Bugs! Everywhere! If you have
lots of fleece hanging around, eventually the moths will find it... and then
invade. I found moth casings in Martin's closet, upstairs where I do not have
any fleece. Others have found the evidence in their favorite wool sweaters and
suits. How did they get there, and where do they come from? I don't have a
clue! But if there is fleece, they will come.
Last issue, we
discussed preventatives for moths. Remember: Clean, Bright, Air.
Store clean fleeces in a bright area and with air movement. If you don't
have an area like that, periodically, pull out the fleece, check for bugs, and
leave in the light. So now, you start working with that favorite fleece that
you have been saving, and you either see a flitter of white out of the corner
of your eye, or you discover that your fleece dissolves in your hand. If you
look closely, there may be tiny tunnels through the fiber, and grit falling
out. I rarely see moths, but often see the little white casings (pupa stage),
about ¼ inch. If they are flat, the critter is gone. If they are round, you can
squeeze the critter inside. It sounds "gross," but after your
favorite fleece is ruined, it's not so bad! If the casings are empty, there are
probably eggs still in the fleece.
So, what do you
do? I always heard freezing works well. Leave the fleece outside in the cold,
or throw it in the freezer. But... as reported by Susie Smithers in Wooly notes
(reprinted from ORVLA Topline), "A controlled experiment was completed by
Judith Mackenzie. Judith had access to chemists and entomologists as part of
her research on textiles for the Canadian government. She had commented that
the temperature needed (-30 degrees Celsius or -40 degrees Fahrenheit) is
beyond the scope of home freezers. 'Freezing in a home freezer will kill the
larvae -(but) the eggs are the problem. Freezing increases the percentage of
eggs that will hatch.
If freezing
doesn't work, then let’s use heat. Bringing the fiber to a boiling and simmer.
This will kill all stages. Boiling isn't the best for the fiber, but it is a
way to save it. Another heat method is to take the fleece, put it in a black
sealed bag, and let the sun bake it. Once again, the fleece needs to be heated
up in order to kill the bugs and eggs.
A chemical
method is No Pest Strips. These are found in hardware stores and home centers.
If these are added to a sealed bag for 10-14 days, they will kill all stages.
For those of us that have moths, you will often find a pot boiling away on our
wood stoves, full of yarn or fleece. We are also making an effort to go through
the fleeces, and get them clean, then storing them with the no pest strips.
Having moths invade is a disaster, but it also makes you take care of your
fiber and products. So think about your fleece, and as stated in the last
newsletter, USE IT OR LOSE IT!
