# Moths!



## doulanobles (Aug 15, 2006)

My kids clothes are showing up with moth holes in them. Does anyone have suggestions for a natural cure?


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Do you have bird seed in the house? I had some in basement and found out the hard way that moths come with it. You can buy strips of cedar ar Lowe's. Cedar is supposed to deter all bug. The reason they used to have cedar closets.


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## 2007glory (Jul 27, 2007)

I've always heard lavander scented oil on cotton balls do the trick. Aside from the ungodly smell, moth balls work wonders!


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## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

If you have room, stick the susceptible clothing in the freezer for a couple of days. The eggs and larvae die. I did this with a woolen wallhanging and it has been fine ever since. But you'll need to find out where the little buggers are coming from, or everything will get reinfested.


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## BaronsMom (May 22, 2005)

In our area - we have few clothes moths - our problem is carpet beetles (dermestid beetles).

Vacuum, launder, dry clean, put clothes in the freezer that can't be washed easily, move clothes around that have been hanging in the back of the closet a while, take wool suits outside and brush them, same for carpets if they can't be washed, move furniture or vacuum really, really good under it. 

Cedar smells great, but has limited effectiveness and only minor repellency. Even if you keep replacing the little "squares" it is no guarantee. I love cedar closets and chests but would never guarantee the bugs stay out. Not a big deal if you don't have anything valuable, but if you put a "grandmother's keepsake" in there - it could still get bugs in it.

The only thing that works is moth balls and in a concentrated area. You can't just toss a couple in a closet and hope they work either. You have to put your clothes in a tight sealing container or bag and then add the mothballs.


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## BaronsMom (May 22, 2005)

Sandra Spiess said:


> Do you have bird seed in the house? I had some in basement and found out the hard way that moths come with it. You can buy strips of cedar ar Lowe's. Cedar is supposed to deter all bug. The reason they used to have cedar closets.


The moths in bird seed are not the same as clothes moths. Two different pests feeding on two different types of things. 

Indian meal moths are common in bird seeds and then end up flitting around all over the house - there are pantry pests traps for those.

Clothes moths won't be found in bird seed - the larvae are busy feeding on fabric fibers. Not grains.

Here's a resource on pantry pests with a photo of an Indian Meal Moth:

http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/pantrypests304.shtml

Here's a resource on fabric pets - sorry, no photo of the clothes moth - but just an offwhite, small moth (Indian Meal Moth has two tones of dingy colors):

http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/fabricpests010.shtml

Hope that helps.


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