If a moth appears in the house, you need to urgently take measures to destroy it. It can ruin not only warm clothes made of fur and wool, but also leather clothes and shoes, carpets and upholstered furniture. One of the effective means of combating indoor moths is mothballs. They have a repellent effect.
Mothballs.
How to recognize a pest
A small moth with inconspicuous gray or gray-yellow wings - this is what a pest insect that lives in the house and spoils clothes or furniture looks like. Products made from natural wool or fur, furniture upholstered from natural materials, and shoes with fur are subject to attack.
But the main danger is not the butterfly itself, but the small, voracious caterpillars that can exist completely unnoticed next to a person. Her persistence may well deprive her of a new angora blouse in less than a month.
The moth and its larvae feel most comfortable in warmth and humidity, although caterpillars can easily adapt to changes in temperature or the absence of food for a long time. However, moths are almost impossible to find in well-ventilated areas, or in closets where clothes are often taken out.
It must be said that moth caterpillars do not feed on fabric and wool. Their food is particles of skin and keratin, so the larvae can get into the house even on new things from the store or pet fur.
To find a pest, it is not enough to notice a fluttering moth. The larvae hide in closets and chests of drawers, in crevices and cracks in furniture upholstery, and in the seams of outerwear. In their quest to get to food, caterpillars gnaw through plastic and canvas bags, so it is impossible to protect clothes from moths this way. But there are old proven ways to fight the pest. And one of them is naphthalene.
Where to buy and what brands are there
Greenfield balls are talc balls with a lavender scent. A 100 gram package is enough for use in a large closet.
“Clean House” balls reliably protect wool, fur, and leather items from insects. The Clean House moth repellent guide guarantees the ability to get rid of not only moths, but also other pests such as bedbugs and cockroaches.
Lavender plastic Mosquitall sections can be placed on a shelf or glued to the side of a cabinet. For use in a large closet, two sections are enough. They have a sharp, concentrated odor and are supplied in purple containers.
Forse guard balls based on lavender oil are also widely used and come inside plastic containers. They can be hung on hangers with clothes, placed on the bottom of closed packages with winter outerwear, or in boxes with winter shoes.
The same composition of Tornado moth balls. When reusing, you should increase the number of balls if the cabinet is often opened.
Wooden, cedar and sandalwood balls impregnated with camphor or naphthalene are used against moths. They have a persistent herbal odor that repels adults and also destroys larvae.
You can buy drugs in specialized departments. If the drug is not available in the store at the moment, you can use the online ordering service.
Important! You cannot buy or use drugs purchased in spontaneous markets. Counterfeiting can have a negative impact on human health.
Signs of moths in an apartment
The very first thing that indicates the presence of moths in an apartment is damaged clothing. It is enough just to recall the often presented example of a fur coat, where there is literally no fur and everything is eaten away in a chaotic manner. The second sign of moths in an apartment is damage to furniture, especially soft furniture. This includes a bed, a sofa, and comfortable armchairs.
Also, moths often live in products next to flour and cereals. Some people, realizing that there are moths, throw out bags of flour because it is no longer suitable for use - and all this because of one small white-gray creature. But the most important thing is that it is not flying individuals who eat food and damage furniture, but their larvae. They chew through everything that comes their way.
Additional measures: enhancing the effect of the balls
Caring for things needs to be done frequently and carefully. Winter and woolen items should be looked through and kept clean and dry in paper or plastic bags sealed with tape.
You can bring food moth larvae or adult butterflies in grocery bags with cereals from the store. The consequences of their work can be seen when opening the package: a kind of cobweb with glued fragments will be visible on the cereal. The package must be urgently removed from the locker and removed from the apartment.
If an adult insect is found, treat the cabinet shelves on all sides, spraying anti-moth aerosol. Close the closet for an hour. Then do a wet cleaning and dry the removable shelves outside: in the cold in winter, in the bright sun in summer. Wet cleaning can be done using a small amount of vinegar. Then dry the shelves well. After processing, place the balls on the cabinet shelves.
How to use mothballs
Naphthalene is a crystalline substance that is obtained from petroleum and coke. The substance has a strong pungent odor, does not dissolve in water, and burns with strong soot. In industry it is used to make dyes. In everyday life, it can most often be found as a well-known method of fighting moths. A recognized folk and inexpensive remedy is mothballs.
They do not harm adults, caterpillars or larvae, but the strong odor deters insects that cannot lay eggs. Therefore, you cannot poison moths with mothballs in the full sense of the word, but you can avoid the appearance of new individuals.
Today they can be purchased not only in the usual form, but also in the form of briquettes or plates. Mothballs can be placed in canvas bags and left on the top shelves of closets, in the pockets of fur coats and fur coats, or placed in closed boxes with clothes. It is important not to forget about carpets and furniture covered for the winter.
To rid clothes of a strong unpleasant odor, it is recommended to wash the clothes in a weak solution of vinegar or take them to the dry cleaner.
What is the harm from lepidopteran insects?
Fur moth - causes great damage
The butterfly that lives in wardrobes is dangerous because of its offspring. Larvae in the form of caterpillars consume horny matter, technical felt, extracting it from woolen items, feathers, outerwear (lint of fur coats, sheepskin coats), carpets, felt boots. After eating keratin, holes remain on things, as well as excrement, which spoils the appearance. The carriage-feeding insect causes damage to thermal insulation, books, museum exhibits, etc. In fact, there are about 40 species of pests, “specializing” in different types of farming: furniture, food, etc.
Naphthalene as the best remedy for moths
This is one of the popular and ancient remedies that our grandmothers used to get rid of moths. It is worth remembering that using mothballs in the kitchen is strictly prohibited, since food products are located nearby. And the “aroma” from this product is not the most pleasant and fresh. Also, naphthalene cannot be used over clothing that a person wears outside, since the substance contains chemicals that are harmful to things.
Armol
A good aerosol that can be sprayed on fur coats, on anything generally made of fur, on coats and other outerwear. After all, moths often eat these very things. Armol has a very pleasant lavender scent that leaves no residue at all, even if sprayed closely. They can be used to treat carpets, curtains, and beds. A 165 ml can will help every home forget about moths.
“I have never before encountered the problem that moths might appear in my closet. For a long time I couldn’t find her, she was constantly hiding and didn’t want to show her. I remembered that somewhere in the closet I got the Armol product from the previous owners. I immediately realized that I could use it. I sprayed literally everything in the closet. Pray as if it never happened!”
Extramit
An excellent analogue of Armol, no less effective. The smell is lavender, but just one click on the aerosol is enough for the moths to disappear forever. Within a few hours the product begins to act actively. You can spray outer clothing, bedding and even carpets.
“I couldn’t find Armol anywhere, so they recommended me a good analogue of this product - Extramit. It turns out that you don’t have to splash out on absolutely everything. Once or twice is enough to be sure that this insect will never appear in the closet again.”
Raptor
The product is sold in every household store both in the form of an aerosol and in plates. Both methods of fighting moths are quite effective so that this insect never appears in the apartment again. It is best to spray the aerosol on previously damaged areas; you can even spray it on expensive fabrics - nothing will happen to the quality.
“I often use the Raptor, inserting the plates into the socket. For me, this is the most convenient, since while I sleep, the product kills moths. The action lasts about a week, so during this period the Raptor works, and you rest and don’t worry. Aerosol is also a great thing, especially if there are moths in the closet. It’s enough just to lightly press the sprayer so that the entire fabric is saturated with the smell of lavender, which flying insects hate so much.”
Tips on how to remove moths and avoid their appearance
In order to avoid the appearance of moths, you need to regularly ventilate your apartment. Carry out a deep cleaning at least once a month. Wipe walls, shelves, furniture, windows and chandeliers. Moths can appear where you least expect to see them. For example, on the spine of a book, or in old trash hidden on the mezzanine. Therefore, the most important advice is to throw away everything unnecessary. Why keep things that have already outlived their usefulness? After all, if you keep your old trash, you risk paying for it with a hole in your new fur coat. Therefore, be realistic and say goodbye to your old stuff without a doubt. Also, when stocking up on dry goods, don't make purchases for the year. Buy everything in moderation, and store grains in a glass or metal container with a tight-fitting lid. It is better not to use plastic bags for storage, because pests can easily get into them. In order not to think about how to remove moths from dry foods, buy good quality flour and cereals. Because cheap cereals contain dust, which makes it easier to get started. After purchasing dry products, it is better to place them in the freezer for an hour, this way you will avoid the appearance of moths.
Many people think that moths don’t like dirty things; this is a colossal mistake. In dirty things, the moth gets wound up faster, and consumes such things with a huge appetite. Therefore, only clean, washed items should be in the closet. Note that the moth never eats clothes that you often wear; her favorite treat is things hidden away. The most interesting fact is that moths do not tolerate the aroma of fresh newspaper. That's why our ancestors wrapped wool scarves and fur hats in newspapers. You can also place dried orange peels and horse chestnut kernels in the cupboard; their aroma repels moths very well. Kerosene is considered another effective remedy, but its smell can incapacitate not only moths, but also humans. Therefore, it is not recommended to use it, although in the army this is how they poison the pest. How to remove moths from hard-to-reach places. To prevent moths from appearing in dark corners, on favorite clothes or on book spines, use aerosols. Before using them, read the instructions and spray the product in the right places. Most often they are applied to furniture upholstery, shelves with books, clothes, dark corners and chandeliers. Also, do not forget about upholstered furniture, folding sofas, mezzanines and storage rooms. Moths can grow where there is dust and dirt. Therefore, carefully clean the premises, do not leave any places uncleaned, because these are where moths can appear. Folding furniture needs to be vacuumed not only from above, but also from the inside, paying due attention to the corners. In order not to worry about how to get rid of house moths, all things hidden in sofas, closets or mezzanines should be packed. It is also better to immediately treat things with special anti-moth products. If you are not a supporter of chemistry, use folk remedies. Wash the areas themselves with soapy water and ventilate. Afterwards, place your things and arrange the lavender branches. When cleaning, do not forget to vacuum curled carpets, because they most often contain a source of infection. Also air your winter clothes at least once a month during the warm season. If you follow all the tips and keep your apartment clean, you won’t have to worry about how to get rid of moths, but rather prevent their appearance.
Prevention measures
It's not just moths that mothballs can be dangerous for. The substances they contain include carcinogens, which in high concentrations cause allergies, suffocation and even cancer. Therefore, it cannot be used on clothes that are frequently used. Naphthalene is also poisonous, so care must be taken that it does not fall into the hands of children or be eaten by pets.
And under no circumstances should mothballs be used outdoors, because naphthalene particles, once in the air, quickly scatter and cause harm. Therefore, the product is best used in closed non-residential premises or sealed boxes.
To avoid a repeated attack by the pest, you need to follow simple rules:
- Wash clothes at the maximum permissible temperature and dry thoroughly before putting them in the closet.
- Ventilate and hang winter clothes in direct sunlight. Store fur coats and jackets in special cases.
- Store cleaned and, if possible, steamed shoes in sealed boxes.
- Thoroughly vacuum furniture and wipe down cabinets from the inside.
Success in pest control is ensured not only by the use of mothballs, but also by an integrated approach, compliance with safety measures and prevention.
Disadvantages of sleeping on your side
- This can cause shoulder and hip pain if you have a very old mattress or if you have muscle or joint injuries.
- Wrinkles may appear and the result may be a swollen face upon waking. If a person presses their face into a pillow, fluid accumulates in the area, causing swelling and thus wrinkles in the skin, making it more susceptible to wrinkles.
- This can accelerate breast sagging as the ligaments stretch without support over time.
What can you do to improve your sleep quality?
1. Your pillow should be firm enough to keep your spine straight.
2. You should fill the space between your neck and mattress to keep your head and neck in a neutral position.
3. If you have shoulder pain, try placing a pillow in front of your body and resting your arm on it. This will help relieve the pain.
4. To avoid or get rid of hip pain, try placing a pillow between your knees to keep your hips level.
5. To avoid sagging breasts, try placing a small pillow under them to prevent the ligaments from being stretched. Or just sleep on your back.
6. If you wake up in the morning with a puffy face, puffy eyes and deeper wrinkles than last night, you should change your sleeping position. Sleeping on your back can prevent unwanted contact between your face and your pillow.
7. A good mattress is the most important thing when it comes to healthy and restful sleep. If you're a side sleeper, you'll want to choose a mattress with good shoulder and hip support and a medium to firm firmness. Foam mattresses and mattresses that can “remember” your body position (viscoelastic) are the best options as they are very effective at relieving pressure points.
Of course, other reasons can cause pain and swelling. Therefore, do not immediately think about your sleeping position; maybe the problem is completely different, and the wrong position simply aggravates the situation.
Swelling, for example, can be caused by drinking large amounts of water before bed and/or consuming salty and spicy foods.
In any case, sleep in a way that suits your body to avoid any consequences.
Generally speaking, moths are afraid of many substances. She is repelled by strong odors, some house plants, and the aromas of some technical substances. Housewives often actively use this: after all, knowing what moths are afraid of, you can build a reliable system of preventive protection for your wardrobe or kitchen furniture from this pest. And, as you know, prevention is always more reliable and more effective than subsequent active control.
Important!
Even the most effective moth repellents will not help if the owner or mistress of the premises independently brought moth larvae on clothes or in food and placed them in a closet. The caterpillars simply have nowhere to go, and willy-nilly they will be forced to live and get used to the substances that are designed to scare them away. Moreover, practice shows that often the descendants of such individuals - moths - are no longer afraid of the repellents used, and previously effective moth repellents no longer help.
Review
“My grandmother always used mothballs for moths, and in my memory there were never these butterflies in the closets. When we started having them, I put mothballs on the shelves, and in some places in the pockets of my clothes, but this did not give any results. The moth flew and still flies. Now I’m looking for something that helps against moths...”
Anna, Bryansk
All anti-moth remedies can be divided into two groups:
- Drugs that can kill moths.
- And products that only repel moths.
In each of these groups there is a large number of well-known and not so effective and simply well-advertised means. Let's see what works best in practice.
Extermination of moths
Means that can kill moths and their larvae include aerosol insecticides and fumigators. In addition, moths can be killed by treating the room or clothing with high or low temperatures.
There is nothing particularly dangerous in modern insecticidal preparations against moths for humans and animals: they use substances that poison insects, but are harmless to warm-blooded animals. Only in case of gross violation of the rules when killing moths can intoxication be possible, often accompanied by allergies.
Most insecticidal preparations for moths are available in the form of aerosols or sprays. A typical moth spray is a small canister from which an insecticide solution is sprayed, for example, onto the surfaces of cabinets and directly onto clothing.
Of course, treatment against moths with these means is only possible away from food products. Therefore, protection against food moths in the kitchen with aerosols and sprays is not carried out either at all, or only kitchen cabinets that have been previously cleared of food are subject to treatment.
Moth fumigators are electronic devices in which insecticide-containing elements are heated, and the active substance gradually evaporates, poisoning the moth and its larvae in the cabinet in which the device is installed. When using these products, the moth actually dies, but the whole process takes longer than when using aerosols. Electric fumigators usually contain capsules with liquid, plates or tablets, which can be purchased along with the devices themselves.
The moth is characterized by rather low resistance to low and high temperatures: it dies already at minus 2°C, and at minus 10°C the eggs and pupae it lays also die. The upper limit of moth survival is about 40°C, and when washing clothes in a washing machine at a temperature of about 50°C, all insects, larvae and eggs on it die.
Such moderate temperatures, at which the moth already dies, make it possible to destroy it by simply hanging clothes in the cold in winter. Moths are afraid of both simple cold and frost, and at least adult moth butterflies in the cold will leave their clothes in the first minutes of being taken outside, and the larvae will then simply die.
Review
“I know for sure that moths are afraid of frost. My parents never poisoned her with poisons. They simply took all their clothes out into the cold every winter, and the moths died on them. Even now, as a preventative measure, I hang my clothes on the balcony in the winter, it’s open to me, and I often cool the apartment itself. Moths are afraid of the cold, and after a day in the cold, even food moths disappear.”
Irina, Ufa
It is important to remember that the food moth, although afraid of frost, is quite capable of withstanding the freezing of an entire room - in nature, this species lives in the middle zone, wintering on the ground under leaves, and therefore, in principle, is adapted to frost.
On a note
Widely popular at one time, naphthalene is in most cases very effective against moths, although in many cities populations of butterflies have appeared that are resistant to this product. However, the use of naphthalene is not recommended for the reason that scientists have proven its danger to human health - naphthalene is a fairly strong carcinogen.
Examples of side effects
If we talk about fumigators, then numerous complaints have been recorded about them (allergies, headaches, etc.), and from the safety precautions on the packaging it follows that it is better to use the fumigator to a minimum. In the case of paper products (hanging plates, etc.) - the same thing, although there is no fumigator.
It is worth mentioning separately about chlorpyrifos, which is also widely used in insect repellents. We read the following about him:
“This substance belongs to organophosphates, a very toxic group of pesticides,” says Viktor Malinsky, candidate of chemical sciences. – They were first synthesized in Germany during World War II as nerve gases. Later they migrated to “peaceful” chemistry.”
Four years ago, the Americans decided to subject this “peaceful” chemistry to revision. Then a law was passed according to which pesticides that are especially dangerous for children should be excluded from use.
Studies have shown that household use of chlorpyrifos can lead to a situation in which the dose of the chemical is hundreds of times higher than the maximum permissible level.
And most importantly, rats exposed to chlorpyrifos gave birth to offspring with brain damage.
From nerve gases, chlorpyrifos inherited the ability to affect the nervous system. Even short-term contact with it can cause headaches, nausea, sensory disturbances, paralysis, and in severe cases, coma and death.
Surprisingly, even experts still don’t know about the ban on chlorpyrifos in Russia. The Research Institute of Disinfectology heard this information for the first time, and for the employees of the Research Center Bytkhim this message turned out to be an unpleasant surprise - now the institute is developing new drugs based on this dangerous substance.”
Therefore, study and strictly follow safety precautions, otherwise you will poison both the pests and yourself and your children!
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Sometimes you want to reach for that once-favorite sweater that is hiding in the back of your closet. But the horror is that from a warm woolen miracle, your favorite thing has turned into an openwork cape. This clothes moth worked diligently on the design. How to avoid this situation and protect your favorite things from pests using a traditional method that has been proven over the years, we will tell you in this article.
Basic moth repellents
Numerous aromatic substances and natural remedies are used to repel moths. Among them:
- strong smelling plants
- dry herbs
- parts of some fruits
- essential oils
- technical means.
They are all effective to varying degrees. At the same time, some fit quite well into the general atmosphere of a modern apartment and even a kitchen, without disturbing the overall harmony with their aroma. Others, on the contrary, can be characterized as “old-fashioned” and are acceptable only in exceptional cases.
Moth sections
Moth repellent sections are industrially manufactured products whose operating principle is based on the use of substances that moths do not like. These sections usually come in the form of Velcro or hook-and-loop panels for hanging in a closet, impregnated with analogues of natural repellents (sometimes they also contain slow-evaporating insecticides).
Using the sections is very simple - you just need to place them in the place where you plan to defeat the moth, in the quantities specified by the manufacturer. And then - just change it at the frequency recommended in the instructions.
On a note
Food moths are just as afraid of sections as clothes moths. Therefore, these products can be placed in bedside tables and cabinets in the kitchen.
The traditional analogue of sections are moth sachets - small fabric pads filled with herbs. Some manufacturers of moth insecticides also make sachets to further diversify their product range.
There are also industrially produced moth balls that differ from sections only in shape. In terms of effectiveness, both sections, sachets, and balls are the same and cost approximately the same.
Verification method
You can look at the composition: what the active ingredient is, and check it in the pesticidy.ru directory for toxicity (or ask experts on the toxicological chemistry forum).
For example, about the same zeta-cypermethrin, some textbooks write that it is almost harmless when used correctly, while others write that it is very toxic to humans and warm-blooded animals (Zinchenko V.A. Chemical plant protection: means, technology and environmental safety. - M.: Kolos S, 2005. – 232 p.)
As for moth balls, they are definitely toxic, because... contain naphthalene (a carcinogen that leads to cancer) or harmful paradichlorobenzene.
Herbs and flowers against moths
Herbs for moths are the most common folk remedies. They were used even before the advent of chemicals, and they still effectively repel moths today.
Moreover, different parts of plants are used to combat the pest: flowers from moths can be no less effective than completely dried bushes. Among these natural repellents, the most famous are:
- Lavender is perhaps the most famous herb for moths. Its flowers remain as effective against moths today as they were many centuries ago, and the cost of this product allows you to fight insects even on a very limited budget
Review
“And I did it the old fashioned way: I bought a bag of lavender flowers against moths, scattered them into canvas bags and put them in the closet. Before that, I treated all the clothes with Antimoly. And that’s it: there are no more butterflies or caterpillars.”
Antonina, Moscow
- tansy - also repels moths and many other insects well
- sagebrush
- rosemary is a quite effective herb against moths, but quickly loses its smell
- and the well-known dill.
Of these, it is lavender that remains the most recognized remedy for moths, since it does not fizzle out for a very long time and rarely leads to the development of populations resistant to it.
On a note
Geranium is a plant that repels moths all the time while alive. Therefore, having geranium at home is not only pleasant, but also useful. In geraniums, moths are repelled not only by the flower, but also by the leaves themselves, the aroma of which is known to almost everyone.
Advantages and disadvantages
During the evaporation of the product used, the smell of lavender is released, as well as substances that have a detrimental effect on the reproduction of butterflies (butterflies lose the ability to lay eggs). Moth larvae and previously laid eggs are also destroyed. The period of action of the balls is up to six months; when completely evaporated, replace them with new ones. Positive qualities include convenient use.
A negative characteristic may be the evaporation and smell of lavender. The fumes from the drug are harmful to humans and can cause allergies. Individual intolerance to lavender may also be a contraindication for use. These contraindications include the smell of mothballs.
Important! Moth balls should be used strictly according to the instructions and work with gloves. After carrying out work, wash your hands with soap.
Laundry soap
In fact, laundry soap is a kind of analogue of tablets and sections against moths. It works on the same principle - its smell simply repels the pest. To combat moths, pieces of soap are placed in clothing pockets or simply in closets. For these purposes, ordinary laundry, dust and strawberry soap can be used.
Among all the effective and truly working moth repellents, there are also those that moths are not afraid of at all. For example, there are people who quite seriously rely on spells against moths - they are used by lovers of esotericism and antiquity. You can try to fight moths using such methods, but when you finally want to get rid of moths, you will have to use something more effective.
https://skazz.ru/naftalinovye-shariki-mol-travit/ https://naturalpeople.ru/naftalinovye-shariki-mol-travit/
Reviews
Positive reviews are written by people who use moth balls. After all, aerosols and sprayed liquids require additional cleaning after use. Balls without containers or in plastic are easy to use and work flawlessly.
The insect actually dies and the larvae disappear. Even a buyer from the Czech Republic spoke about the Clean House Extra product. He wrote: “A very strong and effective remedy for moths. Does a good job."
People respond positively after using cedar and sandalwood balls against moths. “They are very convenient and effective to use. The composition contains natural substances that smell pleasant,” they write.
