THE INIQUITOUS MOTH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1331, 8 January 1912, Page 9

THE INIQUITOUS MOTH.

Every woman knows that certain small moths "are injurious to clothing, and just now is the time of year when precaution should bo taken for the extermination of the pests. . The commonest kind is that known as the Webbing Clothes Moth, and the variety, which is easily identified by its pale yellowish wings, is the ono to be most dreaded in wardrobes and closets. It produces two broods in the course of the season, and in the caterpillar stage it spins a kind of silken tunnel as it progresses over its food material. These grubs do great mischief in these tunnels, for it is they who find the fabric appetising, not tho moth itself. The activity of clothes moths depends mainly on temperature. The warmth of summer encourages their increase, which at the same time is jnst as active in winter as long as the wardrobes or trunks be stored near to a fireplace. Thus a vigorous cajupaign should be commenced now in every house which is known to be moth-infested. All carpets, cloth-covered furniture, and rugs should l;o thoroughly beaten and aired in the sunlight. An application of kerosene to the crevices in tho wood will kill any eggs that may be incubating, and liberal doses of inseetibane and moth-ball should lie inserted into the stuffing at the back of Ihe chairs and couches. For valuable clothes and furs nothing is better than cold storage, but furniture and carpets cannot be so treated, and for them nothing but strenuous perseverance will eradicate the pest, which comes easily but is dilficult to got rid of.