Moth Problem!!!!

[JudyJB]

For about the past month, I have been fighting moths. Every night, I have had at least two big moths fluttering around. The irritating thing is that I don't see any moths until I get into bed and about ready to fall asleep. (I keep the small TV in my bedroom on all night, which is probably not helping.)

Anyway, just as I am showered and all cozy in bed, a moth starts fluttering around the ceiling, and I have to get up and sizzle him/her with my electric bug wand. Then I flush the dead moth, and get back in bed. A couple of minutes later, there is another moth! I have been regularly getting two per night.

Except this morning. I found one moth fluttering around about 2 p.m. when I got to my campsite. Chased him down and sizzled and flushed him. Then tonight I have found, sizzled, and flushed 7 (YES, SEVEN FLUTTERING MONSTERS) moths! I am going nuts and feeling like I need to keep checking around for more moths--I really, really hate them. Why can they not stay outside instead of trying to move in??? I have not left any windows or vents open, so the only thing I can think of is that they are coming in around the slides, except I cannot get up and put new rubber strips up there by myself.

So, what to do??? I do know of one spot at the bottom corner of a slide that has a rag stuffed in it, so will check that. I do NOT have my porch light turned on. Should I leave it on or will it make things worse?? It has an amber cover.

Do you think it would help to put out a string of lights around the picnic table here?? (I am in Dead Horse Point SP near Moab, but this has been happening in Idaho and Washington, as well. I was hoping there would be fewer moths in the desert!) I am wondering if they would be attracted to the string of lights and not try to get into my RV.

Any advice????????????

[Cudedog]

Judy:

Check around your kitchen (particularly boxes of cereal) and in your storage areas.

I have twice (over about 30 years) had a moth problem.

In the first instance, moths came inside a currently-dated box of whole grain cereal (probably just their eggs or their larvae - ick) . The only way I finally figured out - for sure - where they were coming from was when I sealed all of my cereal boxes inside clear plastic containers. In a few days the inside of one of them was filled with moths.

The cereal was Whole-Grain Cheerios. I phoned General Mills - at that time, their number was printed on the box - and , er, "expressed my concerns". Before I used the plastic container trick, the moths had infested the entire inside of my large pantry. It was a big mess, with moths everywhere.

General Mills tried to give me a song-and-dance, until I mentioned that the sealed container containing the cereal - and the moths - might make a really interesting video clip for the local nightly news.

General Mills sent me several months worth of coupons for free cereal. I used the coupons, but have never bought Whole Grain Cheerios ever again.

In the second instance, I had put a small baggie of peanuts in my bedroom dresser. Why? I don't remember. Somehow moths (or their eggs or their larvae - ick #2) had contaminated these peanuts (the peanuts had come originally from a bulk bin at the grocery store). There were a lot of moths flying around in my bedroom every night before I figured out where they were coming from.

Also check through any clothing that you have stored, that you haven't used for a while. Moths sometimes can get into these kinds of stored items.

My guess is that the moths aren't coming in from outside, they are already your "guests".

Good luck.

Anne

[JudyJB]

These are not pantry moths. They are the big kind—an inch wide and .7” long.

I have had pantry moths and used the traps. I keep flour and such in plastic bags but I will check food. These moths are the big ones that are attracted to light. Just killed five more. They are really big and flutter around lightbulbs.

I think tomorrow I am going to bring my shirt step ladder in and inspect inside top of slides. Maybe add weather stripping to sides and bottoms of slides inside if I see gaps. I bought it quite a while ago.

[Pooker]

Oh, Judy, yuk. Sorry, but it sure sounds like you have house guests that are nesting somewhere and you have generation after generation breeding - (double yuk). Finding the nests might be a huge undertaking, but probably necessary. In addition to Anne's suggestions, my solution would be a huge undertaking. Empty every inside cabinet, closet, storage space, checking through everything as you go. It'll make a huge mess outside, but what alternative do you have? Then set off a bug bomb with all cabinet, closet doors open. You may have to do this more than once because no matter what the manufacturers say, my experience says the poison does NOT kill all the eggs/larvae. Also, even if you find one source, there may be more, so another bombing might be necessary a few days later, which would give the newer eggs time to hatch. Outside cabinets can be done one storage cabinet at a time, emptying, checking, washing.

Recently, I had a breed of roaches in a kitchen cabinet where 5 or 6 were hovering on one that had a huge sack of eggs(?) on its belly! They were just clinging to the wall of the cabinet. Triple Yuk!!! Made me think of other insects like bees or ants where they create a colony by nurturing one to be queen and all protect the queen! I didn't know roaches did that! I always figured moths and butterflies multiplied one by one with each laying its own eggs, but with so many moths there's got to be a batch of something somewhere.

I realize that this idea is next to impossible living in a motorhome, but my next solution would be to call in a professional exterminator. Afraid you'd still have to empty everything out, tho.

Good luck!

Evie

[BirdbyBird]

I don't have an answer to your moth issue because I never figured out a great response to the ones I had on my way to PNW that one year Mitch and I headed up to the GTG at Seven Feathers. Mitch and I both got infiltrated by a plague of moths one morning before we were able to pull out of a small free city campground somewhere out West. One minute we were fine and the next minute there were moths everywhere. I did suspect that those that made it inside my rig may have come up through the engine area and the vents.....

The first couple of days were miserable because all we did was kill moths everywhere inside. I mean 15 or more at a time. Then slowly the count grew smaller each time. "Only two tonight," we would exclaim. It seemed to take forever but it did end. I don't think any of them made it all the way back to Ohio. But I would find some lone straggler weeks after the debacle. And yes they were large and distinctive. Not to be mistaken as a normal flutter around the campsite sort of moth...... And they were not fun. Try explaining to your dogs why you are swatting around the rig that it has nothing to do with them....

[BarbaraRose]

I have only had an infestation of the small kitchen moths. Can you put a bright light on in the living room area and leave off all other lights and then go after those attracted to the light there? Any moths in your rig will go to that light. As for where they are coming from, just check for openings. I am sure they can squeeze into some pretty small spaces when they want to, to get in. Since they are attracted to light, maybe go out after dark and look for any light showing up around the slides, etc.

[snowball]

I hate flying find the light things!!! I like to read and they like to flutter around me.... I usually end up swatting them with an extra book haven't had any for several days think it's gotten too cold for them... but have never had that many hope you find the source for them
sheila

[JudyJB]

Haven't found the source, but in the other thread in the Morning Coffee area, I described how I used Raid Flying Insect Killer on the inside edges of the slightly opened slides, then closed them and went outside to spray the outside cracks and especially the underneath edges of the slides. Also, for good measure, I sprayed the weep holes in the windows. So far, no moths, where at this time last night I had about 10.

Just did another check with a flashlight and could find no moths. I did notice that some of the foam stuff around a couple of small places in my slides is pulled out, but only time will tell what the real cause is. At least, they are discouraged by all my spraying! Will be going into Moab tomorrow and will pick up some more spray.

And I also HATE their fluttering around my Kindle or cell phone when I try to read in bed. Much worse than flies or even mosquitoes because they are so big and are attracted to light.

[JudyJB]

Update. Have done some more research and discovered what I had or have were miller moths. They lay eggs outside and the caterpillars eat flowers. When they become adults, the tend to migrate in large groups to places where they lay more eggs, but always outside. They are attracted to lights because they use the moon to guide their migration. They hide in cracks in homes and cars, so it was suggested to fill all cracks. Then at night when they see lights, they figure it is time to migrate so they follow the lights.

Last night, the spray worked. I saw no moths before I went to bed, and two about 6 am. None since. Two is a lot better than the 15-20 from the night before.

Suggestions for catching them include hanging a light bulb above a pail of water--not too practical for me. I found a blog with some suggestions from people who had a lot of these moths. Included were using a vacuum cleaner hose to catch them, putting up a bug zapper, and the funniest one--some college students had an old microwave, so they just left the door open, and when several went inside it, they closed the door and cooked them! Except, that smelled too much, so they resorted to swatting!

Anyway, I do have to get someone eventually to reseal my slides, but in the meantime, will use the spray.

[JudyJB]

Only one moth last night and none tonight so far. But, I am really jumpy about moths and keep imagining every shadow is a moth. However, it is nice to not have to deal with them. Could not get to hardware today to get more bug spray, but hope it continues to work for a few days.

[Bethers]

Great news!