Post by rose on Feb 25, 2008 21:55:46 GMT -5
I just discovered a moth infestation in one of my old wool fleeces (that I was spinning), and am wondering what all I need to do to make sure they do not spread.
I already put the fleece in the compost, and the pillow-case it was in in the washer (washing it with some very dirty work clothes). I checked the yarn I had made from the fleece and found some moth trouble there too. I put that yarn in the upright freezer, along with the basket I was using to hold carded wool. The yarn was in a paper bag in my closet with some other things. I am washing what I can...the rest is in the freezer. There were eggs in the bottom of the paper bag so I put that in the compost too. I killed all moths I could catch; all I could see. Maybe four or five.
So...
Do I need to wash everything else in the closet?
Do I need to wash the wool sweater I wore while I was doing this?
If the eggs hatch on or near my wool rug, is that a problem? Do I need to vacuum it immediately and then empty the vacuum cleaner bag immediately?
What about the bedclothes? Spare blankets stored under the bed?
What about the sweaters on the other side of the bedroom?
These are little grey moths, maybe 1/2" long. How long is the moth lifespan? How long for eggs to hatch, larve to eat their way through whatever they are on, and become adults?
If an egg hatches in a trash can or vacuum bag, can it live on the lint and dust collected there? If it hatches someplace relatively inhospitable (on a wood floor), how far can it crawl before it dies for lack of food?
I'd like to do whatever needs to be done BEFORE I find they have infested something else; of course, by the time you can see them it is too late. But I do have and wear a lot of wool, so I'd like to not go overboard on this, if I don't have to.
Thanks for any advice you can give me!
--Charlene
I already put the fleece in the compost, and the pillow-case it was in in the washer (washing it with some very dirty work clothes). I checked the yarn I had made from the fleece and found some moth trouble there too. I put that yarn in the upright freezer, along with the basket I was using to hold carded wool. The yarn was in a paper bag in my closet with some other things. I am washing what I can...the rest is in the freezer. There were eggs in the bottom of the paper bag so I put that in the compost too. I killed all moths I could catch; all I could see. Maybe four or five.
So...
Do I need to wash everything else in the closet?
Do I need to wash the wool sweater I wore while I was doing this?
If the eggs hatch on or near my wool rug, is that a problem? Do I need to vacuum it immediately and then empty the vacuum cleaner bag immediately?
What about the bedclothes? Spare blankets stored under the bed?
What about the sweaters on the other side of the bedroom?
These are little grey moths, maybe 1/2" long. How long is the moth lifespan? How long for eggs to hatch, larve to eat their way through whatever they are on, and become adults?
If an egg hatches in a trash can or vacuum bag, can it live on the lint and dust collected there? If it hatches someplace relatively inhospitable (on a wood floor), how far can it crawl before it dies for lack of food?
I'd like to do whatever needs to be done BEFORE I find they have infested something else; of course, by the time you can see them it is too late. But I do have and wear a lot of wool, so I'd like to not go overboard on this, if I don't have to.
Thanks for any advice you can give me!
--Charlene