Moth Extermination Service
Moth infestation is bad news for any home. Moths can eat through your clothes, carpets, rugs, or any upholstery or furniture made from fabric. Some species of moths produce an unpleasant smell in your pantry or wardrobe.
Moreover, Moth can contaminate your food, clothes, and other belongings. Eating pest-contaminated food can cause allergies, digestive problems, and even food poisoning. It is gross to have or let alone imagine your food getting contaminated with moth eggs or droppings.
Call a Professional Moth Exterminator
If your home suffers from a moth infestation, your food items, clothes, and other items are at risk of contamination. To ensure the safety and hygiene of your home, it is necessary to eliminate and prevent moth infestation.Safe methods to Kill Moths
When you notice that your house is infested with moths, you should start eliminating them as quickly as possible. To erase all traces of them, not only will you have to clean the mess they create, but also kill them. For kitchens, you have to remove all the pantry and fry food items. Wipe with a dust cloth and clean with detergent or an antibacterial solution. You also want to spray moth repellant or moth killer in the kitchen cupboards. Cleaning a moth infested kitchen is easier than a wardrobe, furniture, and carpets.You must have noticed moth infestation when you have seen moths flying around, larvae eggs, or worse, chewed off clothes or carpet. You have to be very careful in eliminating moths. You have to make sure that you don’t damage your carpet or any delicate fabrics like silk or fur. Here are some of the safest ways to eliminate moths.
Vacuum cleaning and dusting
It is necessary to clean moth infested areas first before you get with any moth removal remedy or methods. Vacuum clean the cupboards, cabinets, wardrobe, and floor to remove the moths and larvae eggs.
Even if there are places in your kitchen or wardrobe where you don’t see any moth infestation, clean those as well. Moth infestation isn’t visible in the early days. If some areas of your house are infested, moths can start residing or laying eggs in other areas too.
After vacuuming, wipe cabinets and your wardrobe with a damp cloth. Use a disinfectant or an antibacterial spray to dampen the cloth. Don’t forget to empty the dirt inside the vacuum. Moths and larvae can develop in there as well.
Dust your house regularly to ensure that there are no moths or larvae on any surfaces. Wash and wring the dust cloth properly so that there are no moths or larvae on it. When wiping delicate surfaces and fabrics like upholstery and silk, use mild or eco-friendly cleaners.
Wash moth infested clothes
It may be devastating to find that moths have chewed holes in your favorite jumper, but you have no time to wail as you have to finish off these moths before they damage your entire wardrobe. If you are lucky, you may notice larvae eggs on your clothes before they grow into moths. In either of the cases, the first thing you should do is to wash all your moth infested clothes.
Even if there are no apparent signs, but you suspect infestation on some clothes, you must wash them too. Use hot water to wash all the clothes. Put them in the dryer on high heat. This is the safest and guaranteed method to eliminate moths from all of your clothes.
Freeze clothes and stuff that show sign of moth
Not all clothes are safe to wash with hot water or a high heat dryer. For such clothes, you can kill moths by freezing them. Yes, you read that right. You may not have heard of freezing clothes before, but it is an effective way to remove moths. None of your clothes will be damaged if you do it carefully.
Keeping clothes and items in temperatures below 40 degrees inactivates moths and larvae. Keeping any clothes at zero degrees for 72 hours will kill all types of moths.
Most fabrics and materials are safe to put in the freezer. You can also freeze accessories like bags, makeup, pouches, containers, and bottles. For clothes with heavy embellishments or embroidery, check with the manufacturer if you can put them in the freezer or not.
When you pack clothes properly, freezing temperatures won’t damage them. Make sure there is no air in the packets when packing your clothes for the freezer as moisture and frost can damage them. To avoid air spaces, it is best to use a vacuum or sealable plastic bags.
Make a natural moth repellent from herbs
Among the many benefits of herbs, our favorite is bug repellant. Bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, lavender, and cloves have moth-repellant properties. These herbs have a pleasant earthy smell. But most of the moth species can’t stand the odor of these herbs.
Use these herbs in dried and powdered form to make a DIY moth repellant. Mix these herbs in a small muslin cloth or bag. Hang or place the repellant in your kitchen and wardrobe. You can mix the oils of these herbs and put them into a diffuser.
Use Cedarwood oil
Cedarwood oil is a popular remedy against moths. Moths stay away from places that have a smell of cedarwood oil. Cedarwood oil is safe to spray on furniture and carpets. Dilute three parts of oil in water. Spray the diluted oil inside cabinets, wardrobe, and on floor and furniture. You can also spray it on carpets, rugs, curtains, and sofas. Make sure you wipe inside cabinets, drawers, sliders, and shelves after spraying the diluted oil.
Use Vinegar
Vinegar is one of the most popular green cleaning solutions. Not only it is antibacterial, but it also has bug repellant properties. To use vinegar as a moth remedy, dilute it with equal parts of water. Spray it under your cupboards, pantry shelves, wardrobe, and places where there is moth infestation.
Spraying diluted vinegar is totally safer for carpets, fabrics, and upholstery. Wipe your cupboards and shelves after few hours of spraying the solution.
Call moth Extermination Service
Moth removal treatment at home isn’t as easy as it sounds. You may have emptied and cleaned your pantry and wardrobe, but moths can keep coming back. If your home suffers from a heavy moth infestation, DIY repellants won’t be effective enough.
When the moth infestation in your house is out of control, you have one last resort. Calling a professional moth extermination service is the only choice you are left with.
If the pest infestation in your house is too much for you to handle, give us a call. We provide the safest, most affordable, and fool-proof moth extermination treatment for your home. We use top-notch cleaners and moth-repellants that are safe to use on all kinds of surfaces. Not only do we eliminate moths from your home but also keep them from coming back.
Types of Moths and Damage they do
Several moth species can infest the home. The species differ in appearance, behavior, and dietary habits. Here are the details of different house infesting moth species.Angoumois Grain Moth
Dietary habit
Angoumois grain moths are the most common type of moths that reside in your kitchen. These moths eat grains like rice, cereal, wheat, corn, and pulses. Their presence can also mean that they were inside the food prior to the packaging. This is why it is necessary to check these food items for moths and insects prior to buying.
Appearance
These moths are usually in yellowish-white or yellowish-brown color. They have a narrow projection extending from the tip of its hind wing. This specie of moth is very small in size as compared to the rest. Their wingspan is only 3/16 inches. Fully grown larvae measure 1/8 inches.
Damage
Grain moths usually eat grains, rice, and cereals. You will find rice and cereals into powdered form as they are broken by moths for eating. Sometimes moths can also leave an awful smell around the food. The smell is strong enough to make other foods in the surrounding pungent as well. You can easily see these moths flying around or inside your kitchen cupboards or shelves.
Indianmeal (Pantry) Moth
Dietary habit
They infest dry pantry items like flour, cereal, rice, grains, dry pet food, seeds, and spices. The larvae feed on these food items in stores, warehouses, and homes.
Appearance
They appear in different colors such as white, grayish-black, and brown with dark spots. They are mostly in white color with brownish heads. The larvae of these moths are so small that they are difficult to see with the naked eye.
Damage
Pantry moths form webs near food sources to protect and feed their cocoons. These webs accumulate fecal pellets, eggshells, food crumbs, and cast skin. Sometimes they also secrete a sticky brown substance around the food they eat. These moths can infest most of the dry pantry items unless you keep them in air-tight jars. Regular vacuuming can help remove pantry moths.
Almond Moth
Dietary habit
Almond moths or tropical warehouse moths usually infest warehouses and stores. But they can also reside in your kitchen or pantry. They infest flour, oats, bran, dry fruits, and other grains. As the name suggests, they are commonly found on nuts. Cracked nuts and ground seeds are more favorable for these moths, as they can’t penetrate shelled nuts.
Like most moths, almond moth only feeds in their larva stage. They may drink water in their adult stage if they get access to it.
Appearance
Most almond moths are light brown in color. Their smaller hind wings are typically gray in color. The wings have short fringes on the edges. The total wingspan ranges between 14 and 22mm. The larvae are mostly grey in color with dark heads.
Damage
Almond moths directly lay eggs on nuts and other food sources. Depending on how sooner you notice their infestation, you can find half-chewed nuts. Placing food-traps or pheromone traps in the pantry or cabinet can reduce the almond moth infestation.
Webbing Clothes Moth
Dietary habit
They infest fabrics such as wool, fur, silk, cotton, nylon, polyester, and even hair. They form webs around the clothes they infest. All the feeding damage is done by larvae moths, as the adult moths do not feed. Female moths can lay between 200 and 300 eggs. Thus, moth larvae can chew an entire piece of your clothing in days.
Appearance
They appear as long and slender moths, unlike other moth species. They have shiny brown wings and reddish-gold hairs on the top of the head.
Damage
Webbing clothes moths are the most dangerous type of moths in your clothes. They have the potential to decimate the entire wardrobe, bedding, and furniture. They prefer to stay in the dark and avoid flying in bright and illuminated spaces. So, they can grow in a pile of dirty clothes or at the back of your wardrobe. To prevent the infestation of webbing moths, it is important to store your clothes in a dry, spacious area.
Armyworms
Dietary habit
They are called ‘armyworms’ as an army of these moths infests growing crops. They commonly infest crops of sugarcane, wheat, tomatoes, rye, and oats. They can infest your homes if you are growing any of these crops. They also infest cabbage, sprouts, corn, cucumber, sweet potatoes, onion, radish, peas, and peppers. They can eat leaves and stems.
If you have a kitchen garden, you must keep a check for moths and other pests. Their diet and life cycle is quite similar to that of gypsy (garden) moths.
Appearance
They are usually in brown color, though newly hatched larvae have a pale green color. Full-grown moths are 1 ½ inch long. As these moths grow older, they develop a brown color. The edges of their wings are blackened and have a thin white stripe down the back.
Damage
The female armyworm moths can lay up to a whopping 2000 eggs. When they lay eggs, they secrete a sticky substance around the eggs for protection.
Gypsy Moth
Dietary habit
Gypsy moth or garden moths reside in gardens, fields, forest trees, and crops. They commonly infest tomato, corns, and apple trees in gardens and fields. They can also consume non-edible plants and crops.
The caterpillars of gypsy moth prefer eating the wood of hardwood trees. Although they can feed on over 300 tree species, they are more commonly found in maple, oak, and apple trees. They are also common in willow, alder, and poplar trees.
The eggs of gypsy moth hatch and larvae feed on trees. They begin feeding at the time trees are growing their new leaves, usually in May. They mostly reside and feed in the treetops. The males are dark brown or black colored while the females are usually white.
Appearance
The male and female moths of this species are very different from each other. The females are larger in size, measuring 2 ½ inches while the males are generally 3/4 inches long. Male gypsy moths have brownish-gray wings and large feathery antennae. Female moths, on the other hand, have nonfeathery antennae with golden hairs on their heads.
Damage
We know that most larvae moths feed at the top of trees. So their infestation goes unnoticed until the degree of defoliation is immense. When the larvae grow into caterpillars, they can completely defoliate the tree by eating all of its leaves.
Treating gypsy moth in your garden can be hard as most moth repellants and killers are toxic for plants and other insects. Using repellants and chemicals can decrease the fertility of the soil in your garden. Calling a moth extermination service is necessary to eliminate moths and keep your garden safe.
Bagworms
Dietary habit
Bagworms or evergreen bagworms mostly infest trees. You can commonly find them on cedar trees. Bagworms cause quick defoliation of shrubs and tree trunks, leading to the death of plants or trees.
Appearance
Bagworm is not a specie, but a family of several moth species with smaller bodies and similar characteristics. Moths from this family are very small, flimsy, and have silky wings. They are off different colors from white to grayish-white and off-white to brownish. They usually have dark spots on their wings.
Interestingly, only male bagworms have wings. Female moths have a worm-like crawling movement. The bag is about one or two inches and increases in size as the larvae grow. The female moths have a bag- like structure on their bodies, which turns into an egg carrying sac. You can see these sacs hanging from a heavily infested tree.
Damage
When they began to feed, the stems or branch tips appear darker, drier, and wilted. The infestation of shrubs and small plants are easily identified than that of trees.
Ways to make your House Moth Proof
Eliminating moths isn’t an easy task. Even if you are successful in removing moths from your home, your job is not done. You have to make sure that moths do not come back to your house, or else the cycle will continue. Getting professional moth services can ensure that you won’t have to face moths ever again. Here are some ways that can help you moth-proof your house.Maintain good hygiene and cleanliness
It’s not true that clean houses don’t suffer from infestation, but maintaining cleanliness can help you a lot. Keeping your house clean can prevent a moth infestation, fungus, and other nasty organisms.
Food and clothing cupboards are likely to suffer from infestation by moths and other pests if they remain dusty and dirty. Hence, you must clean the inside of your shelves, cabinets, and wardrobes at least twice a month.
The cloth infesting moths prefer dark and damp places. Don’t pile or stuff too many clothes in your wardrobe. Try to maximize the space as much as possible so that you can spread your clothes in your wardrobe. Also, don’t leave a pile of dirty clothes too long as moths and larvae can develop in them too.
Vacuum and dust your house regularly. Make sure you don’t leave places under the mats, rugs, and furniture as moths can easily develop there as well.
Keep your kitchen clean and tidy. Make sure to dust and wipe the inside of your cupboards and shelves every two weeks. Regular wiping and cleaning of food storage will keep moths away.
Regular schedule treatments
When the moth infestation gets out of hand, the only option you have is to call a moth extermination service. The treatment doesn’t stop after eliminating the moths from your house. Moth extermination technicians also have to make your house moth-proof.
We offer scheduled treatments to ensure that moths do not bother you again. We devise specific moth removal and moth-proofing methods for each house. Give us a call to schedule moth removal and moth-proofing treatment of your house.
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I would highly recommend Smart Choice. The man who came for service was knowledgeable and proficient. They didn't attempt to oversell superfluous services and most significant of all no more irritations caused by the bugs. Moth extermination went amazingly well.
We had a honey bee issue in the summer of 2019, 5-6 hives around my home and back yard! Smart Choice focused on it to assist us with freeing the honeybees rapidly and securely. Despite the fact that I plan to never have this issue until the end of time, I'll realize who to call for pest and moth extermination done, you should also know! Highly suggested!
The staff for moth removal at Smart Choice is a brilliant exterminator who truly knows his art and carries out the responsibility right the first run through. I enthusiastically suggest them for all kinds of moth extermination. High Five!
I booked an appointment with Smart Choice and what I got was extremely courteous and gracious moth exterminator - he went to my home today and inspected keenly about all the bugs that were rushed into. He got the chance to work immediately and prompted that I consider the outcomes and let him know - if need be, he will return to fix. I highly appreciate his work.