Following two years of testing, International Pheromone Solutions has launched a new product that will help both commercial pest controllers and homeowners to manage moth infestations.

The pre-baited clothes moth board is designed to attract the Common Clothes Moth, Tineola bisselliella, and includes a white pulpboard card printed with a purple grid design that has been pre-treated with a special, three-component pheromone. The purple grid helps when moths need to be counted.

A number of species of moth will attack and damage textiles and animal specimens. But Tineola bisselliella is one of the most aggressive species and can be found across the world. These moths are small, only 5 to 8 mm long and scuttle around - only flying when it’s warm.

They like to hide in dark areas, laying batches of eggs on wool, fur, feathers and skins. The larvae that hatch spin silk webbing into a tunnel across the attacked material. They then begin to eat the fibres in the material causing holes in clothes or patches in carpets.

International Pheromones Solutions Technical Director Dr Sam Jones explains: “It took around two years of development work to get to this stage, so it was a long arduous process to get here. It involved testing a lot of materials, formulants and rearing large numbers of moths for all the trial work.

“Clothes moths were less of a problem when products using natural fibres such as wool were less fashionable. Natural fibres and materials have become more fashionable again and this has contributed to greater numbers appearing in people’s homes.”

The IPS product performed as well as the market leading product during trials and the team is confident that it should be better than many competitor products currently being sold. Future development work will be carried out to further improve performance.

The traps, which are designed to be used in a plastic holder, need changing every six weeks or once they become saturated with insects or covered in dust. Clothes moths are weak fliers so the traps should ideally be positioned on the floor against a wall or skirting board. In cupboards or rooms with clothing, clothes moths will often climb up the garments so traps can be hung from a suitable rail or hook.

The traps should be regularly checked to determine if the pest is present and at least twice a week when used for monitoring.

The new product will be sold through distributors with customer bases both in the UK and the rest of Europe.

Wirral-based International Pheromone Solutions offers a nature-based approach and specialist knowledge for natural and safe solutions to monitor and manage pests in agricultural and domestic environments.

The company’s highly skilled entomologists find solutions from nature itself. Together with universities, scientific partners and growers, the IPS team works to find natural solutions to help reduce pesticide use and support Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in agriculture, horticulture and forestry businesses.

A healthier, safer and more productive environment is achieved by using the natural behaviour of pests and finding the right pheromone combination and trapping solution specific to a particular species.

ENDS
For further information contact Suzi Christie on 07590 591140 or [email protected]