Moths and Worms

In the past couple of weeks my apartment has become infested with moths. When I come home from work 3 or 4 will be flying around the front room, and after I kill them more continue to appear. I think I’ve figured out their source: these strange little worms, about 2 cm long that attached themselves to the walls, particularly where it is dark or damp I believe. That’s my theory because if caterpillars turn into butterflies, then maybe worms transform into moths. And the warm weather must be doing it to them.

Anyone know if I’m correct? I’ve had the same worms in three Taipei apts so you probably know what I’m talking about. I’m on a mission now to seek out and destroy not just the moths but the worms. Any better ideas?

Get a pet gecko. :laughing:

I assume the ones you see attached to the walls are the chysalises. You’d better find out what the little caterpillars are eating and ditch it.

Try buying a de-humidifier.
We have ours running 24/7 all year long!

The have those canisters in all supermarkets, which will release an insecticide in your room when opened. Once every other month, you buy a couple place one in each room, open them and go for a very long walk. Please cover up all food, cutlery and the like, unless you want to go the same way as the moths.

Thanks for the suggestions. Gecko sounds best but I think I’ll go with the dehumidifier. My gf has been lusting after them lately anyway. Poison sounds effective but. . .

I have a dehumidifier running almost all the time, but it doesn’t seem to stop the moths.

Ditto here. Our house is packed with the cutest creatures - roaches, ants, moths etc. Our dehumidifier has not helped a bit.

n yet another attempt by the Tawanese to blame all troubles here on us outsders my wfe nformed me that the news s reportng foregn mosqutoes have nvaded the north ths wnter. Possbly some moths have joned them.

Oh, and n case you’re wonderng why there are no “eyes” n ths post, Eye dropped a beer on my keyboard last nght and t’s a lttle stcky.

[quote=“Mucha (Muzha) Man”]n yet another attempt by the Tawanese to blame all troubles here on us outsders my wfe nformed me that the news s reportng foregn mosqutoes have nvaded the north ths wnter. Possbly some moths have joned them.

Oh, and n case you’re wonderng why there are no “eyes” n ths post, Eye dropped a beer on my keyboard last nght and t’s a lttle stcky.[/quote]

Give me whatever you are having. It must be good :smiling_imp:

hi,

i had those larvae in my place too. you have to look for where the eggs are being hatched (near food). I found them all in a box of chocolates. Really gross. Moth larvae mature in 21 to 70 days, depending on food, temperature, and daylength. Mature larvae usually leave their food supply and wander about looking for a place to pupate.

you don’t have to use a pesticide, and a de-humidifier will only help keep your food from rotting and then becoming more susceptible to infestation. Just get rid of the infested food and keep the rest safely sealed or in the fridge.

Wow- a sense of sympathetic disgust motivated me to post for the first time!

Thanks Jambalaya. I’m honored that my question pulled you out of your cocoon ( :laughing: ), and I’m impressed that someone actually knows what they’re talking about (or at least fakes it well). Must’ve wandered over here from Tealit ( :laughing: ). I’ll search the food areas. I never knew of these moths back home. Do you know if they’re common elsewhere or are they a Taiwan thing?

don’t be too impressed: I cribbed all the specific info from a website…

I think household moths are found pretty much everywhere. There seem to be two basic types: 1. meal and 2. clothes moths. You should check for both, actually, as they look fairly similar. ie check your clothing made of natural fibres – wool, fur etc.

Moth larvae? Let me tell you about moth larvae. You ain’t never SEEN no moth larvae until you’ve picked up a dead rhinosarous beetle and given it pride of place on your knick-knack shelf! Give it a week or two and you’ll have yourself some moth larvae!

Maybe a cat would help? Maybe ImaniOU can tell us.

Still do not know what moths and worms Mother Theresa
mentioned look like??? :unamused: