Clothes Moths. Who Else Leaping Around Their House, Clapping the Little Swines?

Jack Straw

I look nothing like him!

Jul 7, 2003

6,910

Brighton. NOT KEMPTOWN!

• Jun 30, 2012

• #1

This time of year, my house is like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", only with clothes moths.
I hate the little buggers, and this is why.
In 1983, when we went to Wemberley, to play Man United and make history, I, as all Albion fans did, bought a flag.
My flag went to both Wembley games, spent a while stuck in my CB radio aerial socket on the rear bumper of my Datsun Cherry whilst driving around for a few weeks over this period, and after the elation of a cup final appearance waned, I twiddled the stick to wrap the flag neatly for storage under my bed.
In 1985, I moved house. In the process of packing everything up for the removal van, I rediscovered my precious Wembley flag.
I hadn't unfurled it for two years.
I excitedly unfurled it in anticipation of a nostalgic wave, only to find the f***ing clothes moths had moved in and eaten three quarters of it.
I was basically waving about a pair of string underpants on a stick.
What was left was a grave yard of pupae where the moths had made their homes, laid their eggs, and hatched in to fully grown clothes moths. They had munched their way through a priceless souvenir to render it useless.
I'll never forgive them.
Get clapping everyone. Together we can wipe the fuckers out.
There's one now.....I'll get you, you.......CLAP. Bollocks. Missed.
There's another one. Where are they all coming from?

 

kevo

Well-known member

Mar 8, 2008

9,139

• Jun 30, 2012

• #2

They are hardy little buggers. It doesn't matter how many you kill, you will not eradicate them - they always come back! I've started zapping them with fly spray but it hasn't made much difference.

 

Mr Smggles

Well-known member

May 11, 2009

2,660

Winchester

• Jun 30, 2012

• #3

Not sure why they deserve a round of applause.

 

Triggaaar

Well-known member

Oct 24, 2005

50,250

Goldstone

• Jun 30, 2012

• #4

I can't remember ever seeing as many as right now.

 

S

saltdeanseagull1

Member

Aug 21, 2011

217

• Jun 30, 2012

• #5

Are these small little moths approx half a centimetre?? If so I have loads of the buggers in my house. Where do they like to live, should I clear out my wardrobe and are there any tell tale signs of their nibbling??

 

M

mune ni kamome

Well-known member

Jun 5, 2011

2,218

Worthing

• Jun 30, 2012

• #6

They are well 'ard they just shrug off fly spray. Maybe a few succumb but the eggs go on and hatch anyway. Most of the time they crawl around and can't even be bothered to fly.

 

kevo

Well-known member

Mar 8, 2008

9,139

• Jun 30, 2012

• #7

The best method I found is when I see them resting on a wall to squash them using a bit of tissue. But they still keep coming back! They've nibbled their way through quite a few tops, which are now unwearable because of the holes. Utter bastards.

 

Last edited: Jun 30, 2012

Eric Potts

Well-known member

Jul 26, 2004

1,856

Top o' Hanover

• Jun 30, 2012

• #8

Simple solution . Wear nothing but polyester , embrace nylon , live an acrylic lifestyle.

 

C

CP 0 3 BHA

Well-known member

Nov 28, 2003

2,256

Northants

• Jun 30, 2012

• #9

I suspect the little buggers live in our stair carpet. We've got some noticeable threadbear bits. Ever year we try to kill all we see but there's no defeating them.

 

D

Deleted member 2719

Guest

• Jun 30, 2012

• #10

Eric Potts said:

Simple solution . Wear nothing but polyester , embrace nylon , live an acrylic lifestyle.

Click to expand...

Are you sure because we have a few and my current Albion shirt has what looks like pulls in the front and i don't remember rolling around on nails or anything.

I assumed the buggers now have a new hybrid with metal teeth!

 

The Brighton Bear

Come on Kylie, get a grip

May 3, 2010

14,053

Rottingdean

• Jun 30, 2012

• #11

Mothballs are the way forward.

 

BadFish

Huge Member

Oct 19, 2003

17,166

• Jun 30, 2012

• #12

Is it 1935?

 

cloud

Well-known member

Jun 12, 2011

3,030

Here, there and everywhere

• Jun 30, 2012

• #13

I found one on my ceiling today. And if it's not moffs, I've lost count of the number of spiders ho have taken over my bath, little blighters

 

K

Keenbha

New member

Feb 6, 2012

6

Goring By Sea

• Jun 30, 2012

• #14

Hate this time of year... I have a phobia of moths and cant even sleep in the same room as one :L

 

R

Raleigh Chopper

New member

Sep 1, 2011

12,054

Plymouth

• Jun 30, 2012

• #15

Thank God its not just my house, I was getting paranoid. I am now a clothes moth expert.
This is my second summer of them. Last summer I was wondering where they all come from and spent all my time chasing and squashing them, but they do not go away, so I did some research and found out that they like to (mainly) live in the dark under furniture that is on a carpet. So I moved the furniture and sure enough there they were, live moths, eggs and larvae. if you get on your hands and knees the eggs are microscopic little white things in the pile, the larvae will have rolled themselves up in bits of thread like little tubes and of course the live moths will scatter.I have the same wool carpet in every room upstairs and down and this is the carpet they love. I spent a whole weekend moving furnitue including beds, wardrobes, TV, sofa,anything on the carpet and they were in all rooms.
I used the hoover with the end removed (just the pipe bit) and on my hands and knees sucked them all up, make sure that you cover the whole area. I was a little late as in some areas they had literally eaten through the carpet.
They are back this summer but nowhere near in the same numbers, but now I know where to look I hoover there every week.
They prefer these areas to live because they do not fly very well, so if you see some flying you will have thousands more hiding.
Other places to look are; In the folds of your curtains, in your wardrobe (they love wool and cashmere) and any other nook and cranny.
I live in a victorian house so I have lots of places they can hide like where the skirting board does not sit on the floorboards and the gap between the fireplace and tiles on the hearth etc etc.
If you dont at least try to get rid of them you will get infested they lay thousands of eggs in these places and die.
For complete eradication you can buy stuff from your local Rentokill to do it yourself with sprays and smokebombs, or a pest expert can do it for you.

 

catfish

North Stand Brighton Boy

Dec 17, 2010

7,677

Worthing

• Jun 30, 2012

• #16

Vegster must have opened his wallet.

 

vegster

Sanity Clause

May 5, 2008

27,927

• Jun 30, 2012

• #17

catfish said:

Vegster must have opened his wallet.

Click to expand...

As I've got it open now, I must buy you a nice prawn curry.

 

edna krabappel

Well-known member

NSC Patron

Jul 7, 2003

47,240

• Jul 1, 2012

• #18

I thought moths eating your clothes was something that died out in the Victorian age. They really still exist?

 

00snook

Active member

Aug 20, 2007

2,357

Southsea

• Jul 1, 2012

• #19

I have loads of these blighters in my house.

Never knew they were clothes moths.

Assume they only eat your shitty old
Clothes and leave the new ones alone yeah?

 

wehatepalace

Limbs

Apr 27, 2004

7,294

Pease Pottage

• Jul 1, 2012

• #20

Yeah we've suffered with them for years now, we had woollen carpets throughout the house. They have eaten the carpet under most of the furniture, we called out the pest controller who sprayed the entire house, but even that didn't solve the problem, so we've gradually replaced all the carpets to man made fibre carpets and this has virtually eradicated them, we have just one more room to replace, but I am only seeing one or two moths now,rather than the 10's and 20's before !
I really do feel for anyone infested by the little bastards as they are so destructive.