Hi Kate, ''If we are going to spray, I want it to be effective.''
Unfortunately spraying against clothing moth is in most cases not going to be effective. You want to know where development is taking place (root cause analysis) and want to know structural and hygienic recommendations regarding this development from a PCP - pest control professional. In the US there are senior pest control inspectors around that are capable of doing this. For example, an ACE (associate certified entomologist) or BCE (board certified entomologist) inspector. Has the current pest control organization ever done a Pest Risk Assessment? Did they say what regions of the building are risks? Clothing moths can also develop inside mouse or rat bait stations containing old toxic or non-toxic bait blocks. Or dead rodents that were not removed from a trap in time. With regards Patrick Op maandag 6 oktober 2025 om 20:57:35 UTC+2 schreef Kate Fugett: Hello All, I am considering options to treat clothes moths in a film screening room and hallway and would appreciate your thoughts. A bit of background: We frequently see large numbers (20+) of webbing clothes moths flying in the screening room and hallway, which does not have any accessioned objects, but is adjacent to a gallery with rotating exhibits. The hallway and screening room are carpeted, and the walls have a textile on them. It is unclear what the exact materials are. Though this area is regularly cleaned, hard to reach areas are dusty providing enough to munch on even if the textiles themselves are not food for the moths. The room and hallways are kept dark, perfect for watching a short film and for webbing clothes moth to flutter around as much as they would like. We monitor this area and adjacent exhibit spaces with pheromone traps which have shown we have webbing clothes moths throughout the museum, but not in such high numbers. We are considering a spray since there are no accessioned objects, this area can easily be closed to visitors, and it is such an ideal webbing clothes moth breeding ground. Our pest company has given us two options: - A green option: *EcoVia CA: *Thyme Oil – 0.88%, Rosemary Oil – 0.53%, and Cinnamon Oil – 0.26% - *PTPI: * Pyrethrins - 0.5% and Piperonyl butoxide - 4.0% Both would be administered in an aerosol spray. I am especially curious about the green option but have not had much luck finding anything on the efficacy of these oils on webbing clothes moths. Does anyone have any experience using this combination of oils or any of these oils on webbing clothes moths? If we are going to spray, I want it to be effective. I don't want to simply push these moths into other areas of the museum especially since there are galleries with accessioned objects nearby. Thanks for your help and thoughts! Kate Kate Fugett | Preventive Conservator NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM 200 Liberty Street, 16th Floor | New York, NY 10281 www.911memorial.org | [email protected] O: 212-266-5210 | C: 215-280-2211 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MuseumPests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/5571c5d7-0317-4760-8c74-e1def72aeee0n%40googlegroups.com.
