How can I safely get rid of moths?

[Whispering Winds]

I had a sack of mouse food go bad, forgot about it in DS's closet and OH BOY!! It's long gone, but the moths are still flitting about. I seal up all the animal food, but I think they are on our clothes in that closet . . .in fact I know they are . . .is there something I can hang in there (isn't it cedar, but that is BEFORE the fact, right?) that will get rid of them? They are driving me crazy and I worry about other stuff getting damaged.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Mothballs

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:

 

[EweSheep]

MOthballs, sorry!

You can "air out the closet or storage space. If you have any wool, better check them for eggs and pupaes. I lost my very expensive dress kilt, forgot about it in my closet. Holes on the seams, nasty! And my wool blanket as well. Shake out the clothes and items out really well. If you can put them in the dryer high heat would kill moths. Vaccuum the closet from top to bottom.

You can install cedar planks walls if you like but once in a great while you would have to sand it from time to time to bring out the resin.

If you have wool sweaters, better off in garment bags or totes to keep moths from getting into the wool materials.

 

[Whispering Winds]

Well, they do make those ones you hang . . .but will have to take DS clothes out of the closet so they won't smell . . .the others are seasonal and I can rinse them in the spring . . .I was trying to avoid something strong because of the Finches and Ferret being in that room. . .I was hoping there was an herb that would do it, but thank you.

 

[Laurajean]

Quote:
I manage a pest control company. It sounds like what you have are Meal Moths, not regular moths. The first step is to get rid of the mouse food if you haven't already. Vacuum every moth you can see. Vacuuming would have to be done with the crevice tip & done every few days until they are gone. Be sure to get into all cracks, nooks, etc. Crush every cocoon you find. The cocoons look like a webby thing usually in corners or on clothes. The cocoons are often hidden behind something so you should drag everything out of the closet and go through it carefully. There are also natural pesticides you can use. One brand I recommend to customers who want something "safe" is a brand called EcoSmart. The product for indoor insects has an injector tip and should be applied in all the cracks and corners. It is made of spearmint, cloves, etc. It has a string minty smell, but I don't find it offensive. You can learn about EcoSmart products at www.ecosmart.com, but this can be combated without the products by following the above procedure. Also, be sure and keep all your grain, pasta, pet food, seeds, etc., in air tight hard plastic containers.

Good luck!

 

[Jenviro]

wash all materials at 60 degrees or more and vacuum as much as possible.

if they are in your carpets you may want to steam clean it.

 

[Redcatcher]

When I had finches I had moths all over. The seed came from the store with them in it. I had extremely good luck with pantry pest moth traps. They have a lure in them and will attract them from all over. They get stuck in the glue that is inside the trap (not for the faint hearted

). Storing the food in the freezer will kill them and prevent them from reproducing. Some bags of seed cannot be salvaged but if there are only a few moths and caterpillars in them, freezing them will stop them in their tracks.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
Seriously , moth balls are very toxic. Use them with caution. They should not be used around pets or small children Definitely not around livestock. Moth balls give off a gas that can cause nueralogical damage. I used to throw some in my furniture and now have decided not to.

There are moth traps you can buy. As for food or feed I put some food grade DE in with my scratch and mix it good. I repackage feed into cleaned out plastic cat litter container and put the cap on tight. This allows me to store it and carry it in easy sizes.

Wishing you the best

Rancher

 

[arabianequine]

http://hedgeapple.com/