Moths

I don't think I've seen a single moth this year, in fact I very rarely do any year. I always have windows open, so I don't know what the answer is.

I've noticed the same thing martha. Yesterday, for the first time ever, I bought moth balls and hanging thingies for the wardrobes.

Don't know why this has suddenly become a problem but I'm declaring war on the little blighters.

I keep cedarwood "pebbles", and a cedarwood spray and lavender bags in the wardrobes and they seem to work, but have a problem with case moths in the living room eating away the carpet in the corners. I don't like using chemical deterrents.

I zap all I find, I think clothes moths are the small ones, but the damage their 'eggs' cause is horrendous some years.As the young emerge they eat all natural ( as opposed to man made) material.

I confess I buy old school mothballs online -smell awful but I have a fondness for vintage cashmere so not taking any chances -also a tip.i was given that seems sensible -put all silk wool and cashmere items into the freezer for 48 hours esp when first purchased if 2nd hand

Lakeland sells what it is called moths trap. I am using those and found few stuck onto its very sticky surface. It contains some sort of moth hormons which attract female moths thinking that the trap is a male moth (or was it the other way round?). I also find the Zero In spray can is quite good...although you still need to catch or crush the moth as it went down. I am not convinced that it actually kills it. These moths are quite resilient! They do say lavender oil and also cedar keep them away. Good luck! I now have spotted only one this time around. Their favorite place to rest very often is on the wall near the ceiling. Look out in those area...they look like a speck of small black/brown spot so you can easily miss it!

PS: to ensure your wool/silk garments are free from the moths larvae(it is them that chew the material), put them in the freezer as someone had also suggested at least 48 hrs then put them in ziplock bags.

I become a complete nutcase when I see them, leaping about trying to swat them on the walls! We live in Bath and many people here have terrible problems with moths - they corrugated the back of my favourite coat and almost all of my knitwear has holes. They always seem to be worst in spring when I guess they reappear after the winter? Ours then started on our living room carpet a couple of years ago, despite moth traps, sprays and special strips left in the worst places. There are even a couple of bald patches on the stairs and landings.
In the end we decided to remove the living room carpet and have a wooden floor with plans for a large rug in the middle that moths can't eat. We've definitely seen less around since then, though that may just be the time of year and the weather.
I've also bought transparent zipped hanging bags for my wardrobe, covering all clothes that might appeal to moths - I got them on Amazon and they were relatively cheap (Russel-Extra-Long-Dress-Cover-Transparent). They're very long so I cut to the right length and seal the bottom carefully. I also bought some zip seal bags for my knitwear.
It is strange that moths seem to favour some wool fabrics over others - we all know that they love cashmere, but I've found that they don't go for wool crepe or (generally) my husband's suits.
The accepted theory is that they go for grubby wool, but I've found that they don't mind whether is is washed, dry cleaned or whatever and they have gone for a brand new coat in a plastic bag that was not properly sealed. I have one lovely, very old cashmere jumper which is untouched but a newer one has been decimated. Incidentally they have never gone for silk in our house - perhaps wool is more appealing

I am about to have the last wool fitted carpets removed and replaced by synthetic. We have had a problem for at least five years, and the remaining carpets are bald in the corners, along the edges etc. Although I am constantly vigilant, have sticky traps (Arexon from Amazon) everywhere and spray under and on top of our beautiful wool rugs, they are still around. The traps catch hundreds, so they are obviously more prolific than we can see. I hoover both back and front of rugs, soak them in spray, and still the little blighters appear. I have not found a spray that actually 'knocks them down' despite the claims on the can. Moving clothes regularly, shaking them out, washing before putting away etc. all helps. We are victims of warm comfortable living, which moths love.

We have carpet moths, and despite using a hand held steamer and blasting right along the edges at intervals, lifting the carpet when possible to get down the skirting board where I understand moths lurk, the holes have increased. Moth traps from Lakeland haven't caught a one, though we still see them flying around. Don't like chemicals and it isn't viable for us to have wooden floors as our house has a basement flat under part of the ground and sound would go through. We don't seem to have the same problem with clothes.

We have a problem with moths in our living room and are to change the (bald) wool carpet for a non wool one asap. One thing I do do when I empty the vacuum cleaner is put the contents in a container and pour boiling water on it. I feel this kills any moth eggs that might be lurking there. Mind you it might help if I used the vacuum cleaner a bit more often??

We get 2 or 3 flying around in the living room every evening at the moment. They get "zapped" with a bug zapper very easily. Got ours from Robert Dyas at least 7 years ago and still working on original batteries. Only £4.99, so very good value. Can highly recommend...!!

www.robertdyas.co.uk/king-bug-zapper

Our cat helps get rid of them. If one dares flutter past her,SNAP! It's gone.

We also have bald-in-the-corner carpets, and little whatsits flying round the bedroom every night, despite sprays and everything else I can think of. I keep all our cashmere or wool jumpers in zip-up plastic bags - Ikea do good large ones, which do keep those safe at least. We have moth papers etc in the wardrobe and drawers. Place saving for any other ideas.

I put an anguished please for help into Gransnet on the day of my recent holiday as the previous evening I saw a clothes moth entering a wardrobe (the one, naturally, with the woolens and cashmere in it!). I tried to squish it but failed and the thought of that little critter enjoyed free food whilst I was away was unpleasant in the extreme.

Rapunzel100 very kindly responded and suggested Rent*kill's Clothes Moth Killer Papers. We dashed out and bought several packets, (one just sticks them onto the inside of wardrobe doors - so they are very straightforward to use).

We were away for three and a half weeks and I understand that this is ample time for moths to be born, develop and acquire a taste for one's finest woolen products.

Returning a day or so ago, I checked several cashmere sweaters and cannot find even one nibble. If this should prove to be the case, this product is amazing and can be thoroughly recommended (the promise is that they will last for six months).

This product is not for carpets but clothes in confined spaces but if anyone has a problem with clothes moths, do try it

It's not the moths that eat your clothes and carpets. It's their larvae. Little caterpillars that look like small, white maggots.