Moths infestation, anyone affected by them ?

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Dave7

Legendary Member
Location
Cheshire
Just listening on R2 and apparently it's a growing problem. Some people say the problem was/is so bad that they had to move out.
One guy had to replace every carpet in the house and replace them with polypropylene as moths don't like that.
We had a slight problem many years ago but mothballs seemed to do the trick
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
THESE people
 

roley poley

Veteran
Location
leeds
Moths don't just eat wool ..we had an infestation and i eventually traced it back to my posh down sleeping bag that had been airing uncompressed in the spare room for over a year. They migrated to a nice wool coat ,and the carpet .We now have a man-made carpet ... we may have caught it in time with intense vacuum use and binning of their homesteads ,only time will tell
 

wiggydiggy

Legendary Member
I had a nest in an old sofa a few years back, I kept getting confused where they were coming from. I bought a 'moth death kit' like this from the internet where I had to detonate a smoke bomb in the room, and has a spray to put down everywhere first. It worked but I had to vacate the room for 3/4 hours whilst it did so.
 

PK99

Legendary Member
Location
SW19
Just listening on R2 and apparently it's a growing problem. Some people say the problem was/is so bad that they had to move out.
One guy had to replace every carpet in the house and replace them with polypropylene as moths don't like that.
We had a slight problem many years ago but mothballs seemed to do the trick

Definitely a growing problem.

Their natural home is eg birds' nests. We provide them with lovely warm dark conrers to over winter in. First world problem.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I have had a moth problem - for 15 years!

I went to the pub one warm, dry summer evening about 15 years ago. When I got back, long after sunset, I discovered that I had left the attic bedroom window open and the light on. There were scores of small moths flying about. I thought I had managed to swat them all but over the next few months my woollen jumpers and socks started developing holes. On inspection, moth larvae were there in great numbers...

I threw away the damaged woollens and washed everything that moths could have got close to, but they kept reappearing every year. It took me about a decade to discover that they had been eating a wool carpet under some furniture!

I eventually moved house but something must have carried moths over here with me because I had them here for 7 years too.

I am pretty much wool-free here now so that is probably why they are finally dying out. I don’t want them coming back so I will pass on the merino.
 

wiggydiggy

Legendary Member
I have had a moth problem - for 15 years!

The eating the carpet happened to me. The actual nest was in the sofa but when I moved it I found the hole. Luckily the carpet was the landlords and they never noticed or charged me for it when I left lol.
 

Moon bunny

Judging your grammar
Ah! Moths! The scourge of museums,
The trouble is that there is more than one species of moth, what works against webbing moths won’t work against case bearers or commoners, so unless you can positively identify the species such things as pheromone traps or parasitic wasps are shots in the dark. Scrupulous cleanliness is key, nothing attracts moths like spilled food, so clean up spills before they soak in. Vacuum regularly everywhere, moving the furniture if necessary. Wash clothes often and before storage, and yes, some species will eat some synthetics.
If you do find an infestation, track the source down, easier said than done I know, the larvae are minute pale things than can hide deep in the yarn or carpet backing. Once found you have a choice, insecticide, freezing 2 weeks at domestic freezer temperatures sees them off, or, disposal, drastic I know, but do you really need to keep an old tweed jacket that’ll never fit again? I store my winter clothes in sealed plastic bags over summer, after they have been frozen.
 
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presta

Legendary Member
I had a plague of them after I tried sleeping with the windows open in hot weather, even though I waited until all the lights were off before opening them. Each evening at about 10pm I went up and hoovered up everything I could see, and eventually after a couple of months I got them all. I didn't notice anything getting eaten.

Most hostellers are fresh air freaks who want the windows open all night, and yet I've never seen any moths in a youth hostel.
 

Accy cyclist

Legendary Member
I read yesterday that a divorced wife of a Russian Oligarch is suing him as the 32 million pound mansion she inherited in their divorce settlement is moth infested. Or something like that. 🤔

Oh, here it is!!https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-notting-hill-moth-infestation-iy

The retro clothing shop I work in has a quite severe moth problem, but don't tell the owner I'm mentioning it on here as he'd told me to keep it quiet!:secret: It's more upstairs where he has piles of clothes, rather than in the shop. I've seen items from upstairs that've been totally holed by those tiny moths. The owner tends to use those flea bombs every now and then, but they always seem to make their way back into the shop. Being a tweed and other types of wool wearer, so far I've been lucky. As far as I know they haven't got into my flat yet. I'm forever checking for holes and other signs, but thankfully I haven't seen anything yet.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
We had them being a nuisance in our flat. Quite apart from clothes the blighters had been munching the carpets too. Anyhow we set off a couple of the nerve gas smoke bombs and went away for the day, and that sorted em. OK you'll never get rid entirely but you can keep
em from getting out of hand. You get camphor impregnated paper you can hang in the wardrobe and leave in drawers too. Traditionally you stash mothballs in your best suit pockets too
 

Beebo

Firm and Fruity
Location
Hexleybeef
How can anyone be that rich ? Some shady oligarch stuff going on there.

London is full of these people. It’s a different world.
But if your dad is a dead billionaire, a £30mill house is nothing.
And yes , the money came from privatised state oil, and he died in suspicious circumstances.
 
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