Anyone got moths in ED?

[reetpetite]

londonloves Wrote:

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> Ladybirds hibernate so finding them in the house

> isn't an investation-they just wanted somewhere

> for a kip-they don't eat anything in your home

> just let them out. Check before you squish

> any-they are an endagered species and a gardener's

> friend. Ladybirds

londonloves I wouldn't dream of killing a living creature I always let them out of the window gently , but they are not as nice and pretty as our usual familiar Ladybirds and we were swamped with them last year as well. How do they get in when the windows are closed and are double glazed?

[agathoise]

There are different sorts of Ladybird about -- the native ones and a recent invader: the larger Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis also known as the Multicoloured Asian Ladybird and the Halloween Ladybird) which has come over from continental Europe (where it had migrated from its original habitat in eastern Asia) and is close to eradicating our native ladybird species. The Harlequin ladybirds are larger and have a different number of spots, they hibernate in large numbers in warm buildings.

There's a lovely insect expert at the Horniman who can tell you much much more than the above if you're interested. Or you could check out these links which have visual guides on how to differentiate the two types:

http://www.ladybird-survey.org/

and

http://www.harlequin-survey.org/

Hope this helps!

Agathoise

[londonloves]

Hey reetpetite-sorry i didn't mean to imply anyone with ladybirds was likely to go on a killing spree-although I used to work for a letting agency on the maintenance/pest problems side of things and you would be amazed how many people squish first and ask later! As for how they get in-they don't get in through the windows-they are just drawn towards the light when they wake up. They could get in anywhere,they're pretty darn small- afterall your house isn't airtight-unless you're EDs answer to Howard Hughes. One way they always got in to my home was in firewood-as log piles are a favourite hibernating spot too.

[Sue]

Well I went on a killing spree today, I don't normally kill things (except for vine weevils) but I squished a moth that flew out of a BOOK when I opened it, surely they're not going to start eating my books as well????

(6)

[daizie]

Its when they're in your drawers you gotta worry ;-)

[londonloves]

Sue-I love moths-except the ones that infest my house! I'm very much the catch a bug and put it out the window type-but once moths started munching through my belongings I now squish/swat on sight-little beggars.....but that's just clothes moths-no other creatures were harmed in the makingof this post...

[Sue]

londonloves Wrote:

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> Sue-I love moths-except the ones that infest my

> house! I'm very much the catch a bug and put it

> out the window type-but once moths started

> munching through my belongings I now squish/swat

> on sight-little beggars.....but that's just

> clothes moths-no other creatures were harmed in

> the makingof this post...

xxxxxxx

Yeh same here - I wonder if I imported moth eggs (?) with something from a charity shop, been here twenty years and only recently got a problem .... unless it's because I've taken to washing all my clothes in cold water and things survive the wash? UGH :-$

Other possibility is that my wall hangings and cushions were out of use for months last summer due to building/decorating work taking much longer than it should have, so maybe the moths somehow got into them and bred?

(6)

[kellygirl]

the guy who runs the drycleaners on Bellenden Road is really sound and a bit of an expert on moth removal. i had them for two years running and only got rid of them after talking to him.

[Sue]

kellygirl Wrote:

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> the guy who runs the drycleaners on Bellenden Road

> is really sound and a bit of an expert on moth

> removal. i had them for two years running and only

> got rid of them after talking to him.

xxxxxxx

What was his advice?

[Ko]

yes - what was the advice??

kellygirl Wrote:

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> the guy who runs the drycleaners on Bellenden Road

> is really sound and a bit of an expert on moth

> removal. i had them for two years running and only

> got rid of them after talking to him.

[kellygirl]

hallo sue,

i hoovered absolutely everywhere. apparently they lay in dust - not clothes. this was according to the man in the bellenden DC i was talkng about. and that made a big difference. for a while. then they started sneaking back. so i brought out the big guns. for about ?12 the bellenden DC man sells a horrible device. it is a box that gives off (and this is where i get confused) the mating musk of one gender - and all the members of the other gender flock to it, where they get erradicated in a fashion he will tell you all about. all i know is it is clean quick works and there are no holes in my clothes or my conscience. hope that helps.

all the best morna

[Siduhe]

Also, get your carpets cleaned (if you use a professional cleaner, they can use an anti moth/flea solution) - the moths lay their eggs in it, not on your clothes. But hiring a proper carpet cleaner from HSS or similar for a day will probably do the job just as well.

[Sue]

I no longer have any carpets, well only one in the bedroom, I now have sort-of-half-painted floorboards!

Kellygirl/Morna, thanks so much, I will be down there on Monday morning :)

Edited to add: But what about the grubs (?) and eggs that are already in my wall hangings etc, isn't it them rather than the adult moths that cause the damage??

I can't believe I've only just noticed the huge gaps in what used to be my favourite wall hangings !!!!

(6)

[charliecharlie]

http://www.spiritofnature.co.uk/acatalog/4275.html

this is the baby you're looking for... cheaper on line and solved my moth problem

it gives of the pheromones of a female moth...

attracts males moths who get stuck in the box and die (poor ol' b*ggers... but at least my clothes remain in tact!!)

http://centerpestcontrol.com/images/clothes_moth.gif

[Sue]

Thanks charliecharlie, I think I will try this first before I go down the noxious chemical route, I'm just concerned about the grubs which are already eating my things, but guess I just have to live with that, not sure what the life cycle is :-$

[Smiler]

The moths have eaten my horrible old maternity wear, so will have to get nice new stuff this time around - shame!

[louisiana]

I discovered some moths inhabiting a tin in the kitchen. Ugh.

But as soon as I threw that out the problem seemed to go away.

I suppose wherever they are breeding...

[Ellie78]

okay. This is probably going to repeat info that's already on this thread but I think it needs repeating! Sorry to jump in all Eeyore on this but I lived in a flat with a TERRIBLE moth problem a while back and I really don't want anyone else to go through it. Our problem was very bad when we moved in (although I didn't know that then) and it may be that this skews my view about it all.

We had the traps you're all talking about. It controls the cycle but it won't eradicate them completely - it just takes 1 to slip under the radar...Seriously, though. The traps aren't designed for eradication. Simply control.

You have to combine that with other moth prevention/control methods. If you remove all sources of food from your home or, if that isn't feasible, make it difficult for them to access those, you've got them.

-hoovering everywhere regularly (OCD level) -and throw the hover bag out otherwise they'll breed in there.

- Go through your wardrobe every week (if they're obviously hatching, ie you can see them about) and shake out your clothes, particularly woolens and silks.

- storing clothes on open rails/in plastic boxes annoys them - they HATE light so generally won't lay eggs there.

- look for the sources of infestation. In our case, they were obviously breeding in the 20 year woolen carpet our landlady had covered with laminate wood flooring (thereby preventing any control whatsoever) -bad for us- but there may be an old, scratchy woolen jumper somewhere that's causing it all.

- moth balls from john lewis is an obvious one but you may not want to subject yourself to chemical warfare

- check cuddly toys. Particularly old ones. It wasn't pleasant seeing a caterpillar like creature crawl out of a beloved childhood teddy

- They like dark and dusty places. If you're confused as to why you have moths, and see no evidence of them on your clothes, they might be in a cupboard, attic etc.

If they're in furniture or carpets there's not much you can do by yourself - get the big guns in for spraying.

Whatever measures you take, do it quickly. These little critters spread and the larger the problem, the harder it is to sort out. If they suddenly seem to disappear don't get complacent. You probably haven't seen the last of them, its just their reproduction cycle. They will be back. Our moths (Stockholm syndrome here) went through 3 cycles each year.

And Christmas is off this year.

[Sue]

OMG :X

[Penguin68]

Another place they can live (and breed) is in the felt on piano hammers - we moved an old piano from my late in-laws into our house for safekeeping before it went to a cousin who didn't then have room - a shed load of moth larvae arrived with the piano and tried to move into the the carpet on which it stood. Luckily the infestation was so localised we could deal with it.

[Sue]

OMG off to check my piano sharpish :-S

[Sue]

I don't understand this.

Colin (pest control guy) came round. He couldn't find a nest anywhere. He gave me loads of sticky traps with the aim of identifying where the worst of the infestation was.

They haven't caught a single moth. However I've killed maybe three or four I've found elsewhere since then, in different places. I've examined everything really closely and I can't see anything anywhere which looks like a moth larvae or grub.

I understand it's the male moths that fly about, so the ones I've killed must be females? So where are all the males?

I don't really want to fill the place with chemicals - several sorts to kill all stages of the lifecycle - and so I've been to John Lewis and spent a fortune on cedarwood and lavender stuff (already had some but discovered it needed sanding down as the smell had gone) but I'm a bit unsure how effective this is likely to be.

Anyone know why my traps wouldn't be catching moths? I've put them on and near things that seem to have attracted them in the past, ie that have been munched.

ETA: I was a bit put out when my neighbour said this was the first year they haven't had moths - clearly they've all migrated to mine :))

[SteveT]

I thought my moths had disappeared but only in the last few days have they started to move around, because the temperature has risen I suppose.

[Sue]

I've just seen one flying around, and wasn't quick enough to squash it before it disappeared behind my desk, damn.

So why aren't they going for my traps??

[SteveT]

Have you labelled them?