subject: Dont Let The Clothes Moth Steel Your Clothes! [print this page] Most of us often see the odd moth in our houses, certainly during the summer time and dont think anything of it. In most situations this is fine, as the majority of moths are harmless insect pests who are only interested in the light. Having said that, how would you feel if the moths in your home were the sort that breed and infest a home, munching its way through all your fine garments and soft furniture?
The Common Clothes Moth, also referred to as Tineloa Bisselliella, have a totally different nature in comparison with various other types of moth. They rarely fly as they favor uninterrupted, dark places of the home and often journey through either by running or hopping. They survive and breed in the home by way of feeding their way through different textile items and sadly they tend to adore the most expensive materials and will do anything in their power to reach them. These can include wool fur, silk and feathered products, as the majority of these materials include a substance known as keratin, which is actually one of the most ingestible proteins. However, certain insects including the clothes moth have special conditions in their gut, enabling them to break down the keratin producing it a digestible material.
In terms of their appearance, clothes moths are usually around 5mm long and are yellow/brown looking in colour with narrow wings fringed with long hairs. They are actually rarely spotted in the home due to their tendency to immediately hide inside clothing or furniture if ever interupted, which makes them particularly difficult to eliminate. Carpeting, blankets, feathered and fur items can be seriously damaged by this pest and there have been scenarios where victims have had to replace the carpet in their entire home!
Generally there is no real answer why only certain homes suffer from infestation, although older homes have a tendency to be more affected than newer builds, due to a moths love of older garments and the difficulty in completely eradicating a moth infestation. The bad news is that over the last twenty years there has been an rise in the amount of homes affected by these pests. Some say this is due to the temperature of houses in todays society, as many years ago moths would be killed off in the winter season, others say the increase is due to the sheer amount of clothing the average woman now owns, meaning hundreds of moths have plenty of products to feed on, or alternatively the increase could also be down to lack of hygiene, moths adore dirty materials, therefore putting away unwashed clothes items, or leaving a winter coat hanging up that hasnt been dry cleaned, is like leaving crumbs of bread out for a rat.
There are certain remedies that if followed can lessen the chances of becoming the victim of a moth infestation; regularly banging garments in the light where moths tend to stay, such as rugs, cushions or blankets, will disturb them and motivate them to leave. As already mentioned moths love un-clean clothes particularly clothing such as coats and suits that sit in a wardrobe for months without being cleaned, regularly deep cleaning any textiles and then storing them in sealed plastic cases will also help prevent an infestation.
If all else fails or you are uncertain, contact the professionals - A reliable pest control company will treat each case differently and offer diverse types of traps and treatments dependant upon the severity.
