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Anyone Having Problems With Small Moths ?

(43 Posts)
Nanato3 Tue 27-May-25 16:15:42

Every night I'm getting what looks like small moths flying everywhere . The faster I get rid of them they keep coming back the next night .Anyone getting them? They're only small but still a nuisance.

DollyRocker Sat 07-Jun-25 16:49:40

They're gourmands that's for sure. Ruined my cashmere etc. Diatomaceous earth is very good, make sure it's food grade. It also kills bedbugs, silver fish etc., it's lethal and shreds them up but pretty harmless to humans. Wear a mask when distributing it. Also trichogamma parasitic wasps are meant to be very good, they're microscopic and die once feasted on the grubs but uber expensive. Museums & costume places use them.

Beejo Sat 07-Jun-25 12:01:22

I just wash them off with the hosepipe - seems to work.

valdavi Sun 01-Jun-25 11:03:08

silverlining48

This year for the first time my apple tree is covered in little hanging see through bags of wriggling soon to be moths. We have sprayed with bug spray but they are still wriggling. We have seen these in the wild but never in our garden.
Does anyone have any advice?

Squash them?

Mt61 Sun 01-Jun-25 10:55:13

Witzend

We’ve had them for years -?havevtried everything, including the smoke bomb things in every room. I’ve still seen and killed a couple of the buggers recently. We have chunks chewed out of our carpets - yes, they’re mostly wool. I don’t really want hard floors but don’t fancy synthetic carpets either. But it’s high time we did something!

I had Jacaranda carpets upstairs, the chair that was probably carrying the little blighters, was in the same room as my lovely wool carpet 😩 probably having a field day chewing on that- switched to a good quality polypropylene but I’ve seen a few wandering around on my new carpet 😠

Mt61 Sun 01-Jun-25 10:50:44

silverlining48

This year for the first time my apple tree is covered in little hanging see through bags of wriggling soon to be moths. We have sprayed with bug spray but they are still wriggling. We have seen these in the wild but never in our garden.
Does anyone have any advice?

What about neem oil?

Aveline Sun 01-Jun-25 10:40:19

Oh no. Must check.

Allira Sun 01-Jun-25 10:38:33

Aveline

The carpets are fully fitted throughout the flat! We have a cat so can't use too many chemicals. I just try to hoover ++ and spray and use the traps. I doubt I can do any more. It's only carpets they seem interested in though.

Having had carpet moths, I found holes in my lovely woollen scarves which were hanging in a cupboard downstairs.

silverlining48 Sun 01-Jun-25 09:37:12

This year for the first time my apple tree is covered in little hanging see through bags of wriggling soon to be moths. We have sprayed with bug spray but they are still wriggling. We have seen these in the wild but never in our garden.
Does anyone have any advice?

gentleshores Sun 01-Jun-25 03:27:48

I've found in the past, that the best thing is the pheromone traps - they look like a cardboard triangle. Have a couple at floor level and a couple higher up. There are different ones for different kinds of moths but the carpet moth ones seem to catch all kinds of types. Also do you have any pets by any chance? Because they might not be clothes or carpet moths. Most pet foods contain moth eggs, not visible to the human eye. They are harmless until it gets quite warm then they can hatch out. Indian meal moth or pantry moth (but there may be others in there as well. These were the ones that worked for general moths (for clothes and carpet moths) www.amazon.co.uk/Pest-Stop-PSCMT-Clothes-Moth-Trap/dp/B000LNGS1G/ref=sr_1_6_pp?crid=2F66VUTFKL6LE&keywords=moth+traps&sprefix=moth+traps%2Caps%2C117&dib_tag=se&tag=gransnetforum-21&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MnAOI5T8DW_X8u1nCgct-Tl6NqERSVKEHu-OGxfRkKTTtZCs-3ozj5oaE3Oa3G728GMQYnHRItY0vfhebmjyH3b03Ozlaa2DcrcReTxwb823vpSoMVZ-VfqZtWj2_kSVVZHNf_vHmajdKTI1C5xf7IS9OeW-kV8LCFHxPtcwzwvf3t4t6BDqCsIzgaHIv0hCRJYFaLKukofUGI33fEr4RKrtTcJTvm8ELt9-aNG7T19JE3Ewbr3Z20doJ7SjNHN106eT3tbKY0L57Z8tsKdEtqCKTLBYUsgNXH8Zc906Ags.IxuoYU-pCJTZDfEdyX68iVEE9YOTz6K0tiSr4b-_g8w&qid=1748744688&sr=8-6

But it could be worth getting pantry moth traps as well just in case you different types. Different pheromones. The pheromones attract the female moths which stops them breeding and laying eggs because they do breed fast. A female pantry moth can lay up to 200 eggs a day.

www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Killigans-Pheromone-Attractant-Insecticides/dp/B00U1SMPBS/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2F66VUTFKL6LE&keywords=moth%2Btraps&sprefix=moth%2Btraps%2Caps%2C117&th=1&dib_tag=se&tag=gransnetforum-21&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MnAOI5T8DW_X8u1nCgct-Tl6NqERSVKEHu-OGxfRkKTTtZCs-3ozj5oaE3Oa3G728GMQYnHRItY0vfhebmjyH3b03Ozlaa2DcrcReTxwb823vpSoMVZ-VfqZtWj2_kSVVZHNf_vHmajdKTI1C5xf7IS9OeW-kV8LCFHxPtcwzwvf3t4t6BDqCsIzgaHIv0hCRJYFaLKukofUGI33fEr4RKrtTcJTvm8ELt9-aNG7T19JE3Ewbr3Z20doJ7SjNHN106eT3tbKY0L57Z8tsKdEtqCKTLBYUsgNXH8Zc906Ags.IxuoYU-pCJTZDfEdyX68iVEE9YOTz6K0tiSr4b-_g8w&qid=1748744688&sr=8-9

Witzend Fri 30-May-25 20:06:57

We’ve had them for years -?havevtried everything, including the smoke bomb things in every room. I’ve still seen and killed a couple of the buggers recently. We have chunks chewed out of our carpets - yes, they’re mostly wool. I don’t really want hard floors but don’t fancy synthetic carpets either. But it’s high time we did something!

Gwyllt Fri 30-May-25 18:05:12

It makes me feel just slightly better to know I am not alone !!!

Mt61 Thu 29-May-25 23:55:03

We have polypropylene carpet, that’s where I saw those grubs. The blighters will have go at any fabric 😩

Aveline Thu 29-May-25 18:14:55

The carpets are fully fitted throughout the flat! We have a cat so can't use too many chemicals. I just try to hoover ++ and spray and use the traps. I doubt I can do any more. It's only carpets they seem interested in though.

AuntieE Thu 29-May-25 13:36:18

Aveline

This is a plague!! I spray and spray and hoover yet still they come. This has been going on for years. We have a few blank patches in carpets now. sad and angry

Then you are indeed dealing with cloth moths and they will not only attack the carpet.

You need to get rid of that carpet quickly, or if you cannot bear to do so, hang it outside for a week or too and simply douse it in moth repellant.

While you are waiting to see if the moths stop laying there, you need to wash all clothes and soft furnishings, including pillows and eiderdowns that can be washed and send anything that cannot be washed to the dry-cleaners.

You can, if you like, take the opportunity to get rid of clothes you no longer often wear.

All clothes cupboards, drawers, storage boxes need to be washed well too. It is the moth larvae that do the damage, not the adult moths.

Remember too to check fur-line boots - these can be put in a plastic bag and left overnight in the freezer, as can anything else that can neither be washed or dry-cleaned.

Beloved old teddies and other soft toys are at risk too, so if you do not want Teddy to die of an attack of the moth, do check his or her fur/cloth very carefully.

The other variety of moth you want to get rid of, is the ones haunting the kitchen - they lay their eggs in flour, breadcrumbs etc.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 29-May-25 07:54:44

You could try buying flea spray for the home from the local vet.

Very powerful stuff. Kills every living insect and spider within miles! Well at least you’re home😄.

Don’t advise staying until while it is doing its work though.

spabbygirl Wed 28-May-25 21:00:08

we have them too in our modern house in Gloucestershire, I'm not sure they are clothes moths because I got rid of most of my wool a few years ago and what I do have is wrapped in plastic. We don't have carpet. I buy those fly papers you hang up and are sticky that catches them but slowly

Mt61 Wed 28-May-25 17:43:23

Point noted- need to invest in more heavy duty stuff Accicaccyura & do it more often.

Mt61 Wed 28-May-25 17:40:09

Shawarma

It’s spring, there’s mating moths everywhere!

You are right Shawarma, always this time of year. Some of these carpet beetles have wings.
Had some voile roller blinds made to stop them in their tracks.

Acciaccatura Wed 28-May-25 17:38:05

You will probably not get on top of the problem immediately because the life cycle of these moths ranges from 3 months to 2 years depending on conditions. Renew/reapply products every 2 months to be sure. We live in an old house and have been battling for 18 months and counting. Moth traps, carpet spray, dusting powder, wardrobe hangers, drawer sachets - hopefully we're almost there but not quite yet.

Mt61 Wed 28-May-25 17:35:55

Is it the same ingredients in moth spray & carpet beetle repellent?

Mt61 Wed 28-May-25 17:28:14

Lahlah65 is it good stuff on that site, just had a Quick Look. They do a package for £50ish.

Shawarma Wed 28-May-25 17:27:24

It’s spring, there’s mating moths everywhere!

Mt61 Wed 28-May-25 17:18:39

You are right Elrel, had some grubs next to my bed. I bought some heavy duty sticky tape & ran it over the floor to get them off my new carpet 😩 just saw one crawling up the wall.
We don’t have anything that I can think of that attracts these beetles. My husband said he thinks a bird maybe brought them, through the open window.
We have ottoman beds, everything is in airtight containers, plus put some moth repellents in there too.

Mt61 Wed 28-May-25 16:58:25

We don’t get moths but had those carpet beetles. I can only think they came from an antique chair, stuff with horse hair.
I got rid of the chair, I vac most days, all round the edges & sprayed with a moth spray. I haven’t seen any for a while.
I actually seen one or two in other homes, so are quite common. They aren’t the sign of a dirty house.

Elrel Wed 28-May-25 16:55:05

Their caterpillars do the destructive nibbling. Females lay their eggs in carpet/clothing so when they hatch the caterpillars have a food source. Then they seem to make their way up walls. You may find an alarming number hiding behind picture frames which are rarely moved, we did!