If your home is infested with moths, it might be a good idea to call the fumigator
If there are bald patches in your garment and hair comes out in clumps, then you harbour moths
Let’s say you went daytripping to Skagway and found your must-have scarf made out of the softest chinchilla fur. If you’ve seen moth-riddled wool sweaters, you know you must also take good care of (read: protect) your other animal fibre: fur.
Your fur jacket’s worst enemy
Enter tineola bisselliella, the clothes moth. As I was researching for this column, I could not really find out where those critters come from. I concluded that this pest is always around. Clothes moths can get carried into your home on infested articles (wool sweater from the free store?). Moths don’t like to be disturbed, alas, won’t hang onto your pup’s fur.
Why are they drawn to animal fibres? Female moths smell the keratin protein that’s in wool and silk. Moths are also attracted to dirt, sweat and moisture. If they must, they’ll also eat synthetic and cotton blends.
Moths like it dark, therefore hide behind collars/cuffs, crevices of upholstery and carpeted areas under your furniture. If there are bald patches in your garment and hair comes out in clumps, then you harbour moths.
The clothes moth’s colours depend on the species. They are usually ochre/brown/yellowish and have a red-orange tuft of hair on their heads. They are about 6-10mm long, with a wingspan of 12-16mm.
They lay between 30 and 200 eggs in bunches; the eggs hatch in about 4-10 days. Eggs are directly laid onto their food sources so that the larva (also called caterpillar) can start eating pronto. Adults don’t have functional mouthparts as they don’t need to eat — their only goal is to reproduce.
The male dies shortly after mating; the female dies shortly after having laid her eggs. The larva eats for up to two months, then 10 days later (longer in colder winter months) pupates into a moth (adult). Their general development depends on temperature, humidity and diet.
Adults live near their breeding sites. Once the change is done from caterpillar to moth, they’re ready to mate right away. The perfect environment for them is 24 degrees Celsius and 70 – 75 per cent humidity; larvae are still able to hatch and grow at 10 degrees Celsius.
Your closet full of animal fibres except fur
To keep the place moth-free, put a cedar block in one corner. When the surface dries out and the scent fades, sand the surface to release fresh scent. You could also empty your closet and spray cedar oil (or lavender), diluted in distilled water, on each wall surface, wait a while, then put your clothes back in.
Another option is to soak cotton balls with one of these oils and put them in the corners of your closet. If those pesky beings still show up, freeze all clothes (except fur – freezing fur will ruin the leather!) for 48 hours. That will kill the eggs — it is the larvae that hatches from the eggs that will eat holes in your garments.
Storage of furry wearables
DO not use mothballs in your closet, as they’re made of chemicals that interact with the fur’s oils to create a toxic gas. Anyway, mothballs smell awful.
Do not place any smelly cotton balls, potpourri-sachets or wooden blocks in your closet — the scent will attach to the fur vest (cedar will absorb the hide’s moisture). Make sure it’s dark and your items have space around them for air flow. Once clothes moths have infested your furry article with eggs and larvae, then only a professional fur cleaning will get rid of them all.
Artificial pheromone traps will only draw male moths; once stuck on that glue-like substance, they, naturally, won’t be able to mate.
If your home is infested with moths, it might be a good idea to call the fumigator. Let him/her handle this pest professionally. The chemicals that are used to get rid of moths could harm your pets if ingested, so maybe take your pooch for a nice long walk while the house is being exterminated!This column has been compiled with information gleaned from https://fur.ca/ and meganmelanson.com.
