Clothes Moth Alert

[oldtimer]

On checking over our winter woolies last week SWMBO was dismayed to find that many of her hand-knitted and other pure wool garments were riddled with clothes moths and were full of holes. Such as could be repaired have been and the rest disposed of, including the first sweater she ever knitted for me over 50 years ago. Otherwise, my kit had escaped their predations, probably my lingering body odour had repelled the little pests.

We have now learned that clothes moth infestation is on the increase recently, probably as a result of global warming and now have moth killer and repellents including lavender and rosemary spread liberally around wherever we store woollens.

I thought it was worth posting this as I know that many of us prefer traditional kit which will probably include woollen clothing. So may I suggest you learn from our misfortune and check your woollen kit. For example, I 'd hate to see John Fenna's new wool clothing range, as posted in his "Got a new job" thread, eaten up before the hordes of visitors turn up to see him in full cry: he'd be left with only linen undies and might need to deploy that spear to hold off the female visitors!

 

[Nice65]

Funnily enough I found a few Case Moth cases under the bed in the spare room. It doesn’t get vacuumed as much as the rest of the house, I think we may have brought a few eggs back in the furniture from my father in laws place, he had a bad infestation. Needless to say, I’m vacuuming like crazy and spraying lavender around the carpet edges and under furniture.

 

[baggins]

Thanks for the heads up. definitely worth checking around for the little buggers.

 

[Toddy]

Thank you for the heads up, I really loathe those destructive wee blighters. Almost as bad as having mice.

Two things really work.
Firstly if you have a chest freezer, bag up your woollens and freeze them for a week. It won't hurt the woollens but it will kill the moths and their larvae and eggs.
Heated in the tumble drier works too, but that's not so kind on your woollens.

Secondly, while stuff is in the freezer, buy and use a can of Rentokill's Clothes moth killer. Do it in the wardrobes/drawers, etc., and along edges of carpets and window frames as well.

Everyone you wipe out is one less to lay more eggs

 

[Woody girl]

Just found a couple of moth holes in my merino leggings yesterday darning wool and needles out again, as if there is not enough to do!

 

[Broch]

Just to be clear oldtimer, are you in France or the UK?

 

[oldtimer]

Just to be clear oldtimer, are you in France or the UK?

I'm in the UK for the winter, hence only recently checking the woollies which had been left in the cupboard in England since last winter. We spend summers in France where fibrepiles rather than woollens get used when up in the Pyrenees. Merino base layers usually stay in the rucksack during the summer and were unaffected. Even spares left in England escaped. We are now wondering whether a couple of wool garments we left in the wardrobe in France will have been eaten before we get back.

 

[santaman2000]

Does cedar repel moths there?

 

[Kadushu]

Do they only eat wool or are any other natural fibres affected?

 

[oldtimer]

Do they only eat wool or are any other natural fibres affected?

Apparently they also go for silk. A silk and cashmere scarf, a present from a wealthy neighbour to my wife, was among the casualties.

 

[Janne]

Does cedar repel moths there?

Yes, works well. It is best to use chemical warfare though. We use both Cedar planks on the floors of the cupboards and the oldfashioned chemical balls.
Those moths can destroy a lot!