If you have love for your clothes or comfy furniture, pay attention! Your precious cashmere sweaters, elegant rugs, soft-as-a-baby’s-butt blankets, and every other item made from animal-based fibers are in terrible danger! Who is targeting these treasured items? That would be clothes moths, the webbing clothes moths to be specific. It’s time to get out those horrible-smelling mothballs you always found in your grandmother’s closet because the war has only just begun.
The population of clothes moths, and webbing clothes moths in particular, are rapidly increasing in metropolitan areas. Pest control experts have determined that Boston, Massachusetts is home to the 2nd largest population of clothes moths in the entire United States. Webbing clothes moths are most prevalent in metropolitan areas like Boston due to them being heavily populated by people that own the very fibers they crave. In densely populated urban environments the moths are able to travel from one residence to another by simply flying there. They will also travel from person to person, hiding away in our belongings. This is especially important to remember when moving, as the very moths you may be trying to escape will simply tag along to your new residence.
If you want to protect your belongings from these fiber-consuming monsters and prevent them from spreading further, you must ensure that your home has ways to prevent them from being able to enter. This essentially involves sealing every opening or crevice that an insect could squeeze through to get into your home. Install items like window screens, door sweeps and any other sealing device in areas where there may be cracks or small openings to the outdoors. You also want to make sure that any new item made of fiber that enters your home is free of these moths. If you find one or two smaller items are being slowly eaten, freeze these materials for two weeks or put them in your clothes dryer on the hottest setting for at least an hour. Anything larger requires the assistance of pest control professionals.
Have you ever found moths eating away at your sweaters or found evidence of their presence in your home?
