Freezing Moths?

[Mr. Rover]

I have a rougly 30's Mallory with a few moth bites. I kept it out for a few days and it seemed to develop more. I just popped it straight into my freezer (Baron Kurtz's suit-freezing inspired me). Anybody think this will damage the hat at all?

-Ray

 

[nightandthecity]

the freezer trick works and it shouldn't cause any damage. Remember that the bag should be sealed and as much air expelled as posible before sealing. Also it will have to stay in the freezer for at least two weeks.

If you are still worried about freezing (or freezer space is limited!) you can always seal it in a bag with a load of mothballs instead - leave around two weeks again, and the little blighters should all be dead. Leave the hat to air outside and any chemical odour will soon disperse.

Incidentally, I'm wondering if immersing in naptha, as recommended by several loungers for cleaning, will also kill moth? It's hard to imagine anything surviving such a chemical dunking.

To prevent future moth attacks various non-toxic herbal repellants are available to store with your hats and other clothes. These will keep moths at bay but not kill them.

 

[Tommy Fedora]

Freeze 'em

From my hunting days I recall that 24 hours in a freezer is sufficient to kill any sort of insect.

 

[Joel Tunnah]

According to the University of California, Dept of Agriculture:

Clothes moths can also be controlled by heating the infested object for at least 30 minutes at temperatures over 120¬?F, freezing the object for several days at temperatures below 18¬?F, or fumigating with dry ice.

 

[Mr. Rover]

Hehe Oops. I just stuck the hat onto one of the trays in the freezer. I'll stick it in a bag when I get home!

 

[Zemke Fan]

One week in the freezer should do it...

Very informative site, here:

http://www.pestproducts.com/clothesmoth.htm