No-pest strips, risk and effectiveness?

Factual Questions
1

OK, I know the Shell No-Pest strips are now considered too dangerous for long term use inside a room where you live (garages, walk in closets with doors, and such are OK).

BUT, I have a bad clothes-moth problem. Aka carpet moths, aka wool moths, aka nasty little sweater ruining fuckers.

It’s just me and my 8yo very healthly cat in a smallish but well ventilated apt. And I am very healthy.

Will a month or so of a no-pest strip rid me of these accursed moths? Will that short of time be dangerous?

Are there any other solutions? (I have some wool rugs).

2

Would something like flypaper work? I used that when I had an infestation of fruit flies in the kitchen, and it did help.

3

I have moth traps. They do work to an extent. In fact they- plus careful sealing- have eradicated the pantry-moth problem. But the traps just aren’t getting rid of all the clothes moths.

4

I am going to resurrect my own thread to see if we have any new answers.

5

WOW… Still? After 4 years?
And since it’s your own thread, I won’t even make a necro allusion… Oh, wait, I just did… Forgive me.

Deal… I have the same problem, well, sort of. I have a bird. (S)he eats mostly what I eat, but I also give h(er)(im) seed just as snacks, when I’m not here to share. Once a year or so, I get a seed mix, that has a damn moth egg (or more) in it, then I gen an infestation.

I do put up the sticky-bug-grabber things, but the real solution is to clean every damn thing seriously. Eliminate all sources of moisture (big one). If you have a moth problem, then the real problem is the little maggot like things that hide in crevices, and will emerge later (and I believe fully fertile). There are some sprays you can use, the pump kind, that are mostly safe indoors… Look for the ‘long term roach/ant’ treatment thingies. If you have any loose food material, including flour, sugar, cereals, anything like that not sealed up in plastic, DUMP IT.

Try to find the actual source of the infestation, in my case, it’s easy, it’s always h(er)(is) food. I dump it, I steam clean all cloth around it (carpet, furniture), and then I soak down all the nooks and crannies. Windowsills, doorframes, everything that one of the lil buggers might get into. Keep things DRY. In a house, they will seek out moisture. Tub’s attract them. Spray around them.

That has always cured it for me. For a while, I thought about putting an actual bug-zapper inside, but a) I like to sleep, and b) I want to get to the root of the problem.

Grain moths can come in from any kind of (duh) grain, including name-brand packaged flour. They can be insidious. Find the source, kill it off, that’s the first big step. Look for silk… cocoons, especially in crevices, even on ceilings. They like to go up for some reason.

Best of luck to you DrDeth

Regards!

6

Poor guy - 4 years!

IIRC it’s not moths that eat clothing, it’s the larvae of moths. If you’re killing pests that can fly, you’re probably killing pests that have already laid eggs anyway, and your new pests are already ready to munch on your stuff.

I think you need to find the source of the pests, too. Why do they like coming to your place so much? How is it accommodating?

7

Ever tried this?
Regards to you
DrDeth

8

Yes, well, not that exact UK brand, but a couple of US versions. They reduce the moth population considerably, but do not eliminate it.

9

I had clothes moths not too long ago. If you have carpeting, it’s harder, but still doable.

Wash everything, as close to all at once as possible. If you can’t do it within 3 days, then start by bagging everything into sealed plastic bags, and not opening the bag until you’re dumping it into the washer. The wash will kill the adult flyers, and the heat from the dryer will kill the larvae. If when the dryer cycle is over, the clothes don’t feel really hot, run them through once more so you know the whole load got really hot in the dryer.

Mothballs do kill moths. They are just so unpleasant that I couldn’t stomach using them, but you can use them in the bagged items, just follow instructions and be willing to put up with the smell, and you will still have to wash everything a couple of times to get the mothball smell out, anyway. I decided to forgo that step because I’d rather put up with a few moths still around than with the mothball smell that I find very nauseatingly objectionable.

I had success with bagging absolutely everything fabric that could be washed. If you have wall-to-wall carpet, after bagging would be the time to have it professionally cleaned. If not, any rugs or other items that can’t go in the washer need to be vacuumed really well and then go outside for several days. Vacuum the mattresses, and make sure to turn the boxspring over to vacuum the dust cover on the bottom. Make sure the bags are sealed - knotted - at the top and there are no holes. I took mine to a laundromat where I could wash 8 loads at once. It’s a good time to purge all those linens in the linen closet that you haven’t used in years!

No other method will work. Everything has to be bagged and washed before putting it away again. Drawers wiped out, etc. Nooks and crannies where pet hair can hide can also hide larvae. They love natural fibers like wool, cotton, and fur the most, but I did have them bad enough that they were making do with polyester fabrics as well.

It’s an all-or-nothing thing with these guys. Good luck!