Moth Control
Unlike their prettier cousin (butterflies), moths can be a bit of a nuisance and can be quite destructive. If you are seeing holes in your clothing or other fabrics (sometimes described as looking like a cigarette burn) then you might have an infestation of moths lurking. It is important to realize that it isn’t the adult moths that are doing the damage since most adult species do not feed. The damage is being done when they are in their larvae stage. They generally feed on fabrics consisting of wool or silk, but can infest other materials as well. When they have had their fill, they create a cocoon for themselves and emerge after a few weeks as a fully formed adult moth with wings and are no longer a threat to your clothing.
Moth larvae can also be an agricultural pest and can feed on plants. Again, once they hit their adult stage, they are harmless. The most common type of pest that we encounter as a pest control company in the Portland and Vancouver area are the ones that infest and destroy clothing.
What You Can Do
There are a lot of home remedies that work with mixed results. Many people will try and use cedar chips or moth balls, but these may not have much success against the larvae (which is doing the damage). Your best bet is to throw the affected fabric in the dryer on high heat for about 30 minutes. This should kill any larvae or eggs assuming they are on the fabric.
What We Can Do
Our method will be a bit more involved and certainly far more successful. This is especially true if the eggs and/or larvae is within a wall void, baseboard or another place where you cannot get to them. We can do a variety of residual treatments that can last for several months and stop the larvae from doing damage and reproducing.