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Do clothes moths have predators?

(59 Posts)
Grammaretto Sat 20-Jul-19 16:07:31

I cant think that they do as I have tried everything from lavender to hard core poisons and nothing deters the wee B****rs
They merrily eat their way through carpets and clothes indiscriminately and have defeated me.
I feel I've done everything possible. I even have a dedicated freezer for storing precious rugs and heirlooms

I love pure wool and natural fibres and so do the wretched moths.

I have thrown away lots of clothes and scrubbed out wardrobes and drawers but I still have them.
I have spent a small fortune on pheromone traps
Has anyone an answer?

Grammaretto Sun 21-Jul-19 17:04:08

That's helpful NotSpaghetti
DH is having treatment so I think we'll stick to the cleaning and clearing route.
It's cathartic decluttering anyway and much as I hate the destructive nature of the moths there are worse things in the world.

LakelandLass Sun 21-Jul-19 18:57:00

We had carpet moths in our previous home, so I started on the moth-killing treadmill. I took my raw silk wedding dress to Oxfam - moths don’t eat the photos! And put some cedar hangers in the wardrobes! Not seen any for over three years now, in our new house - fingers crossed ?

Grammaretto Sun 21-Jul-19 20:59:14

well done with the wedding dress LakelandLass.
I'm storing DD's and I am very nervous about it. I wish she would rehome it before they find it.

Is there a difference between clothes moths and carpet moths? The ones I catch on the traps are very small & brown.
They fly about near the wardrobes. I sometimes see tiny moths crawling across the carpet. I could become paranoid.

AnotherLiz Sun 21-Jul-19 21:04:37

We had bad clothes moth infestation. I bought moth killer smoke bombs. Put them in each room on baking trays and lit them before going on holiday. It definitely worked and significantly reduced the number of moths. I repeat this every year now. I do it before we're away, as I don’t want to be inhaling the chemicals and as the house is sealed the chemicals are present for longer. Here's a picture of the ones I got off Amazon.

Grammaretto Mon 22-Jul-19 12:32:34

Yes I have the foggers in the same range. I recently spent about £40 on anti-moth supplies from Sainsbury's and I noted to the checkout girl I could have bought quite a lot of gin for the same price.
There must be money to be made out of pest control.
I'm tackling another room today.

HazelG Thu 25-Jul-19 18:10:07

BradfordLass72 grin LMAO I would think spiders and beetles might be nearer the required size of predator. Unless of course you have a big house and attic.

HeyTheree Thu 12-Sept-19 10:21:37

Mothballs can't help with a severe infestation, especially if there are clothes and wool carpets everywhere. Suit bags can help, but that's a partial solution. I'm considering to get a zapper too because they really keep my place from bugs every night. I'm gonna test it on moths now.

Witzend Sun 15-Sept-19 14:06:51

I suppose spiders will eat them, but unfortunately we found a big spider dead in one of the sticky moth traps dh distributes all over the house. They seem to catch a lot, but we still get them.

I've had the buggers chew holes in some really nice wool and alpaca knits. Now I keep any such thing in plastic bags, with a squirt of moth killer added.

There are some fairly noticeable holes in sitting room and dining room carpets. Until very recently I was telling myself that we'd replace them (they're quite old anyway) once our still-small Gdcs, who stay now and then, were mostly past the very messy stage.
However that will now be postponed quite a bit longer since a no.3 is due in January!
Heigh ho. Who cares about a few moth holes anyway....