and destroy adult moths, and keep them from producing the eggs that are known to cause so much damage to personal belongings.
1.Freeze clothing:
Clothing moths are known to like warm and cool temperatures and like other insects, will die under extremely hot, or freezing temperatures. Once the temperatures are above 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below -18 degrees Fahrenheit, moths typically get in trouble.
To kill them off, infested clothing can be placed in plastic bags to avoid condensation, and then placed in the freezer for not less than one week. This is because moth eggs and larvae that cause damage to clothing are quite resilient. Putting clothes in the freezer will help to eliminate them.
2.Hot water wash and dry cleaning:
Moths cannot survive in scorching temperatures as they cannot survive in icy environments. Washing can be a method used to kill clothes moths, but it is tricky because when you wash, you might not reach the insects.
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Washing and scrubbing of clothing can help to get rid of moths, but most clothing that needs hot wash does not exactly serve as a good source of food for this insect anyway.
So, washing the clothes might not get rid of the clothes moths except if you dry clean.
But since clothes moths detest sunlight, the sunlight when you spread the clothing can affect them and make them seek a more relaxed and not so bot environment.
Pest control:
If the nothing problem persists, you can reach out to a pest control company to help with pest control and extermination, To keep your house free from moths and to dry them up.
What the pest control does is to spray with pesticide. This pesticide spray helps to get rid of them.
The workers at pest control agencies are professionals who have the rights reserved to deal with pest issues and can help to control and kill the insects in the kitchen, the wardrobe, cracks and crevices, and all around the house. These technicians will help to dry them up and put the pest problem behind you and to eliminate moths.
A moth infestation can be very distasteful.
Once you begin to see signs of trouble, you have to act fast, pulling out all the strategies to combat this pest swiftly.
Luckily, this article explains the strategy to get rid of this insect. Once you use them, you are sure yo get rid of the moths.
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