The thought of wool moths is enough to give your average wool lover feelings of panic. If you’ve never encountered these pesky insects then it’s tempting to simply shudder briefly, thank the fates for landing you in Manitoba (and not England or BC where moths are so much more prevalent) and return your thoughts to imagining your next project. Although Manitoba’s climate (hot, cold, dry) has worked well to limit moths, they are an increasing problem. But once you’ve heard a few horror stories (as I have) of entire stashes of wool, clothing and yarn being infested and it taking months (or years) to deal with the problem, you realize that it’s in all of our best interest to be aware that moths are present and to do what we can to limit their multiplication. Fortunately there are many things we can do to both prevent and to manage wool moths. Here’s a few:
1. Be vigilant. Vigilance is the most important tool we can use. Wool moths develop slowly (larvae can take months to become adult moths) so monitoring for moths is very effective in reducing moth damage and the possibility of infestation. - Check your wool and woollens regularly for signs of moths. Often you will notice the damage before the insects: small holes close together in wool garments. Or you may see casings (the outer skin of the larvae), mini cobwebs, or eggs which look like grains of sand.
- Inspect new wool and woollens that enter your home. Look for eggs, larvae and signs of damage. If you want to be very careful, give new acquisitions a heat or cold treatment.
- Set traps. Wool moth traps send out a pheromone (scent) that attracts male moths who get caught and then cannot breed. Traps are excellent for alerting you to developing problems. They are inexpensive and available at Home Hardware stores or from Custom Woolen Mills.
2. Wash your woolens regularly. Washing in water above 50C will destroy eggs and larvae. Moths love sweat and food stains so clean woolens will be less attractive to begin with.
3. Clean regularly. Good vacuuming, especially of corners and edges, is an excellent way to eliminate moths, specifically eggs, before they became a problem. Vacuum out shelves, drawers, cupboards and the corners of rooms where wool items are stored. Remember to empty your vacuum canister afterwards.
4. Store wool wisely. Moths are attracted to dark corners. Storing woollens in a dark box in the basement or in the back of a closet is creating a home for them. I have started storing wool blankets on wire mesh shelves and leaving the closet door open. I regularly rustle blankets throughout the summer (when they are not in use) to make a less-desirable habitat. Rather than packing them away for the off season I keep wool sweaters upstairs in my closet with my summer clothes on top (so they regularly get shaken up). I hang whatever clothing I can in the closet where it’s easy to rustle through. I regularly hang woollens on the clothesline outside for airing.
5. Use moth-prevention sachets. Sachets of strong-smelling herbs like pennyroyal, mint, tansy, artemesia and lavender will repel moths. On Big Oak Farm we produce sachets from our home-grown herbs (meaning they have the strongest scent). Contact us through bigoakfarm.ca if you are interested.
6. Use plastic tubs or cedar chests. If you have special wool items like locally-spun yarn or roving or handmade sweaters, store them in sealed plastic bags or in plastic tubs that seal well. If you’re lucky enough to have a cedar chest, use it.
7. Don’t store raw wool in the house. Raw wool is highly desirable to moths because it contains lots of vegetable matter that they feed on. Raw wool should be stored outside. If you can, put it in an unheated shed or other place that gets very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter.
8. Use a decoy. Fashion revolution founder and author of Loved Clothes Last Orsola de Castro, for whom moths are a matter of course in her European home, recommends this approach. She’s found it effective at keeping moths away from the clothes that she really loves. She keeps a sweater for that purpose in a drawer with her other woolens. You can create a decoy by putting a small amount of raw or minimally processed wool in an open bag in a dark place where it will not be disturbed. If a moth enters your space chances are it will go there and not bother the rest of your stash. Check the decoy regularly and with minimal disturbance. If you notice a problem, you will be able to contain it quickly.
9. Ask questions. If you are selling or displaying your wool in a shop or gallery, ask what their moth policy is. If they don’t have one encourage them to develop one. This protects them and you.
10. Use heat or cold to destroy moths and eggs if you see moth damage.
10. Talk about moths. When buying or selling wool tell people to be alert to moths and give them tips for how to prevent them. The “hope for the best” or “don’t ask, don’t tell” attitude will keep moths hidden and will ultimately lead to more moths which isn’t great for any of us.
11. Mend. Moth damaged items are a tableau for amazing creative mending. Elisha Schuhbauer of Worth Mending and creator of the amazing Swift Darning Loom says,
“On lighter-weight items like these merino base layers, I love combining machine- and hand-mending techniques to create whimsical freehand designs and doodles. Kate of @katestangledstring did a beautiful job salvaging this moth-eaten balaclava using our darning loom. The great thing is that you’re likely starting with an unwearable garment, so don’t be afraid to dive in and experiment!”
Photos of Visible Mending by Elisha Schuhbauer.
If you have further questions or comments about moths, please contact me at jenniferdegroot@yahoo.ca
And to learn how to repair those holes you have in your woollens and other items, check out our upcoming Community Mending Day
