Question: I'm infested with clothing moths. They have eaten into mostly
cashmere clothing. Is there any thing I can do to get rid of them. Will
mothballs help?
ANSWER Clothes moths are not a common household pest, but sometimes they can become established in wool clothes or other materials.
It is the caterpillar stage of clothes moths that cause the damage. Sometimes the caterpillar crawls free on the surface of the infested material, and sometimes it is in a small cocoon (this is the case-making clothes moth). The adult moths are very small, pale brown to silvery, and do not come to lights. [So, if there are moths flying around the lights, they are not likely to be clothes moths.]
Control begins by removing all the organic material (wool, wool blends, silk, etc.) and having it dry cleaned, then store the material in a sealed container. It is possible to put moth crystals in the bags when they are stored, but they should be cleaned before storing.
There are some scented (pheromone) traps available in large home and hardware stores. These traps attract the male webbing clothes moths. (These are the most common clothes moths.) Wihout males, the female moths are unable to reproduce. These pheromone traps will remain effective for several months.
