We recently rented a home in Ashland, Oregon, and noticed what we thought was deeply worn areas of the wool carpeting (in one bedroom); the same carpet is in 4 of the rooms in the house. After we moved in, we began to see very small moths flying about, especially in the room with the obvious damage. Since we are working with a rental agency, and this is a very old house with many issues that have been pressing, this was not at the top of the list. We have used cedar oil in all the closets and on the wooden walls of the room in question and thought that handled it (this is the first time we have encountered an infestation and had no idea how bad it could get).

Now that the weather is very warm, the larvae have begun to hatch and they are more noticeable flying. We moved the bed and found a lot more damage than what was here when we moved in. Our rental agent company will only work with a chemical pest control company as the “natural” ones they’ve tried “did not work”. We are not willing to have someone spray a toxic chemical, especially in the room where we and our cat sleep!

The local natural pest control people use a clove oil spray, and are wondering if you have experience with this and whether you’ve found it to be truly successful. Any response will be much appreciated! Thanks!