Moths are often regarded as harmless fluttering creatures, flitting around our homes with an air of innocence. Almost everyone has encountered moths in or around their homes, but very few have paid much attention to them. As they are mostly harmless to humans, seem to mind their own business, and do not inflict any wounds, it is easy to simply ignore them. Consequently, they are frequently overlooked and underestimated. However, moths do cause damage in other ways and are considered pests by those familiar with them.
Aside from crowding around lamps and bulbs, here are some annoying ways moths can affect your home.
Damage fabrics
Although moths pose very little risk to humans, one form of damage they can inflict on your household is by damaging your clothing.
Moths and their larvae consume fibres such as silk and cotton, which leads to unsightly, ragged holes in your clothing. The thought of your clothing having holes eaten into is only made worse when you consider that they may have left droppings behind!
Aside from clothing, moths and their larvae can also feed on rugs, carpets, and curtains, wearing holes into more expensive fabrics that can cost you quite a significant sum. As moths tend to be small and eat only tiny amounts of fabric at a time, it can be hard to notice a moth infestation in your home until big, obvious holes start to appear on your precious fabrics.
Contaminate stored foods
Did you know moths are a significant problem in food manufacturing industries, especially dried goods like cereals and grains? Not only do moths eat away at your delicate fabrics, but they also help themselves to stored foods, in turn contaminating your food with their droppings and larvae.
Although naphthalene in mothballs is commonly used to repel insects such as moths and cockroaches, they are poisonous. Storing them next to or near your food items can pose serious health risks. With mothballs out of the question, your foodstuffs become much more vulnerable to moth infestations and the resulting contamination.
Eat your houseplants
As well as butterflies, moths can and will lay eggs on your carefully kept houseplants. Usually laid under leaves, the eggs hatch into larvae that possess a voracious appetite, eating big, ugly holes into the leaves and possibly even killing the plant in serious cases.
With your houseplants becoming a breeding and raising ground for moth larvae, the matured adult moths eventually move on to make the rest of your home their feeding grounds.
Conclusion
Don’t let appearances fool you! Although moths may not have the threatening fangs or stingers that other more dangerous pests may carry, they can cause increasing damage to your home and belongings.
Although a mothball here and there may help, it is not unheard of for moth infestations to persist despite the best do-it-yourself (DIY) efforts to tackle pest problems. As such, many turn to pest control services as an effective last resort to eradicate unwanted insects – after all, it may be better to call the experts instead of DIY-ing your way to a pest-free environment.
One such pest control company that guarantees lasting satisfaction would be PestClinic. With over 30 years of experience in home, commercial, and industrial pest control services, PestClinic is well-versed in eradicating most, if not all, household pests, with nary a situation they have yet been able to handle. With staff specialising in the many treatments needed for a pest-free home, we are sure to satisfy when it comes to eliminating pests from homes and workplaces.
