Author Topic: Moths and fleeces? (Read 9608 times)

GBov · « **on:** January 12, 2021, 05:48:00 pm »

I did a search but couldn't find any hard facts so thought I would ask you lovely peoples.

Do moths eat in the grease fleeces or do they stick to washed wool?

I ask because I have been killing moths in the room I keep my wool in so I know the little beggers are eating something but it would be easier to narrow down the search if I only have to inspect either or, rather than all.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** January 13, 2021, 12:04:31 am »

No luck, sorry! Clothes moths will eat both clean and in-the-grease fleece. They will also eat silk and lots of other fibres, paper and meal. They are more likely apparently to eat holes in knitwear which has food slavers on than clean, fresh garments so only store washed clothes. The only way to keep them out is to store the fleece in a woven bag with no holes big enough for the tiny things to get in, or to store all susceptible fibres in a freezer. I think it's only the males that fly. Remember to open your bags outside or they'll just be flying from one hideaway to another.

GBov · « **Reply #2 on:** January 25, 2021, 06:07:53 pm »

Quote from: Fleecewife on January 13, 2021, 12:04:31 am

No luck, sorry! Clothes moths will eat both clean and in-the-grease fleece. They will also eat silk and lots of other fibres, paper and meal. They are more likely apparently to eat holes in knitwear which has food slavers on than clean, fresh garments so only store washed clothes. The only way to keep them out is to store the fleece in a woven bag with no holes big enough for the tiny things to get in, or to store all susceptible fibres in a freezer. I think it's only the males that fly. Remember to open your bags outside or they'll just be flying from one hideaway to another.

Why is there never a shortcut/easy option? Or am I silly to even think there might be?

Good to know that the blighters eat anything, I was plagued by meal moths in Florida and while these look just the same I thought they were a different species and not the same old same old.

Have made net bags and ordered hooks so all my wool can be hung on the wall over the rad for easy inspection and no worries about damp - this house has issues

- so will give everything a good inspection as I hang them up.

Only the boys fly?

Fleecewife · « **Reply #3 on:** January 26, 2021, 01:11:08 am »

Probably not over a radiator - cool and airy is best, so perhaps near a window which is opened regularly. A draugty barn is sometimes recommended, but never on the floor, especially concrete which seems to attract damp to the fleeces.

I've been remiss with my fleeces for the past couple of years, so I'm dreading when I do get round to sorting them, wondering just what I'll find.

There is an easy option - chemicals, but I find them dangerous, smelly and not really in keeping with the eco aspects of using your own sheep's fleeces for crafts.

My mother used to use moth balls, I think they are napthalene or something and stink to high heaven - how to stand out in a crowd

From wiki:
<< Naphthalene is a major component of some mothballs. It repels moths as well as some animals.[citation needed]

Since mothballs that contain naphthalene are considered hazards, safer alternatives have been developed, such as the use of 1,4-dichlorobenzene, however, 1,4-dichlorobenzene has been declared as a potential neurotoxin. 1,4-dichlorobenzene has been linked to potentially causing depression as a form of encephalopathy.[3] This complication resulted with an increased use of Camphor as a moth repellent. Camphor is frequently used in place of naphthalene in Asia.>>

<< Unlike naphthalene and dichlorobenzene, camphor has medicinal applications and is not regarded as a carcinogen, though it is toxic in large doses. Red cedar wood and oil is also used as an alternative moth repellent. Pheromone traps are also an effective tool used when attempting to protect valuable clothing.>>

GBov · « **Reply #4 on:** January 29, 2021, 04:05:11 pm »

The problem in here is space and damp corners/outer walls.

With two dehumidifiers running, one upstairs and one down, we have managed to get it dry enough to not be actively unhealthy (reminds me, I have to spray the corners again) but I have to think all the time about airflow in the corners as well as where 5 people's stuff fits in a two-up/two-down row house.

The only place left for me is one spot of wall, right over a rad, and I have to actively protect it as we all have LOTS of wall art as well as enough books to fill a library.

I just bought a shed for myself and the boys have nabbed it already. A workshop for their various projects is nice but it leaves me shedless again.

Having moved all the bags of wool at least 9 times over the last three days - building more bookshelves - I saw no signs of crawling/flying so

to no bugs.

GBov · « **Reply #5 on:** January 31, 2021, 10:44:52 pm »

Not the wool, the hides!

I have a suitcase with about 200 dried rabbit hides and went into it tonight to find one the color I need for a project and found, the deeper into the pile I went, the more damage I found.

Started hoovering each hide but had to stop, will finish that job tomorrow.

Drat! Hate bugs sometimes.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #6 on:** January 31, 2021, 10:51:46 pm »

Oh no! Did you grow and tan the hides yourself? What do you use them for? If you could find the space, a second hand small chest freezer would be the perfect place to store the hides. Or even an upright one, using the shelves. You can keep a freezer in a shed if you can get power to it.
There is a wonderful wealth of insect life in the world, but sometimes you can wish it lived somewhere else!

GBov · « **Reply #7 on:** February 20, 2021, 08:08:55 pm »

Quote from: Fleecewife on January 31, 2021, 10:51:46 pm

Oh no! Did you grow and tan the hides yourself? What do you use them for? If you could find the space, a second hand small chest freezer would be the perfect place to store the hides. Or even an upright one, using the shelves. You can keep a freezer in a shed if you can get power to it.
There is a wonderful wealth of insect life in the world, but sometimes you can wish it lived somewhere else!

Yep, all my own grown and raised hides.

None of them were tanned yet, only fleshed and dried. I find dried hides will last - moths aside

- for many years with no care at all.

In Florida, I kept them in a big box filled with cedar shavings (instead of a cedar chest lol) and that worked really well but when we ran away I only had time to shake them all off and shove the best ones in a suitcase. I do check them from time to time but it is so odd how the months fly by.

Have shaken each hide, vacuumed them all, brushed with a carding brush the worst affected, and bought more cedar shavings. Still on the to-do list is move a big box upstairs and put the hides into shavings again.

It is such a trip down memory lane though, handling each hide and remembering the actual rabbit and the time we were in when it was alive. So many pretty colors and breeds I would love to have again, Magpie Harlequin, for instance, are just lush!

Fleecewife · « **Reply #8 on:** February 20, 2021, 10:30:38 pm »

@GBov I have just heard of this, in an article about moth prevention at Blickling Hall in Norfolk: Trichogramma evanescens, a parasitic wasp of the clothes moth, which you can buy online. It's quite expensive, about 10 GBP or so per card, enough for one drawer or box, but it sounds like it could be worth a try. I think it says to apply it in about April, but best to check that. Info on Google.

When you ran away? I take it you had to leave your last home in a rush. This makes your rabbit pelts so much more precious

GBov · « **Reply #9 on:** February 23, 2021, 05:48:51 pm »

Quote from: Fleecewife on February 20, 2021, 10:30:38 pm

@GBov I have just heard of this, in an article about moth prevention at Blickling Hall in Norfolk: Trichogramma evanescens, a parasitic wasp of the clothes moth, which you can buy online. It's quite expensive, about 10 GBP or so per card, enough for one drawer or box, but it sounds like it could be worth a try. I think it says to apply it in about April, but best to check that. Info on Google.

When you ran away? I take it you had to leave your last home in a rush. This makes your rabbit pelts so much more precious

Ooooo good info on the wasps! Will check it out in depth later.

I do know that moths hate being disturbed so moving things about also helps keep stuff safe from them.

Yep, we ran away in the night. You know the feeling of imminent disaster? I had that hit so bad I couldn't do anything but sell the caravan we were living in, buy plane tickets with the money from it, and dash away in the night.

Good thing we did, as we were sitting in the airport the ex sent a text to say he was filing for full custody.

Abusive ex in a judicial system designed for, and by, abusive men? A no-win game for women indeed.

Of course, as we were here only 6 months when Covid hit, I think my feelings of doom had more to do with that than anything else.

And OMG I am so glad we took the risk, my kids and I and mum all happy in one bubble instead of frantic with worry and 3,000 miles in between.

Sorry, didn't mean to run on, just so very glad to be here in the UK instead of stuck in Florida!

Fleecewife · « **Reply #10 on:** February 24, 2021, 01:04:30 am »

Oh @GBov what a tale

Thank goodness you got out when you did

I'm so pleased for you and your family

The moral is clearly 'always listen to the gut'.

Let us know if you try the mini-wasps.

GBov · « **Reply #11 on:** February 24, 2021, 01:22:42 am »

Quote from: Fleecewife on February 24, 2021, 01:04:30 am

Oh @GBov what a tale Thank goodness you got out when you did I'm so pleased for you and your family The moral is clearly 'always listen to the gut'.

Let us know if you try the mini-wasps.

You are so right, always listen to yourself!

Soooooo glad to be here, even with Covid we are having so much fun being back together.

And I will indeed let you know if I try the wasps, they sound way cool.