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Fun thing number 34 about the new house; it has carpet moths. Yay.
anyone had to deal with these little moth bastards before? How feasible is it to clear them out with needing to rip out the carpets? Are they going to spread to our clothes?
help
We had them. We got on top of them. We hoovered and hoovered and hoovered.
Move all the furniture look at the bottom of the furniture and hoover that.
We then sprayed with a moth spray.
We managed to get rid of them and prevent their spread to the upstairs carpets.
Good luck.
Many (too many) years ago, I had a girlfriend with a moth phobia. One hot summers night we were getting jiggy and I was feeling particularly pleased at the reaction I was getting to my efforts when I realised that we'd left the window open and there was a moth fluttering round the bedside light 18 inches from her head.
Not sure which one of us was more scarred by the experience
What @Bruce said. Clean. Clean. Clean. And then clean again and again.
We’ve also kept a range of sticky pheromone traps out for them. The combination of traps, wooden floors, and regular effective cleaning shifted us from mothageddon to now seeing one or two flitting about and glorying in their deaths by magazine, book, hand, or electric insect racket
they are really annoying. They love merino wool. And they love expensive knitwear.
We lost a very nice handwoven rug/carpet to them that had a section under a sofa. It was very friable and not a pretty sight when they’d finished with it.
sadly any moth killer spray you get will likely kill any other insects. And spiders who might be helping reduce moth numbers.
it’s the grubs that do the damage. Horrible things.
When we moved in to a new house a few years ago we had booked a deep vacuum clean and they found the egg cases on the stairs. So they use the spray then (without any furniture) and then we sprayed the edges of the carpets every few months (moved furniture around). Sorry it's a case of diligently hoovering and spraying, and yes the spray is a neurotoxin that kills everything else too, but they are a nightmare.
How new is the house? I am really surprised to hear that moths are a problem in a new build, they need quite high levels of humidity to thrive, which is why they are generally associated with old damp houses.
I can only assume that the fabric of the building still has high levels of moisture from the construction stage? If that is the case I would consider a dehumidifier to keep humidity levels below 70%. I don't think you will have a moth problem if humidity levels are below that.
Edit :
I reckon that in certain cases it might be longer than a year. I would invest in a humidity meter, it's impossible to tell humidity levels without one.
Had good success with these, and pheromone traps.
https://dragonfli.co.uk/collections/clothes-moths/products/clothes-moth-egg-sachets
How new is the house? I am really surprised to hear that moths are a problem in a new build, they need quite high levels of humidity to thrive, which is why they are generally associated with old damp houses.
New to us, not new new. So about 100 years old give or take, seemingly decent quality, but older, wool carpets throughout. The carpets had all been cleaned when we moved in which we thought was a nice gesture by the people we bought off. Guess they were just trying to get rid of the moths though.
Looks like we have lots of cleaning and spraying to look forward to over the next couple of months. Fingers crossed they keep off the clothes; it would seem that might end up in us needing to go and buy a freezer to (temporarily) store them if they do get in there.
New to us, not new new. So about 100 years old give or take
Ah, sorry, misunderstood. Yeah well that makes more sense. Older houses built during the coal fire era tend to have more damp issues due to the fact that poor or nonexistent damp proof courses and lack of cavity walls wasn't an issue a hundred years ago because fireplaces and chimneys created through drafts.
I am sure you wouldn't have to problem if humidity levels were maintained below 65-70%. Although no doubt they can be controlled by other methods including constant cleaning/chemicals.
"Life cycle may be completed within one month under the most favorable conditions (75 °F (24 °C) and 70-75% relative humidity ) but may take several years (lower temperatures and humidity will only slow development, larvae will still hatch and grow at temperatures as low as 10 °C (50 °F) and can survive up to 33 °C ( 91 °F)
It's got F all to do with humidity. If you've got a wool carpets, you're vulnerable.
You are now at war. Change all your mindset, say goodbye to the person you used to be. Think of Arnie at the end of predator, that's the psychological space you need to be in.
We've got ride of them but it's taken two years. Absolutely blitz the vacuuming, EVERYWHERE, move all the furniture, if you leave anything in place they'll survive.
Especially treat where the carpet meets the skirting. Bulk buy the powder from amazon and leave it on the carpet overnight at least once a month.
Pheromone traps everywhere at all times.
We gave up on the wool stair carpet as there's far too many crevices in the wooden stairs for them to hide in. Had a plastic carpet put in there instead.
Godspeed mon ami, you can win but you need to adopt a hardline approach.
It's got F all to do with humidity.
The Critical Role of Humidity for Moth Survival
Humidity is another pivotal environmental factor that significantly affects clothes moth infestations. These pests prefer environments with relatively high humidity levels, ideally above 70%. Poorly ventilated areas within homes, like cellars or cluttered wardrobes, can trap moisture and create ideal breeding grounds for these pests due to a few main reasons:
Larval Hydration
Clothes moth larvae require a certain level of moisture to survive and thrive. High humidity helps maintain the moisture content of the natural fibres they consume, making them more palatable and easier to digest.
Egg Hatching Success
Adequate humidity levels are also crucial for the successful hatching of moth eggs. Dry conditions can lead to desiccation and reduce the eggs’ viability.
Survival in Dry Conditions
Conversely, dry climates are generally less favourable for clothes moths. Low humidity can dehydrate larvae, making it difficult for them to survive and complete their development.
Meh. Our house isn't humid and they had no bloody difficulty thriving at all.
They may state that they 'prefer' humid on their feedback form but trust me, it's not a dealbreaker for the little bastards.
Something to look into if it's a new (to you) house - is sheeps wool has become popular as an insulation material in recent years. Absolutely delicious to moths though - there was a recent news story of a new owner of £multimillion house Notting Hill suing the seller because of the moth problems the insulation was causing - in the end it actually resulted in the seller having to take the house back and refund them, I can't think of many other instances where someone has been legally required to un-sell their home!. So carpets and clothing (and dust - which is keratin too so they'll thrive anywhere dusty not just in woolen textiles) aside its worth a check into what insulation materials have been used around the house too.
Alas, there is not a lot in the way of insulation in the house (we bought it as a bit of a project) so shouldn’t be any worries there.
longer term a lot of the carpet (at least everywhere downstairs) will come out. Just didn’t want to have to do it now as we aren’t even remotely ready to put our preferred new flooring option down.
Found some properly nasty bits this morning so have been making progress in some rooms with the vacuum and spray. Feel like it will never end.
As an extra bonus eldest kid managed to “discover” a wasp nest, the hard way, in the garden while trying to retrieve a badly placed football. Don’t think he’s going to be forgetting that experience for a while.
Permethrin everything. Had to completely gut and treat our house about 2022. Huge legacy infestation with wool carpets throughout. Luckily we could live in one half whilst blitzing the other but it was a massive ballache. We're surrounded by sheep farms so need to have the pheromone traps in place all the time.
My sister called in a firm who used some sort of gas to get rid of them. It did work.