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.
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