Moth problem

worlds goodest teecher

Just moved into a new apartment that has a moth problem. Although the block of 6 apartments we moved into was built about 10 years ago it was only plastered/painted/finished in the past few months and we are the first renters. All the items in the apartment when we moved in were new. When we moved we noticed moths in the evening but have been unable to locate the moth nest. Anyone have any advice?

Esel

Do you have windows open?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

You have to be letting them in through a window. There is very little chance of a 'nest' in an apartment. Lights on, windows open... moths.

worlds goodest teecher

We only open the windows for a short time each day, to change the air. There are gaps between the floor and radiator pipes and the laminate flooring has a bounce to it suggesting the there is space under. Is it possible that they are getting in that way somehow?

Chuchote

It's been very mothy this year. Pull out the couches and beds and look at the carpets. Wash the curtains. Watch where you find moths – in the hot press? Near the couch cushions? Empty out all wardrobes and chests of drawers to check. Iron along the seams of everything to get rid of eggs after washing.

LostCovey

It's probably worth checking if they are all the same species and which one. Might shed light (no pun intended) on where they are coming from.....

Chuchote

And if you're hoovering, it's worth putting some form of moth poison in the hoover bag, so you don't provide a nice considerate place for the eggs to hatch. But those poisons are pretty lethal to humans, so maybe keep the hoover out in the garage or down in the cellar until the problem is finished with.
If there are carpets, be especially careful; they love to nest in felt undercarpeting.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Chuchote wrote: »

And if you're hoovering, it's worth putting some form of moth poison in the hoover bag, so you don't provide a nice considerate place for the eggs to hatch. But those poisons are pretty lethal to humans, so maybe keep the hoover out in the garage or down in the cellar until the problem is finished with.
If there are carpets, be especially careful; they love to nest in felt undercarpeting.

Poison in the bag gets expelled by the airflow of a vacuum cleaner. Do not put anything poisonous or toxic in the bag.

As suggested, are these moths all the same species?

worlds goodest teecher

Chuchote wrote: »

It's been very mothy this year. Pull out the couches and beds and look at the carpets. Wash the curtains. Watch where you find moths – in the hot press? Near the couch cushions? Empty out all wardrobes and chests of drawers to check. Iron along the seams of everything to get rid of eggs after washing.

Just moved in two weeks ago. The apartment was only recently finished, we are the first tenants and all the furniture is new, apart from our own.

worlds goodest teecher

Could anyone tell me where I might be able to buy a pheromone lure for moths? I am in Sligo. I don't think that there is a moth nest in the apartment so I would like to try the simplest option first.

noodler

Nest is a misleading term.

Check carpets under cabinets etc.

Look for the moth larvae.

Look like grains of brown rice.

Zoo4m8

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

Could anyone tell me where I might be able to buy a pheromone lure for moths? I am in Sligo. I don't think that there is a moth nest in the apartment so I would like to try the simplest option first.

Just to clarify..the moths that form a colony, as suggested 'nest 'is probably a bit misleading,in your carpets are tiny, quite a bit smaller than a house fly.. so anything bigger is most likely coming in the windows.
We have used lures bought on line for this problem with mixed results. If you suspect you have an infection in the carpets it's important to move cabinets etc as Noodler says and Hoover underneath regularly..when we moved house some years ago there was a small case under a bookcase that hadn't been touched for some time and all the carpet pile was gone to the exact shape of the case..

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

As it's a new apartment it is unlikely to be an infestation of the micro moths that you find in fabrics.

OP can you post pictures or answer the question asked earlier- are all these moths the same kind?

worlds goodest teecher

Zayn Elegant Stranger wrote: »

As it's a new apartment it is unlikely to be an infestation of the micro moths that you find in fabrics.

OP can you post pictures or answer the question asked earlier- are all these moths the same kind?

I am not sure if they are all the same kind, will take pic of dead ones this evening.

The flooring was poorly finished at door jamb and rad pipes, there are gaps and it is a raised timber floor. I am trying to get the owner round to seal these gaps in case they are coming from under there.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

I am not sure if they are all the same kind, will take pic of dead ones this evening.

The flooring was poorly finished at door jamb and rad pipes, there are gaps and it is a raised timber floor. I am trying to get the owner round to seal these gaps in case they are coming from under there.

Well are they all the same size and colour at least?

I have never come across moths entering from beneath flooring.

worlds goodest teecher

I have pictures on my phone, how do I put them on the thread?

recedite

Did you have some clothes stored somewhere else, like in a friends house/garage, that you brought to this apartment?

worlds goodest teecher

recedite wrote: »

Did you have some clothes stored somewhere else, like in a friends house/garage, that you brought to this apartment?

No, this problem was here when we moved in.

worlds goodest teecher

Is the moth 'nest' like a little ball surrounded by candy floss, because if it is I may have found in on the outside of one of the windows?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

Is the moth 'nest' like a little ball surrounded by candy floss, because if it is I may have found in on the outside of one of the windows?

That sounds just like a spider nest.

Just saw picture. Yes a spiders nest.

worlds goodest teecher

Another picture

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Looks like a clothes moth. The adults don't damage clothing but their larvae eat woollens. A old woollen jumper or scarf in a dark press or a box can be the source. It requires a deep clean to remove them. Boil wash, if possible, any affected clothing. Vacumn carpet edges and clothing storage areas. Give the clothes a good shake.

Clothing being held in storage for some time can be a source. Open widows to get an airflow going around the apartment. Avoid chemicals as they are not a good idea on clothing.

Half-cocked

If it is a Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella , these are becoming very rare. A quick check on the Mothsireland website shows almost no records.

worlds goodest teecher

Ok, how did they get there? No one has ever l lived in this apartment, it was only recently finished, we are the first tenants. The furniture was all new. No carpet in the apartment. There were dead moths on the floor when we moved in. And how do we get rid of them? Was that a picture of the 'nest' in the other picture that I posted? I personally wiped down the inside of all the wardrobes, cabinets before we moved our stuff in, and sweeped up the dead moths that were on the floor.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

Ok, how did they get there? No one has ever l lived in this apartment, it was only recently finished, we are the first tenants. The furniture was all new. No carpet in the apartment. There were dead moths on the floor when we moved in. And how do we get rid of them? Was that a picture of the 'nest' in the other picture that I posted?

I can't say how they got there. I said what you do to try to remove them. The picture is, as I said above, a spiders web of eggs.

Ordinary Rapid Fly and Wasp spray will kill moths if you want to give each room a good spray and leave the rooms closed for an hour or so. You'd have to spray in presses and wardrobes to though and I wouldn't want it on my clothes or food.

recedite

Half-cocked wrote: »

If it is a Common Clothes Moth Tineola bisselliella , these are becoming very rare. A quick check on the Mothsireland website shows almost no records.

I'd say its just that nobody bothers reporting them. Common enough IMO.

recedite

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

Ok, how did they get there? No one has ever l lived in this apartment, it was only recently finished, we are the first tenants. The furniture was all new. No carpet in the apartment. There were dead moths on the floor when we moved in.

You already said that you didn't bring them from your previous lodging, or clothes in storage. On the other hand, they would not be in a brand new building.
So this sounds like a Nama type apartment that had the windows in 10 years ago, but only got "fitted out" and came to market recently. So maybe somebody was storing old carpets in your apartment during that time, or maybe somebody was squatting in it. Find the caretaker and ask him if he was on site during the final stages of construction, and whether anything was stored in what is now your apartment.
Anyway, if the building is now fully heated it will be too dry for moths. They tend to live in older, slightly damp, or less well heated houses. In the type of wardrobe that you find your old shoes have got mildew on them.

Half-cocked

recedite wrote: »

I'd say its just that nobody bothers reporting them. Common enough IMO.

Modern buildings, central heating, more synthetic fibres etc are causing them to decline - although you are correct, they are very under-reported. I wonder if a correlation could be drawn between the decline in clothes moths and the fall in sales of mothballs?;)

worlds goodest teecher

recedite wrote: »

You already said that you didn't bring them from your previous lodging, or clothes in storage. On the other hand, they would not be in a brand new building.
So this sounds like a Nama type apartment that had the windows in 10 years ago, but only got "fitted out" and came to market recently. So maybe somebody was storing old carpets in your apartment during that time, or maybe somebody was squatting in it. Find the caretaker and ask him if he was on site during the final stages of construction, and whether anything was stored in what is now your apartment.
Anyway, if the building is now fully heated it will be too dry for moths. They tend to live in older, slightly damp, or less well heated houses. In the type of wardrobe that you find your old shoes have got mildew on them.

Yes it was a NAMA type sale, block of six apartment, one guy bought the lot and finished it. So if the whole inside (finishing/furniture/etc) of the apartment is new where do I look for them? PVC Windows have been in since it was built but I am certain that there have been no squatters as it is in a very well managed estate.

We haven't put the heat on yet, does that mean that when we start using the central heating we should see less moths?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

Yes it was a NAMA type sale, block of six apartment, one guy bought the lot and finished it. So if the whole inside (finishing/furniture/etc) of the apartment is new where do I look for them? PVC Windows have been in since it was built but I am certain that there have been no squatters as it is in a very well managed estate.

We haven't put the heat on yet, does that mean that when we start using the central heating we should see less moths?

Air the place. Use the fly spray already suggested - any supermarket has it. A bit of heat in case of damp. End of.

worlds goodest teecher

Could this be connected? Found it on the countertop under the gas boiler this morning. Wasn't there when we went to bed. The boiler itself is the only thing in the place not new, it's recommissioned, and it is open at the bottom.

KingBrian2

If you have an infestation problem which it seems you do best call an fumigator.