If you suspect your clothes are infested with moths, you will find advice and tips in this article on how to reliably identify moths in the closet and combat them effectively.
If you realize that the closet has suddenly become an insect hotel for clothes moths (Tineola bisselliella), desperation often spreads. But you are not powerless against the moth plague in the closet. As a rule, you can get rid of the little pests with simple means, without using chemicals or having to call the exterminator.
Where do moths come from in the closet?
Clothes moths often come into the home with second-hand clothing or used carpets and furniture. Apart from that, they can also get into the house naturally, because the small butterflies also find plenty of food outside in nature, for example in bird nests. From there it is usually not far to the closet at home.
Tip: Incidentally, an infestation of moths in the wardrobe is not a sign of poor hygiene. Rather, he shows what kind of fabrics are in her wardrobe. Moth larvae need keratin to develop. They mainly target clothes made of wool, silk, cashmere or leather and furs. Clothes moths can also feed on human hair and dander attached to clothing.
Detect moths in the closet
First of all, you can easily recognize a moth infestation in your closet by the holes in your clothes or the moths that suddenly appear in your closet. Clothes moths are rather inconspicuous. Adults are up to 1.5 cm long, have ciliated, shiny wings and are dark brown to yellowish depending on the diet. Flying animals are mostly males looking for females. After mating, a female can lay up to 250 eggs, from which larvae hatch after about two weeks. Under optimal growth conditions, i.e. atAt 24 °C and a humidity of up to 75%, it takes 60 days for the larvae to develop into adults.
If you are unsure whether there are actually moths in your closet, or if you want to monitor the development of the number of moths, pheromone traps such as our Plantura clothes moth trap are ideal. These moth traps for wardrobes are equipped with special sex attractants that attract male moths. Since the traps are also sticky, attracted males stick to the trap, so that a moth infestation in the wardrobe can be detected early and the effectiveness of the control can be monitored. However, pheromone traps are not suitable for combating them, as they do not catch every single male. So females can still be fertilized, and they will each lay about 250 eggs.
Fighting moths in the closet
Before you start fighting moths, you should use specific pheromone traps to determine whether they are actually clothes moths. If you find moths on the traps with the sex hormones, you can be sure and take further steps to combat them. You should also use moth traps during the fight to see when it was successful. Because even a small remaining population can otherwise multiply strongly again.
Many chemical agents such as moth and insect sprays are available for combating this. However, since the substances they contain are often toxic or irritating to humans, great care should be taken when using them.
But moths in the closet can also be fought naturally and successfully with household remedies, so only in an emergency chemical agents or the exterminator must be used.
A biological and sustainable alternative to fighting moths in the closet are parasitic wasps of the genus Trichogramma. The little animals have little to do with the commonly known wasps. With a size of about 0.4 mm, parasitic wasps can hardly be seen with the naked eye. Furthermore, they lack the typical piercing tools and instead of our food, the little animals are after insect eggs. Parasitic wasps lay their own eggs in those of the host animals, causing the death of the host larvae in the eggs and the development cycle of themoths is interrupted.
Our Plantura parasitic wasps against clothes moths also belong to the genus Trichogramma and are a species that specializes in clothes moths.
If you decide in favor of our parasitic wasps, you will receive six cards at intervals of two weeks on which parasitic wasps are in various stages of development. This covers the entire life cycle of clothes moths. One card is enough for about 1 m², so 4 cards are sufficient for a normal wardrobe. Since our parasitic wasps really only parasitize clothes moths, they pose no danger to humans or other animals. As soon as your wardrobe is free of moths, the only thing left is dust, literally, even from the parasitic wasps.
Another way to combat clothes moths in the closet is to try treating clothes with heat or cold. For example, very hot washing can help. However, this is not possible with many items of clothing made of wool, as they would become matted and shrink. Otherwise, on very hot days, you can put the items of clothing in the blazing sun, possibly additionally covered with black foil. The other extreme that clothes moths don't tolerate well is cold. You can therefore put infested clothing in the freezer for at least four weeks. One problem with controlling clothes moths from heat or cold is that all clothes should actually be treated at the same time. Otherwise the moths will die off in the clothes that have just been treated, but they will continue to multiply happily in the closet. And when the moth-free clothes are put back in the closet, they are immediately infested again. To prevent this, clothes can be packed in airtight boxes, for example.
In addition to each treatment, the wardrobe should be cleaned and corners and cracks should be thoroughly vacuumed. Then you can wipe out the cupboard with vinegar water, for example, because clothes moths avoid this extreme scent.
Prevention of moths in the closet
Clothes moths don't like the smell of lavender or cedar wood. For example, lavender soaps, scented sachets or pieces of cedar wood in the closet help to keep moths away. However, prolonged use can lead to habituation effects, which is why this method is useddoes not offer 100% security. In addition, you should, for example, only store winter or summer clothes that have been washed and pack particularly vulnerable items of clothing in airtight garment bags or boxes. Then clothes moths have no chance of getting at them. Insect screens on the windows and regular vacuuming are other things you can do to prevent moth infestations.
Tip: If you own a lot of vulnerable clothing, such as wool, silk, fur or a collection of feather boas, it is always safer to keep a moth trap in your closet to have. This way you can react in time and there is no stronger infestation.
Did you know that moths can also infest carpets? Check out our article Moths in the Carpet for helpful tips on how to get rid of the invaders.