Moths

If you want to cause total and real shock and terror in the life of a knitter use the word MOTH.  They will become pale, start acting erratically and move with lightening speed to check their stash.

I've found knowing a few things about an insect can be useful.  In the not so distant past I spent hours learning about bed bugs for my job. It was one of the most stressful points in my career, but I learned knowing the bug's or insect's habits and life cycle can go a long way in helping to manage their destruction and them as well.  If a knitter knows a few facts about the moth it is possible to avoid the whole working oneself into a tizzy mode. So here goes.

First not all moths eat fibers. There's a certain species of moths that eat cloth fibers and only that species will cause harm to your stash. BTW should animal fiber be in short supply these moths have been known to also chew on bamboo, hemp and cotton as well. This moth, Tineola bisselliella is often referred to as the common clothes moth, webbing clothes moth, or simply clothing moth. So for starters it is important to know what to look for.  This species is a golden colour like the one pictured below.

Adult - Tineola bisselliella

The common Miller moth or army cutworm, Euxoa auxiliari, shown below should not cause a panic for you because they will not cause problems to fiber.   However, you have other sorts of problems should you see an infestation of Miller moths; like cracks in walls where they are staying to get out of the sun during the day. Or if you are raising crops you might have trouble, but knitters your wool is safe from the Miller moth.

The common Miller moth, Euxoa auxiliari

Although the first evidence of problems for wool will show up in your home looking like the adult photo above, it is the larvae/caterpillar that do the real damage.  Like other pests, if you see one of the golden Tineola bisselliella flying around in your home, feel confident it has probably mated and the eggs are in your wool.

Tineola bisselliella caterpillar

So you're now probably thinking, thanks for the entomological lesson, but I want practical steps about what to do next.  Hold on, there are a few more facts that will help you understand what to do next.  So let's look at them first:

1. Adult females carry eggs from 4-10 days.
2. Females lay between 35-50 eggs at a time generally in wool.
3. It takes the eggs from 5 to 25 days to become a caterpillar depending on temperature.
4. Caterpillars take 10 days to a month to pupate into adult moths.
5. Adult male will die within a week after mating.
6. Adult females will die within a week after laying eggs. 

Therefore, if you see a moth matching the golden colour description, you don't necessarily have to stop everything and check your stash for eggs.  You might have a few days before the eggs move to the caterpillar stage where they become dangerous to wool.   Eggs are white, soft and circular in shape and are under 1 mm long, barely visible.  And what do eggs look like, you may be asking?  Check out this link to see the entire life cycle, including the eggs, here.

Now what to do if you see these moths fluttering around in or near your wool stash.

1. A quick and non-toxic approach is to wash and dry the infected wool and then place it in plastic bags in a freezer at least a week.  Should you live in a cold climate, placing the cleaned wool in a plastic bag in the elements for a week will also do the trick.
2. If you have a very hot climate, place the cleaned wool in a plastic bag in your car or attic for a week.  It too has a way of eliminating the problem.
3. Moth repellents can be used, but read the instructions first.  Be sure it is safe to use on carpets and clothes before spraying on your wool.  (Many prefer to avoid the use of chemicals on their wool so perhaps #1 or #2 are preferable.  We do use our hands to knit.)

Finally, if you are interested in prevention try any or all of these options.  (All of these items have to be regularly replaced as the scent diminishes over time.)

• Shave lavender soap and place it in sachets around your wool.
• Use clove apples, you know like the ones created as a kid.  Take an apple, push whole cloves into it and let it dry.  After it is dry place around the stash.
• Purchase cedar chips or planks and place them as a deterrent.

I also asked my LYS how they managed keeping moths away and was told weekly moving of the wool around helps.  It is that lack of a dark, undisturbed space that general keeps these types of moths from staying long enough to lay the eggs that grow up to munch on wool.  Moving your stash around causes it to be too exposed to light and human traffic.  Additionally, purchases that don't already come moth-proofed, spend time alone in the sun before they join the rest of the inventory.  I know yarn I've ordered directly from eBay spent several days outside before I brought it into the house.  (These are simple things to do to help prevent damage.)

So there you have it, a brief history of the clothe moth and how to deal with it.  But I hope you use the preventative tips so you never have to worry about an infestation.  It is upsetting to think of a precious stash ruined by such a small pest.