The majority of us often see the odd moth in our houses, certainly during the summer and don’t think anything of it. In most situations this is fine, as the majority of moths are harmless pesky insects that are only intrigued in the light. However, how would you feel if the moths in your house were the variety that breed and infest a home, munching its way through all your fine garments and soft furnishings?
The Common Clothes Moth, also referred to as Tineloa Bisselliella, have a totally different nature in comparison with other types of moth. They seldom fly as they favor uninterrupted, dark areas of the home and often travel through either by running or hopping. They survive and breed in the home through eating their way through various textile items and unfortunately they have a tendency to adore the most expensive materials and will do anything in their power to get to them. These can include wool fur, silk and feathered items, as the majority of these materials include a substance known as keratin, which is actually one of the most ingestible proteins. However, certain bugs including the clothes moth have special conditions in their stomach, enabling them to break down the keratin making it a digestible material.
With regards to their appearance, clothes moths are usually around 5mm long and are yellow/brown looking in colour with narrow wings fringed with long hairs. They are actually rarely spotted in the home due to their tendency to immediately hide inside garments or furniture if ever interupted, making them incredibly difficult to eliminate. Carpets, blankets, feathered and fur products can be severely damaged by this insect and there have been instances where victims have had to replace the carpet in their entire home!
Generally there is no real answer why only certain houses suffer from infestation, although older homes have a tendency to be more affected than newer builds, due to a moth’s love of slightly older garments and the difficulties in completely eradicating a moth infestation. The bad news is that over the last twenty years there has been an increase in the amount of homes affected by these pests. Several say this is due to the warmth of houses in today’s society, as many years ago moths would be killed off in the winter weather, others say the increase is due to the sheer volume of clothes the average woman now owns, meaning hundreds of moths have plenty of items to feed on, or alternatively the increase could also be down to lack of hygiene, moths love dirty materials, therefore putting away unwashed clothes items, or leaving a winter coat hanging up that hasn’t been dry cleaned, is like leaving crumbs of bread out for a rat.
There are specific remedies that if followed can reduce the possibilities of becoming the victim of a moth infestation; regularly shaking garments in the light where moths tend to remain, such as rugs, cushions or blankets, will disturb them and motivate them to leave. As already mentioned moths love un-clean clothes particularly clothing such as coats and suits that sit in a wardrobe for months without being cleaned, regularly deep cleaning any fabrics and then storing them in sealed plastic cases will also help prevent an infestation.
If all else fails or you are unsure, contact the experts - A reliable pest control business will treat each case differently and offer various types of traps and treatments dependant upon the severity.
Terminex Pest Control Services are expert professionals who take their role of providing quality pest control and Clothes Moth Infestations control and also excellent customer service very seriously. The company is also a full member of BPCA (British Pest Control Association). Check out their website today Terminex
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