Carpet moth larvae problem. Help!!!

floyd333

I have a problem in my house with some kind of beetle or moth eggs or larvae . They are small grey/ whitish things about the size of a grain of rice. If I watch them close enough I can see a little head coming out of the body like a kind of caterpillar.

I find these creatures in rooms with carpets. They can be hard to spot. They seem to settle at the edge of the rooms between the carpet and skirting boards. I also find them under furniture. I keep finding the hideous creatures.

My question is how do I get rid of them? I am looking for a safe solution. I don’t fancy using dangerous chemicals that are harmful to humans. Any help is much appreciated.

coathanger

Hi There,
When u move the furniture,are there bald spots on the carpet & do u have a problem with moths flying around your rooms?Can you post a pic?I had a similar problem in rented accomodation:eek:

jeepers101

Sounds like you need a pest control company. Ring rentokil or the like. They do a free survey. At least they did a couple of years ago when we had bed bugs.

Jellybaby1

Am interested in any replies to this as well as I know someone suffering the same problem, but in a wardrobe. I got them one of those lavender moth killer things from Aldi or Lidl but it didnt work. The moths are eating their clothes in the wardrobe. How do you get rid?

Just saw your reply jeepers101. Sounds drastic. I didn't know the pest control people come out for moths.

coathanger

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Am interested in any replies to this as well as I know someone suffering the same problem, but in a wardrobe. I got them one of those lavender moth killer things from Aldi or Lidl but it didnt work. The moths are eating their clothes in the wardrobe. How do you get rid?

Just saw your reply jeepers101. Sounds drastic. I didn't know the pest control people come out for moths.

Moths can be real pests,tell your friend to check all their clothes in the wardrobe,moths love fur,silk ,feathers & wool,look for clothes that look dusty / discoloured, webbing or smell musty,check the wardrobe for the webbing also.Hang pheromone moth traps in the wardrobe to catch any of the moths flying about.

Wash every item of clothing in the hottest wash for the item,in order to kill eggs the moths may have laid,failing that leave the clean item in a freezer for a few days to kill the eggs.Remove all items in the wardrobe & clean them,clean the wardrobe as well,using a vinegar & water solution,to clean the floor & walls ,pay particular attention to the crevices & corners.Then hoover thoroughly.
Hang cedar / lavender sachets in your wardrobe or in the clothes themselves to prevent reoccurance.Best of luck,it happened to me & it was a nightmare to get rid of them:(

floyd333

Thanks Folks,

I don't have an picture handy. I've attached an image from Google of something that looks the same.

I can't see any visible bald spots in the carpets yet. I do remember last summer there were a good few moths in the house alight.

hfallada

Well firstly get some vacuum bags. I think pennys sell them. Make sure your clothes dont have any moths or eggs. Then put all of them into vacuum bags. So at least if your carpet is destroyed, your clothes arent.

I know someone who had carpet larvae. They had the carpets treated twice professional and the larvae never died. They ended up pulling up the carpet and putting in wooden flooring

coathanger

Hi Floyd,
That's the moth larvae?Are you in rented accommodation,if so contact your landlord,they need to get the place fumigated....if they are in your carpet & under your furniture,chances are they are wardrobes & cupboards,anywhere you store clothes/ fabric....I posted some info on how to get rid of them in a post above...that may help u.If you need more info,just pm me,went threw it myself in a rented apartment,carpets practically moved:eek:

floyd333

Unfortunately it's my own house Thanks for the info Coathanger. Horrible problem eh.

coathanger

By any chance,did you ever get the carpets/ furniture steam cleaned?

verywell

My folks had this before. Apparently they only go for certain types of carpet. They climbed the walls at home. Rotten yolks. Rentokill sorted it out. Think it was about €300 for 2/3 visits to hse to fumigate.

floyd333

coathanger wrote: »

By any chance,did you ever get the carpets/ furniture steam cleaned?

Yeah got some of them cleaned. Only the stairs landing and main bedroom. The problem is worse is the rooms I didn't steam clean.

Jellybaby1

I take it they only go for natural fibres, cotten, linen etc? Synthetics are safe?

tenbob1

Yea they will only live in wool carpets. Last year especially we had a nice few customers wondering what to do. These larve tend to thrive after damp humid weather (like this winter).

Best bet is to call out a pest control company, like rentokil. Unfortunately they will have to use a chemical. The alternative is to pull up the carpets and replace them with either a wooden floor, or synthetic carpet.

Jellybaby1

The problem I quoted is in a wardrobe. They don't have carpets - just as well really.

THEFRIDGE

Same issue here. Did anyone have any luck getting rid. If so how much did it cost and who done it.