Hello,
I have a Moose mount that these little moths are starting to feed on. I want to kill them all. What is the best way to do this?
Animal mounts such as deer, birds and moose will attract a wide range of pests that target animal hair or skin. Liquid treating the mount is not practical but there are two aerosol products that will provide immediate and long term control of this insect. Without knowing the exact species, it’s hard for me to say what their life cycle/expectancy is in time but most cases will involve a four stage progression. This starts with eggs that will hatch out larvae. These tiny little worms are what do all the damage. They’ll eat animal fur and skin and once they get their fill, they spin a cocoon in which they mature to the moths you’ll find flying around the home. The moths don’t do any damage; they only want to mate and lay eggs on a suitable food source. Though the moose head seems like a logical place on which to lay eggs, no doubt some will be laid elsewhere in the home leading to more of a problem as the infestation spreads. At this point I recommend doing a thorough inspection of the home to make sure they haven’t spread to other animal mounts you might have, furniture, carpeting, etc. Any active sites should be treated and depending on where you find them, the treatment options will vary.
For small areas like the moose head, a combination of PERMETHRIN AEROSOL and GENTROL AEROSOL will work well. The Permethrin will kill active larvae and adults but it only lasts a week or two. Since it can’t kill eggs, treat with the Gentrol which is nothing more than a growth hormone. It can last several months and during this time it will actively prevent larvae from developing properly. This will effectively break the life cycle of the pest. I would recommend treating all animal mounts you have as well to insure they don’t have any activity you’re missing. Spraying these are easy and will only take a couple of seconds to get them covered so there is no need to over do the spraying.
If you find a piece of furniture with activity, this aerosol treating can be used there as well. But if you have several pieces with activity or carpeting that shows signs of insects, consider getting some PERMETHRIN 10 and IGR. Mix these two in a PUMP SPRAYER and use this liquid solution for large areas. It will prove more cost effective to apply and is better suited for big treatments. 1-2 applications of either the aerosol’s or liquids should control the current infestation and after that, treating 1-2 year with just the Gentrol or IGR will prevent future problems.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Permethrin Aerosol: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page768.html
Gentrol Aerosol: http://www.bugspray.com/item/gentrol_aerosol.html
Permethrin 10: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/permethrin.html
IGR: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page773.html
Pump Sprayer: http://www.gotosprayer.com/sprayers/pump-sprayers/one-gallon-eliminator
Guest says
Hello,
I stumbled across your website while doing some searching on clothes moths. I am a taxidermist and am trying to help a customer of mine who has a moth infestation. He has a very extensive collection of animals and unfortunately a problem with clothes moths. I’d like to know what kind of product we could use to treat taxidermy specimens. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Tech Support says
@Tech Support: Go with any of the items mentioned above. I’ve used both the Gentrol and Permethrin effectively on Whitetail mounts without any damage. It only takes a light misting and when done properly, you won’t even know you’ve treated. I would say to use both when treating active problems; use just the Gentrol a few times a year to prevent for maintenance to keep them away for good.
Permethrin: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page768.html
Gentrol: http://www.bugspray.com/item/gentrol_aerosol.html
guest says
Just found moths and something else eating the hair off of our mounts. Please e-mail me back with a solution for this. Thanks
Tech Support says
@guest: If it’s a limited amount of activity, go with the Permethrin and Gentrol. More information is posted above on how to use them but they’ll be fine for the mounts:
http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/aerosol/permethrin-aerosol-6-oz
http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/gentrol-aerosol-16-oz
Chuck says
I read and appreciate the information above. I have a friend with a significant number of mounts, some of them quite large. Therefore, I’m wondering if I need to take them off the wall to treat the back of the mount with the permethrin and Gentrol or if treating the exposed fur will be sufficient.
Also, how effective would fumigation be for controlling cloths moths?
Tech Support says
Chuck,
Let’s answer your first question first. In my experience, the use of a good fumigant will kill all insects and animals present in the fumigant chamber (or house) so I’m sure such an application will kill clothing moths too even if they’re not on the label. This would be costly but effective. But remember, fumigating will not provide residual. The mounts got their problem sometime after the work to mount was complete. Most likely entering the home from outside, they probably flew in and propagated.
Fumigating these pieces might purge the activity but once they get reinstalled, they’ll most likely get re-infested. This tends to happen in structures where activity is established due to marking pheromones. In short, failure to treat them with our listed options will just leave them vulnerable whether you fumigate or not. So the question needs to be asked; why waste all that cost fumigating? If our aerosol and/or liquid treatments will solve the problem and offer long term protection, why would you not choose this option instead of wasting money fumigating?
As for removing mounts to treat; this is generally always best but not always needed. Many mounts I have treated do not mount flush on the wall. If there is even just a 1/4 to 1/2″ gap between the back of the mount and the wall, our aerosol will surely bridge the gap and get the job done with no need to remove the piece.
For the most current info on treating this pest, refer to our page here:
Taxidermy Bugs: http://bugspray.com/taxidermy-bugs.html
Tech Support
U-Spray Bugspray
http://www.bugspray.com
1-800-877-7290
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