Moth Control
Common Clothes Moth (Tineola Bisselliella)
Features/Biology
On average, adult clothes moths are approximately 5mm long and are buff/yellowish brown in colour. Due to their preference for dark and undisturbed places, clothes moths rarely fly and this often leads them to cause an infestation within the home. The female moths tend to travel by running or hopping. Therefore, most insects that you see flying around are males looking for a mate. This mating behaviour is regularly used by exterminators to help lure the males into a pheromone trap and subsequently, eliminate the clothes moth infestation.
Problems/Risks
Clothes moths can be extremely troublesome, as they tend to eat the most expensive fine woollen or silk garments, meaning your most costly suits and cashmere sweaters are often the first to be attacked. Carpets, woollen jumpers, blankets, feathered items, furs and silk can also be severely damaged or even destroyed by a clothes moth infestation. We therefore recommend getting rid of clothes moths as quickly as possible.
Recommended treatment
Due to the nature of moths and their ability to hide in clothing and furniture, it is not always possible to completely get rid of a clothes moth infestation; as it can be difficult and extremely time consuming to remove and wash (or dry-clean) all clothing and soft furnishings. If you need help with getting rid of clothes moths, please contact us; as we will be happy to visit your property and ascertain the level of your infestation. During our visit, we will be able to discuss with you what can realistically be moved or cleaned, in order to help us to treat the infestation with a high level of success.
On average, we consider that in order to prevent the infestation from reoccurring, a minimum course of at least two treatments is required to kill off the majority of the clothes moths and their larvae. However, as sprays are not able to kill the eggs, it is possible that in cases where there is a severe infestation, a third treatment may be required to control any residual moths, which hatch out from these eggs. To help monitor the level of a clothes moth infestation, pheromone monitor traps (as shown on the left) can be used to catch stray moths, or detect for any new infestations.
