Page 6 - Mothmageddon

“What’s Eating You 2?” Mothmageddon
Introduction
In the five years since I wrote the first edition of this guide, the moth problem in the UK and Europe has become much, much worse. Clothes, carpets, pianos, food, rugs, curtains, historic tapestries and furnishings are all under threat from this voracious menace.
No wonder then that the media has begun to warn of Mothmageddon! Just recently the news was filled with stories of a horrendous moth infestation in the Palace of Westminster. Some 20,000 moths have already been caught in traps spread throughout the rooms and hallways of the Palace. So while the Brexit negotiations are preoccupying both Houses of Parliament, voracious moths are nibbling away at the priceless furnishings!
English Heritage has also fallen victim to these creatures. It says its conservators have noticed the number of clothes moths caught with traps have doubled in the past five years. Eltham Palace in Greenwich for instance has seen the number of moths triple in just 12 months.1
While scientists argue about what’s causing their alarming spread – warmer Winters, hotter houses – we are more concerned in helping you stop these pesky creatures from devouring your most precious belongings.
It’s why we wrote this guide in the first place. We wanted to raise the alarm that these home invaders were putting your clothes and
1 'Why are so many clothes moths on the rampage (and how do we stop them)?', Shute, Joe, The Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk, April 9, 2017
5