Protecting Your family and home from Moths
While moths do not have a health risk, they are a pest in house because of how much damage their larvae can cause to clothes, fabrics, leather and carpets and rugs.
This damage may continue for many weeks or even months after moth caterpillars have hatched. Serious damage may have been done before numbers of flying moths are seen and so prevention of a moth problem is really important.
While a minor infestation of moths can be dealt with using DIY products, an established moth problem is likely to require professional treatment.
How to spot signs of a Moth Problem
Often the first sign of a moth problem will be damage to fabrics but there will usually be other signs or indicators:
adult moths (often crawling rather than flying)
maggot-like larvae (moth caterpillars)
the silken tubes or cases in which moth larvae live
pupae ( cocoons) in which larvae turn into moths
Please note, another common cause of damage to carpets or rugs may be due to rug beetles or carpet beetles rather than moths.
Identifying Moths
There are four common species of moth that will infest in the home:
Common Clothes Moth
Adults 6-8mm with straw-coloured wings and no markings
Larvae creamy white with a brown head and up to 10mm long
The moth larvae make irregular holes in fabrics
Case Bearing Clothes Moth
Found particularly with imported animal fabrics
Adults 6mm long with a dark-buff colour and three faint spots
Creamy-white larvae up to 10mm
Makes more regular holes in fabric than common clothes moth
Brown House Moth
adults 8-14mm and brown with three or four darker spots
Larvae up to 20mm, off-white with brown head
Larvae feed on a wide range of animal textiles including wool, leather and feathers
White Shouldered House Moth
adults 6-10mm with a white head and mottled wings
Larvae up to 12mm, cream coloured with red-brown head
Larvae scavenge on wide range of food. Less damaging to textiles than clothes or brown house moths.
How to keep moth problems away
It is hard to keep moths from entering an open window or door, although it is recommended to draw the curtains or use a fly screen when windows are open at night, when moths will be attracted to lights.
Once inside your home, moths lay eggs in dark and rarely disturbed areas where clothes or other textiles are stored.
High risk areas include spare rooms, under beds and infrequently used cupboards or wardrobes. Lofts are also at risk because moths are attracted to bird nests that may be in the eaves of the house.
Dirty or soiled clothing is particularly attractive to moths, so always clean clothes before storing them.
Where textiles are to be stored for a period of time, keep them in sealed plastic bags or suitcases.
Ensure areas that are hidden such as under furniture are regularly vacuumed to help remove moth eggs before they hatch. This is particularly important if there has been a previous infestation or if you have noticed increased levels of moth activity. For more help or advice
go to our website at http://www.scs-carpetcleaningservices.co.uk and we will be only to happy to help. We offer an eco-friendly way of cleaning your home and our carpet cleaning service is 100% effective in the eradication of all carpet bugs.