Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-28
SECURITY FROM MOTHS
HABITS OF THE PESTIFERoUS
INSECTS.
Some Fresh and Official Advice From
England on the Treatment Of
Furs and Clothes.
From the London Telegraph.

butterfly, differing mainly In his less gaudy
color as becomes his eventide habits. They
belong both to the order Lepidoptera, or
scale winged insects In the British Islands
we have over 900 species of this order,
not more than seventy being butterflies
the rest all moths. and of these, it is Gu
rious to note. only three are of the de-
strucuve sort that prey on clothes, carpets,
books museum specimens and almost every
other animal and vegetable product. Alas!
like Mercutios wound, these three are
enough. ''Drat the pests" says every lady
at the mere mention of them, and she is but
little solaced to be told that they belong to
the Tineidae, the family of the Tinea, which
includes some of the tiniest of the scale
wings. Recent experience has shown us
that many Of the smallest things can be
great nuisanCes, as, for example, the mi
crobes of plague and fever. some of which
can be accommodated by millions on the
area of postage stamp.
Species Described.
In the Journal of the Board of Agricul
turs for the current quarter the three spe-
cies to which we have referred are de-
scrlbed respectively under English names,
as the casemakug clothes moth, the web
bling clothes moth and the tapestry moth.
Like most other true insects, the moths go
through wOndrOuS transformations. we
have them as eggs, as larvae or caterpL-
lars. as pupae in the cocoon state, and,
finally, as fully developed winged images.
The eggs are microscopic, and are quite
charming things; in shape various, III color
often pretty, and, as they mature. ranslu-
cent, so that the little larvae can be seen
coiled up inside. We may surmise, how
ever, that q lady who has spent hundreds
of guineas on fur Jacket would not feel
disposed to lay out few more guineas on
q microscope to watch the development of
the embryo grub. But let US do justice to
ha hAr at iS 81 Inf q
herself feeds on the sweet liquids drawn
from the hectares of flowers. but her lar
vac, over whom she Will not live to eXer-
else a mothers care. devours wooden goods
carpets. furs, feathers, or II may be the
Innings of chairs and sofas. And thus, with
marvellous instinct, Madame Moth deposits
her eggs in the wardrobe. the boudoir, the
dress or the furniture, where her young
can feed on nutriment of which the moth
herself can have no knowledge whatever.
unless she recOllects on what she fed in her
own pre-cocOOn days But those larvae,
how they feed! The gvubs have nothing to
do but eat, and they do 1t. Beginning at
the root of the fiber, they gradually devour
the pelt, and ruin the whole substance ire
mediably. No need to describe the wreck:
who does not know Of 1t? The naturalist
narrates in his pleasant way that they
make galleries lined with silk on the cloth
or other substance alta The pupa
stage takes place inside the galleries. The
practical and vital question arises: What
can be done to save garments of great
price from these QlSaSlrOuS agents.
Official Advice.
First. let us hear the advice-good as far
as It goes-of the Journal OF the Board of
Agriculture. The official organ remarks:
FREQUENT removal, beating and shaking
Of clothes, etc. will do much to prevent
the harm caused by these three pests Ma
terials which are liable to be attacked
should be put away in boxes and cupboardS
,Nta ~
placed here and there. Exposure to sun
light and plenty Of air in May and June
will do much to prevent clothes from being
spoiled. BenZne has q very decided effect
on these nests, and any valuable materials
might be treated now and then with tbis
substance. In the case of cloth-covered fur
niture. spraying with benZine is the most
successful way of treatment. Large deal
ers IN carpets and furs could keep their
stock free from attack by adopting cold
storage. A temperature of 40 degrees
Fahrenheit Is protective A writer in
Chambers Encyclopaedia counse!s that
CLOTHES should be kept perfectly dry, and
the wardrobe or chest containing them
should have no cracks or crevices~ Pieces
OF camphor, sprinkled pepper and strongly
odOriferOus moth-pCwder Of some sort Will
help TO keep the adult moths away; but
when a host of larvae have possessed the
garment It may be immersed in boiling
water or carbolic acid, or burned, as hope
lessly spoilt." On which It may be observed
that in employing any chemical prOtectives
consideration must be had as to the STAIN
ing or other deleterious effect on the ma
terial; and secondly, that not merely must
the larvae be considered but the eggs also
II they are present they will develop when
the surrounding temperature suits them. 1t
follows, therefore, that the least possible
reliance should be placed camphor and
odoriferOus powders that help TO keep the
adult moths away"
Coal Storage Eficacious.
An expert. representing probably the
largest house In London dealing with furs
was asked a day or two ago What value
do you attach to such-and-such powders?"
and he replied, None whatever" Then
again ladies cannot easily keep their furs
all through the summer In refrigerators
cooled down TO 40 degrees Fahrenheit. In
short, one portion only of the advice ten
Gered IS Of service for the household: Ere
quent removal, beating and shaking" The
International Fur Company (Messrs Jay)
of Regent street indorse this preCept, and
practice the instruction themselves. They
the custOdians of furs for customers
and insure on this property, exclusive of
their own stock in trade, TO the extent Of
100000. Whatever else may be deemed
necessary for the safe preservation of these
furs, beating with canes Is always resorted
to. II IS not enough to make certain that
no actual larvae are present; the minute
eggs must not be there. They must be
shaken or beaten out. Let the ova be pres
benztne will hinder them from Matching
Misplaced confidence in these specific rem
edies has cost many an owner hundreds of
pounds. II the precautiOn of beating and
shaking be necessary In a great store where
lew temperatures can also be secured, still
more Is 1t essential In the domestic ward
robe Mr.. Herbert Spencer has laid 1t down
as general principle that the only safe
guard In any community for public liberties
and rights IS the exercise of eternal vigil
lance. This. 1t would seem, is the one
mopoAtan Tineidae. At present furs are
highly fashionable and high in price. A
saying eXists-inyented, It would seem, by
some chemist who was thinking Of carbon
in It's crystal and in its crude form-tbat
furs. when they are wanted are dia-
monds: when they are not wanted are
charcoal At present they are diamonds,
and much too precious to be the provender
OF moths
Double Wedding Near Laurel.