Aargh! A moth!

[Doug in NJ]

Hello,

I opened the door of my T/S, with its nice mohair interior, and a moth flew out! What can anybody recommend to prevent my interior from getting moth-eaten!

I already had an open box of mothballs on the back floor, but I must need stronger stuff.

Thanks,

Doug

[William Kelchner]

If you have only seen one moth and he was leaving the moth balls must be working. Have you seen more than one? Cheers

[monto]

I've had luck with laundry dryer sheets for creatures; don't know if they would work on moths.

[MikeK]

The moth itself actually does no damage. The larvae are the eaters of wool and fur, both a protein substance. A female moth can lay upwards of 1,000 eggs not much larger than a speck of dust. The fact that she flew away does not alleviate the problem. Of course, you won't get 1,000 holes if you do nothing to kill the larvae and eggs, you may only get 50 or a hundred.

The eggs can lay dormant from a month to two years if there is insufficient moisture. You need to kill the eggs. Most spray pesticides will kill the larvae that create the damage, but by that time you are chasing a problem already in progress. The pesticides (including 'mothballs') do nothing to dormant eggs. To kill the eggs you need to heat everything to 65C (150F). That will denature critical enzymes within the egg. Start by vacuuming first in all crevices and the underside of cushions, as 90% of the eggs will be picked up that way. A really hot commercial fabric steamer will kill any remaining eggs. You need to get the heat deep into the under-padding, as some of the eggs may have worked their way down through the fabric pores.

[chl]

park it in the sun on a hot day with the windows up and dry roast the buggers.

[Jim/GA]

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Be aware that not all moths are clothes (wool) eating moths.

I hang a clothes moth attracting "trap" in my Town Sedan on the back of the front seat. These are sold to hang in your closet to alert you to the presence of moths in there that could damage your clothes.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/TargetMothTrap

There is a strip in the trap coated with a moth sex attractant. If there are female moths in the area, they fly to it and get stuck in the sticky strip. I keep track of how many are stuck to the strip to see if the numbers are increasing.

These traps will not kill eggs or larvae. I try to catch the female before she lays her eggs.

The traps do not attract species of moths that do not eat wool.

[Doug in NJ]

Originally Posted by Jim/TX/GA

http://preview.tinyurl.com/TargetMothTrap

There is a strip in the trap coated with a moth sex attractant. If there are female moths in the area, they fly to it and get stuck in the sticky strip. I keep track of how many are stuck to the strip to see if the numbers are increasing.

Thanks for the tip. I remember this sort of thing years ago, when there was a gypsy moth infestation. They warned you not to touch the special strip. I did, and I had horny moths following me around for a couple of days...

Doug

[Doug in NJ]

Originally Posted by MikeK

TTo kill the eggs you need to heat everything to 65C (150F). That will denature critical enzymes within the egg. Start by vacuuming first in all crevices and the underside of cushions, as 90% of the eggs will be picked up that way. A really hot commercial fabric steamer will kill any remaining eggs. You need to get the heat deep into the under-padding, as some of the eggs may have worked their way down through the fabric pores.

Thanks for all the information! I have a steamer I can use, but is there a risk of shrinking the fabric? It's not just the seats I have to worry about, but also the fabric-covered interior panels.

Doug

[Muttley]

Eat a six pack of bean burritos and sit in it with the windows rolled up for an hour or so.

[Henry1953]

Moths ate some spots in my upholstery before I knew it was happening.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Your car or your homes' BEST pest control is the LOWLY VACUUM CLEANER! (RRR-RRR-RRR-RRR)
Bill W.

[Cory Moffat]

I have had both Moth Balls and Dryer sheets in my Coupe. I still find mouse droppings in there over the winter. Thanking my blessings nothing has been chewed.