The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-13
THE CLOTHES MOTH

Washington, D. C., At this season of the year the. tiny, yelloWish motn which is seen occasionally Hitting about the lamp at night is an 1ndica- ton to the housekeeper that clothes moths are beginning their work or destruction. Tn other words, egg lay ing by these little moths is now under way, and within month in, the lati- tude of the District of Columbia, later northward and earlier southward. the eating of woo1ens and furs by the tiny |caterpillars coming from these eggs may be anticipated.
 The moths which are thus attract ed to the lamps at night or fly away from garments or portieres when these are handled do not themselves eat anything and could not eat iffthey wanted to, as they have no biting or chewing mouth parts. The destruc- tion, as every houseKeeper knows, IS occasioned entirely by the tiny larva< working underneath scanty webs or in little cases made from particles of the garments on which they feed webbed together by whitish silk. The com- mon clothes moth of this country is the webbing species, kneWn as the webbing or southern clothes moth, and it's presence on garments can De dectected by this smoky or whitish web which is in evidence even before the garments have been much eaten. If from these indications the larvae I are discovered in time, the larvae and webs can be easily removed by stiff
 brushing of the garments.
 1 The protection of woolens, furs and feathers and like materials from the
 attacks of the larvae of these moths | is secured only by constant vigilance
 and careful inspection and treatment. As early as possible in the spring,
 all woolens, furs, etc, the use or which can be dispensed with, should l be put away in safe storage for the
 summer. Before being. packed away
 such, articles should be thoroughly
 brushed and beaten and, if possible. exposed to the strong sunlight for sev-
 eral hours out of doors The brush l ing is very important in order to re-
 move the eggs or young larvae which may have escaped notice. Articles so cleaned and stunned should then be put away in moth-proof containers.
 Materials which can not be thus put away should be given the same thor
 ough cleaning and reinspected during l the. summer, preferably every two
 weeks. In no case should such exam
 nations be at intervals of greater
 than three weeks of a month. i Woolen clothing and furs, etc., may
 be packed away safely for the sum- mer by enclosing them in several
 wrappings of paper or in well-made
 bags of cotton or linen cloth or in paper sacks which can be tied or otherwise securely fastened, to pre-
 vent ingress of the moths. In these
 packages can be placed such repel-
 Tents as tobacco dust, camphor, naph-
 thalene cones or balls, and cedar chips, .etc. The odors of these sub
 stances are disagreeable to the parent
 moths and act as a repellent, but they
 will not kill eggs or larvae which may
 be enclosed in the packages. Hence
 the necessity of the thoroughgoing
 and airing prior to packing away. The
 same precautions are needed with ce-
 dar chests and wardrobes.
 The best means of protection from
 clothes moths and a method now
 available in all larger towns, are the
 refrigerating rooms provided for that l purpose in practically all storage i warehouses, and the adoption of this
 method of protection for all valuable | garments or furs during the hot
 months is strongly recommended.
 l Articles in daily or weekly use, and ! apartment frequently aired and swept
 or used as living rooms, are not apt 1 to be seriously attacked. There is a l risk that under these conditions at l tached carpets may be eaten around 1 the border where the insects are not 1 so much disturbed by walking and sweeping, and particular attention should. be given to the border areas. ka0sA00A 0u1s are much less ant ito be