Locating Moth harbourages: ‘A simple rule of thumb’
When locating harbourages of clothes moths and carpet moths, we are often consumed by the image of a bear tracker trekking through the Alaskan wilderness, looking for faint footprints, broken twigs and scratched bark, having only the most minuet of details to indicate the path of the quarry, with only the most seasoned of veterans being able to locate their elusive antagonist.
Unlike bears, moths are relatively predictable. Locating the key areas to ascertain both the extent of an infestation and the damage it might have caused is easy to do when following these four simple guidelines:
Dark spaces, cracks, crevices, keratin.
Moths will always lay eggs near a food source, so that as the eggs transition through the life cycle to the larvae stage they have ample food nearby to transition again to the adult phase of the life cycle. As such a room with no natural fibres is highly unlikely to be a residence for moth eggs.
High content keratin fibres include: wool, silk, cashmere, viscose, leather and furs
Moths will always favour dark places and deep harbourages in which to lay their eggs, as such check around the edges of a room along the wall-floor junction, under and behind heavy furniture (particularly furniture which is flush to the floor, including under table legs and the underside of keratin rich furniture such as sofas, these are often missed in a reconnaissance mission of the home). Look to clothing at the back of a wardrobe or drawer and at the bottom of a chest or storage box in the darkest space, this will often be where the initial signs of damage will be most prevalent and easily identifiable.
For both clothes moths and carpet moths you will be looking for holes in clothing or fabrics, bald, threadbare and worn patches in carpets or case bearings which look like small grains or rice.
By following these four commandments you will be able to locate the areas in which to focus your eradication strategy. A key product to aid the monitoring of your home is the Demi Diamond Moth Trap, this pheromone-based trap will attract the adult males helping you monitor any adult population and pinpoint areas of activity whilst simultaneously disrupting the breeding cycle and reducing the risk of further breeding, egg laying and damage.