Cleaning, traps can purge moths
Q: We have moths eating our clothes and our food. How can we control these pests without having to use toxic chemicals? A: Fabric pests feed on a variety of organic materials, including cotton products, wool products, animal fur, feathers, clothing, carpeting, draperies and other fabrics. Most fabric pests are either clothes moths or carpet (dermestid) beetles, although silverfish and crickets can also feed on these products.
Two types of clothes moths are commonly found in homes. They are both small moths. The webbing clothes moth is a solid golden brown on the wings, while the casemaking clothes moth has three black spots on each wing. Casemaking clothes moth larvae construct a small bag from material to protect their body from the environment. They drag the bag or tube wherever they feed. Clothes moths are occasionally found in closets, where they lay their eggs on suitable fabric. The larvae hatch and feed on the fabric.
To eradicate and prevent clothes moths: First, keep clothes and other fabrics stored in sealed, plastic bags. Next, hang a clothes moth pheromone trap in each closet. It will attract and catch the male moths and stop the breeding process. Don’t hang more than one trap, or you will confuse the moths and they will just fly around, not sure where to go. Then wash all infested clothing in hot, soapy water to kill the larvae and eggs.
Then you can hang some repellents in the closets. Put dried lemon peels, cedar chips, dried rosemary or mint in cheesecloth bags and hang them in the closets. Make sure any carpets in the closet are clean and free of lint or animal hair or any organic debris.
Carpet beetle larvae are small, about a quarter inch long and carrotshaped with long hairs. They will feed on anything organic. The adult beetles are small, round and usually black, sometimes with lighter markings.
The best method for controlling carpet beetles is by completely cleaning everything. Steam-clean the carpets if possible as well as any upholstered furniture. Make sure you vacuum under all furniture as carpet beetles can survive by feeding on dust bunnies. Keep a bottle of Greenbug for Indoors available to directly spray any adults or larvae you find. Vacuum up all the dead insects as the spines of the carpet beetle larvae can cause rashes if they penetrate your pores.
Adult carpet beetles feed on the nectar in flowers, so they don’t do any damage beyond breeding indoors. If you have flowers blooming near your house, you will attract adult carpet beetles. Make sure there aren’t any ways for them to get into your house.
A number of pests attack our food, mostly several species of moths and over a dozen beetles, but some grain mites will also make their presence known. They also eat and breed in poisoned rodent baits.
Pantry pests almost always come in from the stores we shop at. Usually it is just coincidental, but if you bring more home, then you need to tell the store manager where you shop so they can do what they have to do in the store. Or shop somewhere else.
Several species of flour moths can infest your home, but the one most frequently encountered is the Indian meal moth. This moth is small and colorful. The wings are gray toward the body and have dark bands near the tip.
They feed on dried food, including cereals, flour, cornmeal, crackers, cake mixes, pasta, dried pet food, candy and powdered milk.
The best control is to hang one flour moth pheromone trap in the area they are infesting. This will attract and catch the male moths and stop the breeding process. Then inspect all open dried food and toss anything that is infested. Place all non-infested food in sealed containers or refrigerate them. Completely clean the pantry where the food is stored to get any larvae that may be crawling around. Then lightly dust the shelves with food-grade diatomaceous earth before putting the food back.
More than a dozen beetles will infest your home and feed on dried food. The most common are the confused flour beetle, the drugstore beetle and the saw-toothed grain beetle. Control for all is the same. They will feed on many kinds of dried food, including flour products, cereals, barley, rice, wheat, dried fruits, cornmeal and many others.
Control is exactly the same as for the flour moths except for the pheromone traps.