Rugs can provide a feeding frenzy for clothes moths, who dine on the fibers. If you see that your rug is in disarray, it could be due to clothes moths that have been eating away at the threaded materials the rug is made from. In order to stop your rugs from getting ruined, it’s important to understand moths and how to deter them.
The Life Cycle of the Clothes Moth
Adult moths are actually not the ones to blame for fiber loss in rugs. It’s the larvae that feed on wool and other rug materials. There are two types of clothes moths: the webbing moth and the casemaking moth.
The webbing moth attaches to a dark seam within the rug and remains stationary for its entire lifespan, causing a smaller amount of damage to the rug. The casemaking moth does not attach its tube to anything, allowing it to remain mobile and cause damage to a larger amount of area.
Adults lay their eggs on material that their larvae can consume. Moths can live for 2 months or over 2 years. It all depends on how much material is available to sustain them.
Green Choice Carpet says female moths typically lay between 100 and 150 eggs. Within approximately 5 days, all of these eggs hatch and the larvae inside begin feeding on any materials they can find. With a large rug full of threads for the larvae to consume, each one can live up to 2 1/2 years. This can cause significant damage to your rug if it is not dealt with.
Where Do Clothes Moths Gather?
The undisturbed, dark areas of the rug are the main places you will find clothes moths. If you have a pet, your rugs are even more susceptible to moths, as clothes moths are attracted to the keratin in animal hair. With a rug filled with cat or dog hair, you can almost guarantee that moths have attempted or will attempt to make a feasting ground inside.
Determining if Clothes Moths are Present
There are certain indicators you can look for to help determine whether or not there are clothes moths present in your rugs. If there are adult moths found flying throughout the home, chances are there are larvae deep inside your rugs feasting on the fibers. You can also look closely at the rug’s surface to see if you spot anything moving. They may be small, but moving larvae can be seen. Another indicator is finding loose fibers atop the rug. This is a result of the moth larvae eating knots out of the rug’s threads and loosening the fibers.
Never Use Mothballs
Using mothballs is not a recommended method for getting rid of clothes moths. The active ingredients found within, such as naphthalene, can lead to health problems, as they are inhaled through the mouth or nose. It can cause irritation of the throat, nose and mouth, as well as bring on headaches and confusion. If you are exposed to the vapors from mothballs over a long period of time, eventually your kidney and liver can begin to fail.
Mothballs only act as a moth repellent against adult moths. The larvae will not be impacted in the least. The odor left behind is also extremely unpleasant, and will be difficult to remove from your rug.
Protect Your Rugs
Certain moth-repelling agents are available to help protect your rugs. Products made with magnesium silicofluoride are extremely effective at repelling moths. The spray will not kill existing moths like you might think. Instead, it changes the overall taste of the rug so it is less appetizing to the larvae. Once you spray the entire front and back of the rug with this solution, no larvae will want to chew through it again. There are no odors to worry about, as well as no harmful effects to you or your family. For other ideas to deal with a moth problem, this article on Huffington Post puts nine different methods to the test.
Clothes moths are a hassle to deal with, especially if you are unaware of how to actually deal with them. Learning how to recognize when clothes moths are present will help you rid your rugs of them once and for all.
Other Resources
http://www.naturalnews.com/039913_mothballs_insecticide_naphthalene.html
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7435.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tineola_bisselliella
