MOTH CONTROL
Moth Treatment & Control
Moth Pest Control, Treatment and Prevention Specialists for Kent and the South East
Clothes Moth Control
There are several species of clothes moths, all of which are characterised by folding their wings tent-wise along their backs. The adult Common Clothes Moth is 6 to 7mm long with pale, un-patterned, golden-buff wings fringed with hair. The rarer Case-Bearing Clothes Moth, is duller and has three dark brown spots on each of its wings.
While adult moths do no damage when feeding, clothes moth larvae, which hatch from sticky moth eggs, eat natural fibres such as wool, hair, fur and feathers. Their preference being blankets, wool carpets, wool clothing and upholstery that has been soiled with perspiration or food. These small white caterpillars with golden-brown heads, spin a hiding place of characteristic loose silk webbing, beneath which they feed.
These types of larvae make irregular holes in textile fabrics and pupate as silken cocoons. The Case Bearing Clothes Moth grub however, produces an open ended cylindrical case of silk as it feeds, which it attaches fibres of its food material to in order to camouflage itself.
Brown House Moth Control
The commonest of the so-called clothes moths, is the Common Brown House Moth. With characteristic golden- bronze wings, flecked with black, folded flat along its back, the adult is about 8mm long and strangely prefers to run than fly.
The related White Shouldered House Moth, which has mottled wings and a white head and “shoulders” where the wings join the body, their eggs to fabric, on which their larvae will feed. Their larvae are creamy-white caterpillars with brown heads. They grow up to 18mm long and feed on wool, hair, fur, feathers, cork and debris from food such as cereals and dried fruit.
These types of caterpillars spin silken cocoons in which they pupate. The life cycle takes several months to complete, but only the larvae stage feeds, as a general scavenger as well as a textile pest.
Download our Top Ten Tips for Moth Control.
REMEDY
Man-made fibres have reduced house and clothes moth infestations considerably over the years, but precautions should still be taken if you use or store natural fibres at your property. This includes thorough cleaning of woollen items and storing them and any fur or feathered items in sealed polythene bags in tightly closed drawers or cupboards.
You can also fold a disc of moth repellent into clothing, hang moth repellents in wardrobes and spray items with an aerosol mothproofer before putting clothes in storage. Carpets should be regularly cleaned, paying extra attention to edges and old birds’ nests and pieces of fabric should be cleared from loft spaces as these can attract moths.
In the event that you suspect you do have a moth infestation, we would recommend calling out a professional pest control company to get rid of the moths and prevent them from further laying eggs and causing damage.
OUR MOTH TREATMENT SERVICE
We offer an easy moth treatment service, which includes the following process:
1. Contact
Call or email us to discuss your pest problem and we will give you advice or arrange for our local technician to make a visit.
2. Survey
If necessary, we will arrange a survey at a time convenient for you, and provide a quote and pest recommendations.
3. Treatment
The BPCA certified technicians at Monitor Pest Control will visit your premises to treat the pest issue and working together we will resolve the problem.
