So, suddenly my new apartment has moths all over. They materialized out of nowhere. What can I do to fix the problem without resorting to the ‘oh so’ undesirable moth ball standby?
- Freewill39.What kind of moths? Big ones? Small ones? meal moths?
I had a moth problem when I moved into my apartment, too. Meal moths - nasty things. If your moths look like the ones in the link, here’s what to do to get rid of them:
-Search all food in the house, esp. grain products, thoroughly to determine the source. Infested food will appear “dusty” or “webby”; may smell sour; may have live or dead larvae or molted husks within.
-If the source is found, tie up tightly in a plastic bag and dispose of immediately.
-Store all grains and boxed foods in thick plastic or glass containers with tight-fitting lids.
-Freeze any food you wish to keep for 2 days to kill any eggs that may be in it.
There is also a chance that your food may not be contaminated at all; rather the moths could be living of bits and crumbs inside and behind drawers, cupboards, etc. That was actually the problem that we had. Clean out any food storage places well.
Pest control companies may also sell you pheromone traps which will lure and kill adult moths.
Ah-HAH! We have those, too. My wife has been assuming they’re after our clothes, when in fact they’re after our Cheerios. Well, that’s easily enough fixed.
Meal moths are the devil incarnate. I’ve had them 2-3 times over the past 20 years or so (the first time was actually in my parent’s house), and they’re always a bitch to get rid of.
The WORST infestation we had was when they got into some bird seed we kept in the garage. Knowing that the critters were attracted to food, I went through my cupboards many, many times, going so far as to throw away anything in boxes or cellophane (they can eat through most soft plastics.) They still kept coming back. We moved some boxes from the garage to the basement, and suddenly they were all over the basement. Finally we figured out where they were coming from, but it was several weeks of hell until we did.
Don’t speak too soon, I had a meal moth infestation that was absolutely atrocious - I threw away every single dried good in my house, whether processed grain or not, thorougly cleaned every nook and cranny I could get my hands on, and it was still months before I got rid of them completely.
Tell Jamie Gumm to move out of your apartment. And take his dog with him.