Which moths eat wool

Clothing can be stored in air tight bags and containers to prevent infestation. For carpets and upholstery, vacuuming helps to eradicate infestations. Pyethrin insecticides can be sprayed on fabrics which cannot be treated by freezing or cleaning, these instantly destroy moths and do not leave toxic residues like many traditional chemicals. Moth traps, adhesive boxes which emit artificial pheromones to attract adult moths, can be checked to monitor infestation.

The Museum offers a free identification service for the public , and also a commercial service for businesses. There are a number of species of beetle in the UK that will attack natural fibres such as wool, silk, fur, feathers and skins. It is the immature larvae forms that cause the damage, rather than the adult beetles. Get email updates about our news, science, exhibitions, events, products, services and fundraising activities. You must be over the age of Privacy notice. Smart cookie preferences.

Change cookie preferences Accept all cookies. Skip to content. Read later. You don't have any saved articles. Clothes moths identification guide. Both moths have a similar life cycle and infestations can be controlled using the same approach. The cat climber is carpet covered but probably is synthetic, not wool carpet.

I think they must be eating the cat fur. April 8, Thanks for the tips. I was using lavender pouches in my drawers thinking that it will repel moth. To my surprise my sock drawer was full of "sand", a few larvae and a couple of adult cloth moths. Only cotton socks were eaten. Woolens were OK. Hope that laundry and dryer killed the remaining critters. February 25, I'm really grateful for the advise but why are my cotton Tshirts getting little holes in them if moths are not the culprits?

February 3, I microwave wool and cashmere. Use one minute setting, what it takes to heat a cup of coffee. Front loading washers have no agitators wash one swearter at a time on handwash cycle.

Steam press coats, helps kill moths. November 29, I have found that the only things that work for me is to wrap the item in another cotton or polyester item. I will try spraying with a lavendar concoction as well. The biggers ate all the cashmere that was on hangers. Of course it was the Nordstrom cashmere not the target ones. October 20, However, I just read on another site that sells insecticides that washing, drying and even vacuuming does not kill eggs.

One user commented that a clothes moth few right out of the just-washed pile. The exterminator says the eggs are sealed by the female moth with a glue-like substance that cannot been seen and won't wash or vacuum out. May 18, Add a few drops to the softener compartment of your clothes washer or to the final rinse of a hand wash. This will give all your laundry a delicious fresh smell and certainly keep the moths away.

Put a couple of drops on the duster when polishing in the bedroom or living room. October 30, Thanks for sharing this useful tips, I have been using zensect moth proofers for one year. I recommended to use the Moth Proofer Balls for all clothes cupboards, drawers with woollens and downstairs cloakroom where woollen jackets and coats are hung, it Keeps the moths away.

August 14, I clean constantly: The house, the closets, the carpets, and launder the clothes after only one use. But to no avail, these buggers just won't go away. I had never had problems until a few years ago. I put every single article of clothing in the wash or dry cleaned, stored them in air tight containers, washed out the closets and drawers and thought I was rid of them.

We moved into a new home and shortly after moving in, we had the moths again. I am getting so mentally stressed :. November 4, Horse chestnuts in drawers and closets will keep moths at bay, spiders, too.

There's no smell, either. January 10, You can try sponging the surfaces with white vinegar. Dishes of white vinegar, ground coffee, activated charcoal for aquariums , crumpled newspapers, volcanic rock pouches in closet supply areas and home improvement doodad catalogs all might help. Painting the walls with good latex paint to seal in the smell might help as well.

August 18, Moth control that works. Unscented ordinary white soap. Grate it and sprinkle between the cloths. Seta Atik. Back to story Comment on this project. While virtually all the 2, or so species of British moths are ecologically beneficial , there are two that eat textiles and objects derived from animals, including wool, silk, skin and fur.

They will munch through antique rugs and treasured cashmere. Unlike the many moths that are in decline, these moths — the webbing or common clothes moth and the case-bearing clothes moth — are believed to be increasing in numbers.

In , English Heritage launched a study called Operation Clothes Moth, giving out traps to visitors to place in their homes and report back on.

Operation Clothes Moth showed it was more widespread than we probably thought. There are a range of reasons for the rising numbers. Hotter winters are almost certainly to blame, plus the fact we keep our homes so warm. Our housekeeping is probably not what it once was, either. Washing clothes at a lower temperature saves energy, but it means eggs are not being killed.

This is less of a problem if you wear something regularly, but lots of us have so many clothes that outfits go unworn for months or even years. There has also been a shift back to natural fibres in carpeting and clothing, which has created food for the pests. Even worse, I know one house where they blew wool in cavity walls. She cleaned the house from top to bottom and put insecticides down. She discovered her clothes were being ruined, including a treasured and expensive coat.

Carpets were devoured and had to be pulled up. Both are about only 1 cm long, and yellow or grayish in color. Moth larvae prefer fibers of animal origin, including wool, mohair, cashmere, fur, and feathers.

They are particularly attracted to dark, warm, humid spaces, and dirty clothing especially unwashed items that may have lingering body oils or food residue. Discard particularly infested items. If the clothing is extremely damaged, it may be impossible to repair. Thoroughly clean the clothes you do keep. Read your labels, though, as many wools will shrink and felt if agitated at such high temperatures.

If you have a non-agitating shelf in your dryer, that would be a good alternative for killing moth larvae on woolen clothing. Clean your closet. Thoroughly vacuum your closet. Moths and larvae love dark corners and crevices. Remove the vacuum bag and discard it outside immediately, because it will probably be full of eggs and larvae.

You may also consider using a dry cleaning service or a carpet steamer to do a deep clean of any rugs made of natural fibers. A combination of sunlight and vigorously brushing the infested items can kill moth eggs and larvae.