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Moths breed during spring and autumn. And, a small moth issue in your home can quickly escalate into a major infestation. Thousands of homes are infested by moths in Arizona each year and these unwanted visitors can be a nightmare to get rid of.

Moths eat the fibers of your clothes and especially love wools and cashmere. If you discover holes in your clothes, it is very likely that you have a moth infestation. There are many ways to rectify this.

Using Moth Traps 

Moth traps can help determine the degree of your moth problem. The sticky adhesive pads draw male moths with female moth pheromones; the males are lured in and trapped in a sticky type of glue.

Some homeowners turn to old fashioned products like mothballs but these actually contain some very harmful chemicals – plus they smell disgusting.

If your moth trap fills up within the first one to two weeks then you have a moth infestation going on. That said, a thorough wardrobe cleanout is needed.

Otherwise, these pesky moths will keep breeding, much to your dismay. Remember that moths can lay a lot of eggs in a short amount of time.

Using Mothballs

Many people use mothballs to combat their moth infestation. There are two different types of mothballs that are used to try to resolve the problem. Usually, the main ingredients are naphthalene, and in the other it is paradichlorobenzene.

Both these components are poisonous to the larvae and aim to kill them with the fumes. In order for the mothballs to be effective, they will need to be placed in a sealed container so the fumes can build up and kill the moths.

If this process is not followed, or the clothes that were put in a tight container are not washed before wearing the garments — they can be dangerous to humans, especially babies.

One of the good solutions is to open the containers outside. Allow the clothes to hang and air dry before wearing them again.

Mothball fumes are never pleasant and healthy. None of these chemicals is helpful for people to breathe on a regular basis. Make sure that you hang and air dry your clothes to restrict exposure. You may also use natural moth repellent as an alternative.

How To Spot The Signs

If you see holes in your clothes, then this is often the first sign of a moth problem.  Other indicators include:

• Adult moths (often crawling rather than flying)
• Maggot-like larvae similar to the size of a grain of rice
• The silken tubes or cases on your clothes
• Pupae (silk cocoons) in which larvae become moths

Although mothballs are the most common, they are not the safest or the most effective. Moth traps are considered one of the best products on the market as they disrupt the moth’s breeding cycle. If you do this, breeding is discontinued, resulting in little to zero moth infestation.