Webbings moths create temporary silken tunnels from which they can emerge at either end to feed. Casemaking moths create a hard-shelled case around themselves, which they cart around as they crawl among your clothes. Casemaking moths crawl away from your garments and find a crack or crevice — such as the space between the floorboards of your closet — to pupate and emerge as adult moths. Webbing moths prefer to spin a little web right on your clothes to pupate.
In regular household temperatures, pupation occurs in about eight to 10 days, while in cold climates or unheated buildings, it may take as long as four months. Two complete lifecycles per year are typical in the warm, comfortable climates found in the average home. Webbing moths are a little easier to spot — the webs, although small, can often be spotted with the naked eye. Adult clothing moths tend to flutter around the area of infestation.
Pantry moths, on the other hand, will fly around your home seeking alternative food sources. The easiest way to spot a clothing moth infestation, however, is from the damage on your clothes.
Moths prefer to eat along collars and cuffs or within hidden places along the seams. Holes vary in size, but there may be several spots in a single garment where the material is eaten straight through. Clothes moths can enter your home in several ways. Newly purchased items can harbor eggs, especially if purchased from resale shops. Perspiration, urine, food stains and moisture attract the adult moths, so cleaning your clothes before storing them is essential. Dry-cleaning wool, silk and other fine fabrics is highly recommended.
Not only does the dry-cleaning process avoid adding moisture to the garments, which attracts the moths, it also kills any existing larvae. Keeping your home clean also prevents moth infestations.
Vacuuming living areas as well as closets can reduce or eliminate pests as the vacuum cleaner traps eggs and larvae. Move heavy furniture, including couches, and vacuum underneath. Run a vacuum cleaner over the baseboards in your clothes closet and along the floorboards to sweep up any hidden larvae.
Empty the vacuum cleaner bag in the trash immediately after cleaning to prevent any survivors from emerging and re-infesting your home. There are several steps you can take to get rid of clothes moths. If you discover clothes moths, clean or launder your clothing, use the methods above and vacuum out the area where your clothes were stored.
For a severe infestation, remove all items from the closet. Air them in bright sunlight and have them professionally cleaned. Or, if you can launder them at home, wash them in hot, soapy water for at least a half hour.
Nothing is worse than opening a box of cereal and seeing it squirm with pantry moth larvae. Even the cleanest pantries and kitchens can be infested with the Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella.
Take these steps immediately to eliminate moths before your food supply is contaminated. Unlike clothes moths, which tend to stay close to their food source at all stages of the lifecycle, pantry moths can fly great distances around your home to find new food sources. Larvae will also crawl out of containers to pupate in remote places in your home.
Most pantry moths enter the home through infested foods. Their favorite foods include any grain products such as flour, cereal, cornmeal, rice and nuts, but they will also infest birdseed, pet food, dried pasta and dried fruit.
A pantry moth infestation is fairly easy to spot. The larvae spin webs around themselves as they eat, and infested foods will contain webs and small, white- or cream-colored caterpillars. Once the insects pupate, they emerge as the adult moths, which are also large enough to be seen easily as they fly about the house. Pantry moths can be difficult to eradicate once they take hold. The trick is to spot an infestation quickly and take swift action to prevent it from spreading.
The Department of Parliamentary Services this month issued an alert to all Parliament House staff, declaring the house on the hill was suffering from an outbreak of case-making clothes moth. If not contained this has the potential to have a wider impact, including on items in the art collection.
So as Australia's biggest house deals with a moth infestation, let's take a look at how you can keep these flying pests at bay in your home. There are two main species of clothes moth found in Australian homes — the webbing clothes moth and the case-making clothes moth of which there are about eight different kinds. So you may first discover moths have moved in when you pull out a woollen jumper to find it filled with holes, or you move some furniture to find the carpet underneath has bare patches.
Another sign is larval cases or sticky webbing on clothes or furnishings, which can sometimes be hard to spot because the larvae droppings take on the colour of the fabric they have been feeding on. Once you discover a moth infestation, you need to clear out all the moths, caterpillars and eggs. If you spot them in your wardrobe, vacuum and wipe out the cupboards and, if you have the space, put affected clothing in the freezer. Dr Edwards said use of insecticides or professional fumigation should be considered as last resorts.
Adding camphor hangers or balls is a good place to start when it comes to keeping moths out of your wardrobe. Traditional moth balls are also effective, but they contain toxic chemicals, so instead consider using natural alternatives like sachets of dried lavender or a mix of cloves and bay leaves. So it may take more than a few camphor balls to keep moths away from your clothes.
Between seasons, store woollen items in sealed garment bags or airtight containers. When regularly wearing such clothes, make sure they are clean when you hang them up, and free of sweat and food particles that make wool extra tasty for moths. When it comes to carpet, consider periodically moving furniture and vacuuming those dark corners of a room.
Also avoid moisture in the carpet, paying particular attention to areas where indoor plants are kept. Adult clothes moths do not feed—only the larvae are directly responsible for damage—so exterminating the adults doesn't solve the problem. Adult females can lay 40 to 50 eggs at a time. Of the two common types of these pests, webbing clothes moths are much more common, but casemaking moths may be easier to locate because of their cases.
If you see adult moths in a closet or other dark area or you find clothes with damage, inspect the area and all fabric items immediately and thoroughly. Bring the clothes into a bright area for better inspection, to disturb the moths they don't like light or movement , and to begin eradication measures.
You can remove clothes moth larvae from clothes and other fabric items by washing them in a clothes washer in very hot water; it must be over degrees Fahrenheit. This might require turning up your water heater; while to degrees is the most standard temperature setting, the water will lose some heat on its way to the washer. A more effective method is to dry clean the items, and this is necessary with many wool, silk, and delicate items to prevent damage to the fabric.
If you're opposed to washing affected items for any reason, you can try freezing the moths instead. Place each item in a polyethylene plastic bag such as a zip-type storage bag , seal it well, using tape if necessary, and place it in a freezer that maintains a temperature of 0 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.
Keep the items in the freezer for one week, then remove them and air them out. A good seal is important for preventing frost and condensation, which could damage the items.
Clothes moth larvae cannot survive in temperatures higher than degrees Fahrenheit, so you can kill them in an oven or clothes dryer. For wool or other heat-resistant, all-natural items, set your oven to higher than degrees Fahrenheit, place the items on a baking sheet, and set it on the center rack of the oven. Leave them in for 30 minutes, then remove the items and let them cool. Be sure not to try this method with synthetic or heat-sensitive fabrics or anything containing plastic buttons or other synthetic features.
Kill moths on dryable items by running them in the clothes dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes. Thoroughly vacuum the closet, chest, box or other area where the affected items were stored. Pay close attention to corners and edges where they may find a food source. If the area is carpeted, vacuum it carefully, and consider having it professionally cleaned if it is really dirty.
Moths will not feed on synthetic carpet fibers, but any carpet can provide food sources by capturing pet hair and other natural materials. In addition to storage areas, clothes moths can infest furniture and often can be found underneath and even inside of couches, chairs, and other upholstered items. Careful inspection and vacuuming is the best way to get rid of them here. In addition to cloth and wool, clothes moth larvae feed on fur, mohair, hair, and feathers, and on fabrics blended with such natural fibers.
They will also feed on dead insects. The moths lay their eggs on the fabric or other material, gluing them in place. The hatched larvae then feed on and spin webbing on the items, causing further damage and leaving holes as they feed. Clothes moths are usually are carried into the home on infested articles that are placed near another feeding source, e.
This then becomes infested as well. Clothes moths are most attracted to fabrics that are stained or have perspiration spots or urine residue. This is because these stains provide the larvae with the nutrients that they need, such as vitamin B and salt. Since clothes moths stay in dark places and hide if disturbed, they often are not noticed until after they have damaged the fabric that they infest.
The most obvious signs of clothes moth presence are holes, webbing, or dried larval cases. Ideal conditions for clothes moth growth, activity, and egg-laying are warmth and humidity, so they are less common in dry climates.
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