I have MOTHS!

[LadyGriffin]

I have now seen 4 moths in the last week. My beloved has looked at them and he said they are wool moths. HELP!
What can I do at this point?
We have a closet full of wool garments that I am petrified are now getting eaten by unseen worms.
I have a cedar chest in the making, but what do I do if they moths have already laid eggs? Will putting in cedar boards or woodships help at this point or is it already to late?

Julie

[beloitpiper]

Cedar and mothballs, I guess.

[Riverkilt]

My understanding is that moths don't like light. bring the wool out of the closet into the sunlight...or a freezer...

[JRB]

And when it comes to kilts, look carefully deep within the pleats and under the lining, basically any part of the kilt that's dark and hard to get to .

[Phil]

As a precaution put the garments into plastic bags then place in a freezer for a few days. That will kill any eggs/larva before they get chomping. A hardware store should have moth balls which you can then use as a short-term deterrent until your cedar chest is ready and I would recommend the freezer treatment before putting the items into it.

[dfmacliam]

Cedar is the way to go! And thanks for the freezer tip..;)

[tyger]

With all due respect, moth balls and cedar and the like are- at best- repellants. At this stage, you must kill.

Most grocery and hardware stores carry "fogging" bombs that are intended to kill fleas. They are commonly sold in packs of three. Brand names include Raid. Set off the foggers according to package instructions.

Repeat the process every 7-10 days, for a total of 3 applications, to kill anything that might have, by any chance, survived the initial fogging.

This is a very effective and inexpensive way of erradicating insect pests- not just fleas.

[ByDand]

Freezing the clothing is good and along with cedar should do the job. However there is a moth trap that you can purchase on line from www.insectslimited.com that should do the trick. It is a little costly but a lot less than reweaving cloth. Hope this helps.

[sydnie7]

Freezing the clothing is good and along with cedar should do the job. However there is a moth trap that you can purchase on line from www.insectslimited.com that should do the trick. It is a little costly but a lot less than reweaving cloth. Hope this helps.

The moth traps are useless against the pre-moth larval stage that actually does the damage. Read the fine print and you'll see the trap makers themselves acknowledge the traps will merely show you that the danger exists. You must go through the freezer/moth balls/cedar/whatever process to get to the grubs themselves, as others have noted, hidden deep in the dark recesses and eating themselves toward moth stage.

[Friday]

Wear the kilts to a highland dance. The swirling of the dance will open the pleats and knock the eggs out and the foot action will crush the little buggers.