The moth: protect your laundry and closets

In Quebec, we have several species of moths. Two of them are particularly present and harmful: the ringworm of the clothes and the ringworm.

The moth is an ordinary insect. However, its larvae are formidable. They flood our wardrobes, our wardrobes, causing enormous material damage.

Of course, we get rid of them by using an exterminator on the island of Montreal. But how do you know you’re in front of a moth? How can you prevent them from colonizing your home? And if they have already done so, how can we identify an exterminator who can really eliminate them with respect for the environment, people and animals?

Below, find professional answers to all these questions.

Invasion of moths: what do they look like?

From the butterfly family, moths or moths are an insect that is 6 to 14 mm long. Depending on the species, its head is hairy or has scales.

The wings of the moth are narrow and lined with long bristles. They are mottled, brownish or golden.

Know the life cycle of the moth to better luter

The moth’s life cycle takes place in four stages:

• Egg laying

Thanks to her bio-sensors, the female identifies an ideal spawning spot for her offspring, i.e. dust from your closets or the fibers of a cloth, provided it is a place you rarely frequent or objects you rarely touch. Even a butterfly corpse will do!

It lays hundreds of whitish eggs, ovoids and measuring less than 1 mm. You need a magnifying glass to see them.

• The transformation of the caterpillar into a larva after hatching

Eggs hatch and give caterpillars. These caterpillars, in turn, turn into fearsome larvae that devour everything in their path.

• The transformation of larvae into nymphs

The larva, once it reaches maturity, weaves a cocoon, where it turns into a nymph. Larvae are small shiny white verses that measure about 1/2 inch in length.

• Turning nymphs into butterflies

In less than two months, the moth nymph turns into a butterfly. If the processing conditions are not suitable for its development (if there is too much heat or freshness), it can hibernate.

The larva then becomes grown and reproduces to complete the cycle.

Why are moth invasions so harmful to us?

The moth is running away from the light. She prefers darkness and dark corners. The back of the wardrobes, wardrobes, closets and closets is his home. It can disappear very quickly if disturbed or threatened.

Adult moths are harmless. They even prefer to live on accumulated reserves.

Its larva attacks:

• Textiles
• Furs
• Carpet
• Clothes
• fibres of animal origin (wool, silk, cotton),
• feathered objects,
• collections of naturalized insects or animals.

It can cause irreversible damage. It causes great historical losses in ancient libraries and museums.

However, larvae are useful to forensic scientists or archaeologists. Chrysalis and moth detritus allow them to determine the date and time of death of corpses, even mummified ones.

17 moth exterminator tips to avoid them

With a little discipline and prevention, you can perfectly prevent an attack of moths or moths:

• Vacuum regularly at the bottom of cupboards and closets, and put order in them,
• Prevent ringworms from entering by installing mosquito nets at doors,
• Occasionally, take your tissues outside, brush them to destroy fragile moth eggs and dislodge caterpillars,
• Expose your clothes for two or three hours in the sun during the summer. Clean them dry,
• Subject your laundry to sub-zero temperatures. To do this, put them in a freezer for two or three days. You can also cause them to experience significant temperature differences,
• Heat your parts at 37 degrees Celsius for a week or 41 degrees Celsius for four hours,
• Install pheromon-based moth traps in your wardrobes,
• Wash your laundry in hot water with more than 49 degrees Celsius,
• Leave only clean linen in your cupboards and closets,
• Shake up hangers and clothes,
• Put your clothes back on,
• Store unused clothing in airtight bags with lavender to prevent moths from entering,
• Use moth repellents: cedar wood, lavender, mint, eucalyptus, lemon or orange, rosemary, nem oil, Marseille soap, cloves, cypress, etc. Be sure to replace them as soon as they feel stronger.

How do you know if these insects have already taken over your home? If you find holes in your fabrics, if you see fur hairs being cut at the base, if you see cocoons hidden inside the cracks, they are there.

And if that’s the case, you can get rid of them by trapping them. To do this, install pheromon-based moth traps in your closets and closets. Use sticky strips on the market.

But if you have a major moth infestation, use a professional exterminator.

How to get rid of moths: means used by the professional exterminator

The exterminator will use pesticides such as diatom soil that dehydrates insects and kills them. It will use insecticides.

It will also use insecticides in compliance with Environment Canada regulations on people and pets. Misused,they can be harmful to the health of humans and animals.

It will avoid mothballs (naphtaline) and paradichlorobenzene. These chemicals are effective in killing moths and moth larvae. Simply place them in an airtight bag with infestedclothes, but they are ineffective for adult moths. In addition, they are carcinogenic.

They can also cause headaches and breathing problems. Not to mention their unpleasant and harmful emanation to human fetuses.

Watch out for amateur exterminators. Check to see if you’re dealing with real specialists. For this:

• Require to see the professional exterminator’s licence. It must be issued by the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development and be marked C5: Extermination,
• Ask for a written guarantee on the effectiveness of its anti-mite treatment, while respecting the environment, people and pets,
• Find out how he works. If he is a true professional, he will seek to make sure that it is really moths that attack you. He’ll try to measure the intensity of theattack. He will try to determine the source. To do all this work, he will use certified certified exterminati technicians
  who will offer you appropriate treatment for your degreeof infestation.

Here, tell us in the comments below if you’ve ever been attacked with moths or moths and how you got away with it.