Moths / Beetles Control

How Do I know I have a Moth/Beetle Infestation?

The Clothes Moth & Carpet Beetles are mainly a pest on carpets with all or some wool content or clothes. it is the larvae that cause the damage (these are grubs) the adults do not feed on wool at all but on pollen & nectar. It is usually undisturbed areas of carpets or clothes that have not been worn for a long time that are attacked. Often when a piece of standing furniture is moved you may notice damage or when a not often used item of clothing is removed from storage damage is noticed. The other types of beetle damage is either on grain, meal, leather & fur. The life cycle is similar in all cases, the adult beetles have a different diet to the larvae which are the ones that cause the damage. In these beetles you may notice damage in Leather or Fur clothing or adults in a kitchen near the food source. A good percentage of meal, grain, cereals or dried pet food have the eggs of these stored product pests on them but are often consumed or cooked before a problem arises but if the products are stored for a long time or fall some where in a kitchen where they are not cleaned up then problems can occur.

Why Should they be Treated?

Moths & carpet Beetles infestations will cause damage to clothes & carpets and if not controlled will increase in number. The same applies to the other types of stored product beetles. Consuming Larvae in contaminated food is nor advisable.

Preparation Prior to Treatment

In the case of a carpet beetle or moth infestation all the carpet areas need thoroughly vacuuming, this includes areas under standing furniture, beds, settees etc. Wardrobes must be emptied and the clothes either washed or tumble dried. With stored product infestations the contaminated food must be disposed of in an outside bin and all cupboards, drawers & food stores emptied & cleaned. It is advisable to remove bird’s nests and any damaged clothing as well.

Treatment

The infested and surrounding areas will be been treated with an insecticide spray called Demand CS'* which contains Lambda-cyhalothrin. The HSE Number is 6287 and the product is made by Sorex. Demand CS is probably the most modern insecticide available. Also a powder might be used called Ficam D*. This contains an insecticide in a dust formulation @ 1% w/w Bendiocarb. Both insecticides are biodegradable, almost odourless, non tainting & do not corrode or stain. They are not highly toxic towards mammals but are extremely so to all forms of crawling and flying public health pests.

What do I do afterwards?

it is important that you do not wash down or vacuum treated areas for at least one month or until you stop seeing dead or dying moths & beetles or their larvae. Once this period is over it is important to be very thorough when vacuuming especially the undisturbed areas. This in itself will help prevent re infestation in the future. A common cause of Moth infestation is when people store off cuts of carpets or bags of clothes in loft spaces or cupboards. When cleaning (after the 2 week period), close attention should be given to rugs and carpets, draperies, upholstered furniture, closets (especially those containing woollens and furs), radiators and heaters, corners, cracks, baseboards, mouldings, and other hard-to-reach places. All areas, including carpet areas under standing furniture must be vacuumed on a regular basis. If an infestation is known or suspected, the contents of the vacuum cleaner should be disposed of immediately in such a way as to destroy the insects, to prevent a transfer of infestation from one part of the house to another. Abandoned nests of birds, rodents, and insects, (particularly bees and wasps) that are in or near the house should be removed, for the larvae of both carpet beetles and moths may feed on insect remains that they may contain. Bedding places of pets should be kept clean.

Small numbers of adult and larvae forms may be present for some time after treatment depending on temperature the extent and amount of infestation. Complete eradication may never occur as small numbers may breed under carpets where they will not come into contact with the insecticide. The small numbers left should not cause damage as long as a very high standard of hygiene is adhered to. Moths that are in the pupa stage at the time of treatment may still hatch into adults but will only live for 2-7 days (depending on temperature), the moths emerging from the pupa may do so over a period of several weeks depending on temperature & the time of year. Insecticide treatments will only work on clean surfaces.