Gransnet forums

House and home

Moths!

(15 Posts)
Aveline Sun 24-Apr-22 18:48:07

Recently I spotted one or two of my annual enemies flitting about. I've got all sorts of sprays but still they return.
This year I bought some pheromone moth traps and by golly they work! I feel like a Victorian mole catcher as I eagerly inspect my traps. They give off the scent of female moths so the males rush in and become stuck on the lethally sticky surface. They're non toxic for our cats and seem to work well - and they've given me a new interest!

Philippa111 Sun 24-Apr-22 19:03:39

Aveline I smiled at your, 'they've given me a new interest' and your pleasure at trapping them. I can relate! After most of her lovely knitwear was munched to death and those moth 'hotels' stopped working so well ( she had a lot of moths!) my daughter got some tiny wasp type things that live on moth eggs and the problem seems to be sorted. The sprays are so toxic as well. I think I'll get more of the traps and also the wee wasps this year as I'm almost terrified to put my lovely things in a wardrobe these days, as I have had far too many much loved items trashed. Mind you the cat's happy. Her bed is constantly made of cashmere jumpers!

LadyGracie Sun 24-Apr-22 19:31:48

I bought cedarwood hangers and lavender bags, no more moths.

Doodledog Sun 24-Apr-22 19:47:56

Ooh, this is relevant to my interests, as a knitter. I store unknitted yarns in sealed bags with lavender sachets, but when the yarn is transformed into garments the blighters go wild.

I haven't tried pheromone traps though. Where do you get them, please? Lakeland?

LadyStardust Sun 24-Apr-22 19:49:02

Is it a regional thing, moths? Or a rural thing? I've never had any trouble with moths in my life, but I'm inner city. Or is it that my wardrobe is just full of cheap tat and moths go for the good stuff? grin

Doodledog Sun 24-Apr-22 20:02:46

They do seem to prefer my favourite sweaters, and they seem to know if the pattern has been a challenge, too.

I think they prefer natural fibres of all types, but it feels more tragic when they scoff a cashmere jumper.

Auntieflo Sun 24-Apr-22 20:17:29

Thank you for starting this Aveline. I have just started to see the blighters again this year. Before a couple of years ago, we never had them and now they have munched a bit of our lounge carpet! And they had a go at a favourite jumper.
Please can you let us know where you found your pheromone treatment?

Dickens Sun 24-Apr-22 20:34:14

... they've eaten my sitting room carpet.

AreWeThereYet Sun 24-Apr-22 20:40:03

I've never had moths before but a few days ago I saw a very small white moth fly up towards the lamp by the bedside. I don't know whether this is a the carpet-sweater eating moth or just a moth as I don't really know what they look like. The only moths I've ever seen are the big brown ones that flit around outside. I've been weeding my wardrobe today and so far no sign of any moth eaten garments but should I be concerned??

Septimia Sun 24-Apr-22 20:48:06

Well, of course, it depends what sort of moths they are. Not all moths - or rather, their larvae - eat clothes and killing those that don't seems rather a shame. The bigger moths we tend to catch and bung back out of the window otherwise they make a lot of noise bumbling around in the lightshades!

Doodledog Sun 24-Apr-22 21:06:02

Clothes moths are small and drab. They look inoffensive and not at all scary. But they are evil.

Aveline Sun 24-Apr-22 21:10:15

I found the pheromone traps called 'Moth Out' on Amazon. A set of 12 comes with a lovely lavender bag and luminous dot things to stick on the traps to attract the little blighters when it's dark. It's carpet moths we seem to have. They're quite small beige things.
I have lavender sachets and cedar wood balls and all sorts of things in the wardrobes.

Doodledog Sun 24-Apr-22 21:29:58

That's really helpful - thanks smile.

Aveline Mon 25-Apr-22 09:16:30

Another good haul this morning! The little wasps sound interesting but I fear our cats would eat them. ?

henetha Mon 25-Apr-22 09:43:22

I've been battling with these pesky nuisances for years.
No matter what I do, they always return in summer.