Wool under attack!

[oldmill]

I've become a wool convert for cycling clothes, but have noticed some holes lately in my Ibex and WoolyWarm gear. I have no evidence of moths in my house at all (I bought moth traps just in case, and so far none have surfaced). ANyone have any thoughts on what the problem might be? Tnx

[pbbob]

I don't get it either. all my wool stuff has held up real well to all sorts of abuse. I still use some protog wool leggings. some of us here are old enough to know when they first came out. they have very few holes in them.

[M_A_Martin]

Just what sort of holes are they? Little round ones?

I would really do an extensive search for the culprit because it will affect how you deal with them. If its just a laundry issue then is a much simpler problem than bugs.

It isn't the moths themselves that will eat holes in your clothes, its their larva. If you catch moths, its too late for your wool! It doesn't have to be "wool moths" either. Grain moths, dust moths, and silverfish will do a number on wool too. If you see little brown curled "dust bugs" in your storage area, that's your culprit.

If you think you have bugs of any sort, throw all your wool into the freezer for 30 days (check on the web for exact recommendations, spinning and weaving sites are good places to look at) I think there is some detergents you can use to deter them also.

Thing is, they'll eat cotton and plant materials too so all your clothes are up for grabs for their dinner! And, they can lay their eggs in polyester too, so that all needs to be cleaned also.

I don't recommend moth balls, you can't get that smell out once you store clothes in them.

Empty the storage area, vacuum all the little crevices, wash the area, wash and dry everything that was stored in the area. Throw it all in the freezer (right now, outside works if you're in the north). And hope you got all the little beggars. Throw some cedar in with your clothes when you store them back in the area and hope for the best.

I used to raise sheep and still spin and weave wool...if you think you have bugs, take some action because they don't go away if you're just thinking about them!

Good luck
Mary Ann

[oldmill]

They are indeed little round holes. I've had moths before and in those cases saw either the actual adults or evidence of the larvae, but his time there's nothing. I'll try these suggestions though. Thanks much for the insights.