How do I Control Clothing Moths in my Home?

Using the same products for both pests can control clothing moths and Indian Meal moths (pantry moths). The easiest, cleanest, and most effective method to control moths is to use the the Prozap Pest Strip . The pest strip will kill moths and their larvae for 4 months.

For clothing moths, garments or fabrics can be hung in a closet or a large, zippered, clothing storage bag along with a pest strip. Avoid packing the garments too tight in order to provide a bit of air space. The adult moths and the moth’s larvae that are exposed to the pest strip will die. Its important that the suspect clothing be kept in the enclosed area for several weeks or longer, so all the moth eggs have time to hatch, and then are exposed to the strip.

Also, setting clothing moth pheromone traps in each room of the home serves as a monitor to help determine where treatment with Prozap Pest Strips is most needed. Our best clothing moth trap is the Aeroxon Moth trap. Use the traps to help pinpoint locations of infestations, then treat those areas with the pest strips to eliminate the moths.

If there are a lot of adult moths flying about, the home can be treated with a "total release" (bomb) product. That is only a temporary measure, to get rid of the moths that are actually observed. Once a moth infestation develops, the adult moths that are seen flying about are just "the tip of the iceberg". There are possibly hundreds, if not thousands of moth eggs, larvae and pupae present, that will eventually become adult moths, with new generations appearing daily.

The insecticides (bombs) that are available today do a good job of killing adult moths and their larvae, but they cannot kill the eggs or moths while in their pupae stage. Also, today's insecticides typically don't have too long of a residual life. That is good from the perspective that the insecticide does its job, and then quickly decomposes, and is no longer effective as a poison. This is ideal for the humans and pets that live in an area that has been treated. However, the eggs of a moth can hatch days or weeks after the insecticide has lost it's potency and begin feeding, breeding, and eventually laying more eggs as adults. That is why treatment with insecticides may need to be done several times to eradicate a moth infestation. That is why the pest strips are so effective, they work continuously for four months.

Once the moths are eliminated, it is fairly easy to keep them under control. To learn even more about moths read this article.