This month, Julia in upstate New York contacted us with a moth emergency. She writes:
Dear Moth Guy,
EMERGENCY: I live in a countryside home in upstate New York. This week, I returned from vacation only to find several tiny tan-colored moths in my living room. I can’t figure out where they are coming from. What should I do?
Please help,
Julia
You’ve returned from some R&R (you didn’t say where you went, so I’ll picture a nice Bermuda sunrise!) only to find your home has been colonized, invaded, no — overrun with clothes moths! I can sympathize with your situation.
The first question I’ll ask is: did you buy anything before leaving for vacation? Often, clothes moths will spread to new homes through the purchase of a wool sweater or carpet. For this reason, it’s important that thrift stores properly condition garments before sale.
Have you noticed any cocoons? Larvae? Before I send you to the Moth Emergency Plan, I’ll briefly recite its key ideas:
- Protect – Get your valuables into plastic bags.
- Clean – Get dust, hair, and pet cleaned up
- Trap – Deploy moth traps and monitor the situation
It sounds like you definitely have a moth problem. Start by identifying the signs of moths and then head over to the Moth Emergency Plan.
Good luck!
-Moth Guy
