Well, fuck...

[luzula]

I just discovered that I have moths (well, moth eggs and moth larvae) on my sock shelf, at 10.30 pm in the evening, and I am leaving tomorrow morning (for the family summer place). Yes, I have lots of woolen socks. Yes, I do like biodiversity, but not among my socks. /o\

And yes, it's a small problem compared to, uh, some others. *crosses fingers for the US*

Comments

[china_shop]

Yes, I do like biodiversity, but not among my socks. /o\

Heh.

Good luck ousting them!

(*crosses fingers likewise*)

[luzula]

Thanks! I shall hope for the ousting of both moths and certain politicians...

I'm old enough that I grew up

[jesse_the_k]

...with "moth balls" -- naphthalene -- which smelled horrible and did limit the household biodiversity.

Are there less poisonous alternatives?

It's not just the summer place if you're going there tonight!

/fingers also crossed, while holding my head in a sack.

Re: I'm old enough that I grew up

[luzula]

I guess I'm not so keen on poison...what I did with my socks was to put them in warm water overnight. But in the shared washroom of the apartment building we have a sort of drying "closet" which I could use to heat up all my woolen sweaters and so on to over 60 degrees Celsius, which apparently kills them.

No, I guess not just the summer place! Hoping for chanterelles and ripe rosehips.

Augh, the suspense must be horrible for you. /o\

[hyarrowen]

Was it Terry Pratchett who said that civilisation is a process of getting as far away from nature as possible?

Damn those moths, anyway. I think cedar blocks are an alternative to lethal chemicals??

[luzula]

Yes, well, maybe I'm a hypocrite to like nature, just not in my closet. But I'm not going to use any poisons, at least...hmm, cedar blocks, I might try it.

What I did with my socks was to put them in warm water overnight. But in the shared washroom of the apartment building we have a sort of drying "closet" which I could use to heat up all my woolen sweaters and so on to over 60 degrees Celsius, which apparently kills them.

[hyarrowen]

The drying closet sounds particularly good - wish I had one. The mystery for me is how do the moths get into clothes cupboards in the first place - and what did they live on before they live on before they could get socks? Surely not sheep?

[luzula]

The answer to the first question is probably through the open window, or in our case through the ventilation system of the building, because we know other people have had moths.

And the answer to the second is that in the wild they live in birds' nests, or other animal nests! They're often full of feathers or fur.

Do you actually use "cupboard" for a place where you put clothes? I thought it was only for where you store food...

[hyarrowen]

Clearly the moths are also trying to get as far away from nature as possible.

As for cupboard, I think I just had a bout of alliteration. Usual term is wardrobe, or in Aus, just "robe". But I have a shoe cupboard, half normal height, which I wouldn't call anything else... English is an illogical language.

[luzula]

Thanks! I probably have weird gaps in my English around everyday stuff like that...I only learned the word "collander" a few years ago.

[seascribble]

*screaming* this is a problem only slightly below the scale of the US election, really, the only thing worse than moths is bedbugs

[saraht]

It's bedbugs - roaches - moths, but it's DANG CLOSE.

Cedar doesn't work. Horrible poisons, applied repeatedly, are your only option.

[luzula]

I would REALLY prefer not to get bedbugs--I remember once I thought I had them (but I didn't) and I could hardly sleep. Moths are a much smaller problem to me, because they don't hurt me and I don't find them disgusting. I would just like them not to eat my socks.

[boxofdelights]

Will they die if you put all the socks in the freezer?

[antisoppist]

I was going to suggest this. I have a spare half a freezer drawer dedicated to jumpers, socks and stashed knitting wool in rotation.

[luzula]

A random website suggests they have to be frozen for 72 hours? I don't have much freezer space...

What I did with my socks was to put them in warm water overnight. But in the shared washroom of the apartment building we have a sort of drying "closet" which I could use to heat up all my woolen sweaters and so on to over 60 degrees Celsius for half an hour, which apparently kills them.

[regshoe]

Oh noooo... I hope you manage to de-moth the socks successfully and without too much trouble!

[luzula]

Well, at least they don't hurt me and I don't find them disgusting or anything...I would just like them not to eat my socks.

I put them in warm water overnight. But in the shared washroom of the apartment building we have a sort of drying "closet" which I could use to heat up all my woolen sweaters and so on to over 60 degrees Celsius for half an hour, which apparently kills them.

[hurry_sundown]

Pray for us, Luz. And if you can't pray for us, then pray for my liver, which is likely to get quite a work out from all the drinking i may need to do.

Also, stupid moths. Go eat something that isn't Luz's woolens.

[luzula]

I don't really know how to pray given I'm not religious, but I'm definitely thinking of you! It's still possible to hope for an outcome that isn't terrible, I guess...but the waiting must be hard to bear.