# Moths!!!!



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

It seems that for much of my life I -or rather my clothes - have been prey to hungry moths.

It was a big problem in the UK, due, I was told, to the presence of pigeon droppings in the loft of our country cottage. It seems the larvae breed on them.

Then in Prague we had the wretched little *******s from flour, would you believe it.... Some shops kept bags of flour so long in stock that larvae bred, or so we were told.

But now they've followed me to Spain...me, and not OH, whose clothes are left untouched while my cotton, cashmere and Merino wool garments get nibbled.

So how to kill off the larvae? Mothballs are ineffective, I've read. There are UK companies that supply complete mothicide kits complete with mask and spray but they won't send to Spain.

So any advice will be so very much appreciated. Nearly all my sweaters and T shirts have served as moth dinners and I've had enough!!:boxing:


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## RichTUK (Oct 15, 2012)

they are a pain in the A!! I just googled it and I came across this article from the Guardian



> That said, it is possible to defeat moths. You could, for instance, burn your house down. You could dress the family entirely in synthetic fleece. Alternatively, you could abandon human relations, give up your job and, like Achilles, devote the rest of your life to warfare.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

My mother used to say thats why she smoked in her bedroom - because the moths dont like cigarette smoke (neither did my father lol!!!). So maybe put Sandra in the wardrobe if/when she wants a ciggie lol!!!!!?????

Mercadona used to sell little things like mothballs that you can hang in wardrobes etc - ineffective I assume??? I'm not sure I like the sound of "mothicide kits", but what about spraying some of that cockroach insecticide stuff around????

Jo xxx


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

1) don't put soiled clothes in the wardrobe. No food etc in the pockets.

2) beat your clothes every three maybe four weeks. Don't really need to beat them but take them out. Give them a shake.

The moths aren't attracted to fabric so much. It's the things that fall on the fabric that draws them. They don't like to be woken up either. If you give the things a shake the moths will move on.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

NickZ said:


> 1) don't put soiled clothes in the wardrobe. No food etc in the pockets.
> 
> 2) beat your clothes every three maybe four weeks. Don't really need to beat them but take them out. Give them a shake.
> 
> The moths aren't attracted to fabric so much. It's the things that fall on the fabric that draws them. They don't like to be woken up either. If you give the things a shake the moths will move on.


I rarely if ever put worn clothes back in the wardrobe, apart from things like jeans, leather jackets etc.which the little sods don't eat...

Never any food in the pockets Not even the odd dog biscuit!!

From what I've read, though, Nick, it's not the moths but their larvae that are the problem....


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

RichTUK said:


> they are a pain in the A!! I just googled it and I came across this article from the Guardian



You are so kind, Rich....I'm now about to give up hope and wear only polyester in future....

I contacted Rentokil in the UK and was told I would have to take all my clothes to be fumigated...they were about to do a job lot in a kind of bell tent fumigator. I was told my clothes would be fumigated along with a old church organ with woodworm and a valuable old horsehair sofa from a local stately home.

I declined. It wouldn't have solved the prroblem anyway it seems as I found out later it's not the moths but the larvae, as I said.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Yes but the moths show up and lay the eggs. Give the stuff a shake every month and the it'll be like an earthquake for them. They won't stay around.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Dealing with Moths; A Bit Like Dieting - Eloise Grey Ethical Fashion Business Blog

Try that


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Dealing with Moths; A Bit Like Dieting - Eloise Grey Ethical Fashion Business Blog

Try that


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

I don't have little kids or pets, so I use moth balls. I get the ones in Mercadona, that come in little sachets. They work for me.


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## Navas (Sep 2, 2012)

My mother swears by rosemary! She hangs sprigs in her wardrobes.
I just found this: http://www.getselfsufficient.org/blog/house/how-to-get-rid-of-clothes-moths-naturally


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> It seems that for much of my life I -or rather my clothes - have been prey to hungry moths.
> 
> It was a big problem in the UK, due, I was told, to the presence of pigeon droppings in the loft of our country cottage. It seems the larvae breed on them.
> 
> ...




.....and she still expects us to believe that she's the oh so plain one, while Sandra's the posh bird....??


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## tobyo (Jul 16, 2011)

I too had an issue with moths shortly after we moved into this house. never had them before but luckily they weren't nibbling any clothing. they were just plain annoying and I'd find them on the ceiling over and over and over again (ad nauseum). I would pluck them off with a kleenex and toss them in the toilet. I noticed there were a lot of them around our skylight and I found a spray with this tiny plastic thing-a-ma-bob to spray into the cracks around the skylight. I then sprayed all around our room where there were crevices, baseboards mostly. They went away finally!! I'm not sure if I have that can of whatever it was I bought, but will look and if I find it I'll post it and perhaps you can find the equivalent there. good luck and sorry they're eating your clothes. not fun!!


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## tobyo (Jul 16, 2011)

I also remembered that I did a lot of googling and just looked in that folder and found this:

Clothes Moths | University of Kentucky Entomology

not sure if that helps but thought I'd pass it along nonetheless.


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## virgil (May 3, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> I rarely if ever put worn clothes back in the wardrobe, apart from things like jeans, leather jackets etc.which the little sods don't eat...
> 
> Never any food in the pockets Not even the odd dog biscuit!!
> 
> From what I've read, though, Nick, it's not the moths but their larvae that are the problem....


Have a read of this Mary: Clothes Moths and Their Control


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

brocher said:


> .....and she still expects us to believe that she's the oh so plain one, while Sandra's the posh bird....??








Nah...Sandra is one of those people who could wear sackcloth and ashes and look chic....People say she resembles Joanna Lumley without the bad habits...

Me, I need all the help artifice can provide.

Cashmere is Tesco's finest, merino wool and John Smedley sweaters from TK Maxx...I think they were £19.99 each reduced from £ silly money and cotton T shirts from M and S or The Gap.

When in the UK I buy Calvin Klein,Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren etc. from TK Maxx at knock-down prices. My dil knows what I like and buys me J C Crew polo shirts from a TK Maxx in the City.

I do have an expensive Jaeger jacket which looks grreat with jeans...bought on e-bay....

But alas there is no TK Maxx in Spain -Jo, open a branch!!! - and I don't make regular trips to London any more so each item is too precious to be moth nosh....

Thanks all of you for your contributions which I shall now read..


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

I had trouble in my kitchen cupboards with moths, only a few months ago, I bought Trampa detectora de polollas, its a sticky thing, (by Boque verde) from Mercadona, but I also bought a 'thingy' to hang in clothes storage cupboard, it is by ORION antipolillas protection total,also from Mercadona so far none of the moths have been in there! 
I agree with you Tk max would do great over here.


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## tobyo (Jul 16, 2011)

I looked for the stuff that I sprayed but could not find it. which is odd since I'm sure I didn't use up the entire can. maybe it's upstairs? hmmmm....again, if I find it, will post what I used.


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## Brangus (May 1, 2010)

An innocent Central American doctor spent 6 months in a Spanish prison because the clothes in his suitcase failed a drug test at the airport in Madrid. "I'm not trafficking in cocaine; it's my grandmother's mothballs" | In English | EL PAÍS

According to the article, "Some substance that his grandmother used -- the detergent, the starch or the mothballs -- contained an element that reacted to the spray in the same way that cocaine does."

The Spanish version specifically mentions camphor balls as a possible culprit.
"No llevo coca, es el alcanfor de mi abuelita" | Edición impresa | EL PAÍS


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## neddie (Jun 11, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> It seems that for much of my life I -or rather my clothes - have been prey to hungry moths.
> 
> It was a big problem in the UK, due, I was told, to the presence of pigeon droppings in the loft of our country cottage. It seems the larvae breed on them.
> 
> ...


.....i have never heard of pigeon dropping attracting moths or of moths laying larvae in flour......they would first have to get into the bag (of flour). I do however know of weevils breeding in flour.

...May i suggest that you iron clothes with a hot iron which will kill the larvae. Back in tropical Africa ironing laundry that had been left to dry outside was a must because the Putsie Fly (sp ?). The fly would lay its eggs on the clothing and when you wore the garment the eggs would hatch and the worm would work it's way into your skin.....


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

neddie said:


> .....i have never heard of pigeon dropping attracting moths or of* moths laying larvae in flour.*.....they would first have to get into the bag (of flour). I do however know of weevils breeding in flour.
> 
> ...May i suggest that you iron clothes with a hot iron which will kill the larvae. Back in tropical Africa ironing laundry that had been left to dry outside was a must because the Putsie Fly (sp ?). The fly would lay its eggs on the clothing and when you wore the garment the eggs would hatch and the worm would work it's way into your skin.....


we get these little moths in our kitchen, as do many other people - I find them on the ceiling in the kitchen & the little bug/maggotty things (the larvae) there too - & they get into the flour/cereal/anything open 

you can buy sticky cards which attract the larvae & the moths - you put them in the cupboards & change them every now & then - it's quite shocking the first time you use them, just how quickly they can become covered in the nasties


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

The larvæ have very strong/sharp mouthparts and can get through quite strong plastic bags as witnessed by the cocoons in some bags of Sainsburys Porridge Oats (the entry holes were visible!) and other items. Only solution is to keep similar items in sealed sturdy plastic containers.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> The larvæ have very strong/sharp mouthparts and can get through quite strong plastic bags as witnessed by the cocoons in some bags of Sainsburys Porridge Oats (the entry holes were visible!) and other items. Only solution is to keep similar items in sealed sturdy plastic containers.


they are a nightmare!!

I'd never seen them until last year, after all these years of living here

every now & then I think they've gone - then the little bu88ers re-appear!!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

neddie said:


> .....i have never heard of pigeon dropping attracting moths or of moths laying larvae in flour......they would first have to get into the bag (of flour). I do however know of weevils breeding in flour.
> 
> ...May i suggest that you iron clothes with a hot iron which will kill the larvae. Back in tropical Africa ironing laundry that had been left to dry outside was a must because the Putsie Fly (sp ?). The fly would lay its eggs on the clothing and when you wore the garment the eggs would hatch and the worm would work it's way into your skin.....


The advice about cleaning pigeon droppings from our loft since they attracted moth larvae came from Remtokil, UK experts in pest control.

Larvae in flour that had been on the shelves in stores for months was a problem experienced by many people in the Czech Republic.


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