month infestation outside of home

Hello, My family and I moved into our home last year. We live out in a group of homes that have about 5 acres per home. We noticed at the same time last year we had moths swarming our windows as there is no light around for another 5 acres. At night, every window that let’s out any light is completely swarmed by hundreds of moths. So unless we sit in our house with no lights on, I am pretty sure it is impossible to eliminate the moths light source. We are surrounded by natural plants and oak trees so eliminating plant sources is totally out of the question. I really don’t want to kill them, but every time we open our doors they are swarming in. Going outside has become an ordeal around our house. Also, the moths are only here for a few months, and then when it gets warmer, we attract larger beetles and bigger bugs! I read your awesome moth control article online and was wondering if you had any advice for us? I was thinking about purchasing the ONSLAUGHT because we have such a high volume, but that would mean me spraying our entire house, including windows, with this product. The moths are literally everywhere and live on the ceiling of our patio during the day. The delivery guy the other night said that we had so many moths when he drove up our driveway it looked like it was snowing! Please, any suggestion would be helpful. The ONSLAUGHT seems like what we need from your description, but is it bad for the paint on our house, or should we spray just the windows? Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it. I was just looking for a little relief from this infestation. Sarah

No doubt there are many species of moths that can become a nuisance around the home. The natural progression with this pest is that somewhere close the home there is most likely a plant which is providing food for the young of these moths. The hatching larvae are getting their full from these plants and from there, migrating to other plants and eventually, onto your home. Here they’re seeking a good hiding spot where they’ll pupate.

Now as long as the larvae are allowed to feed on this plant, the chances are high the local population around your home will increase steadily from year to year. And as the pupae hatch into adults, the adults will naturally be drawn to the home due to the “scent” of other moths along with the light radiating from your windows.

So what can be done? Well for starters, you need to get control of the current adult situation. As you seemingly realize, the ONSLAUGHT would be a good option. It lasts long, is odorless, is water based and a little bit goes a long way. You’ll want to spray around windows, the ceilings of any patios, under soffits as well as the homes siding where you see activity. Onslaught will both kill any that are roosting on the treated surfaces as well as repel others seeking harborage and other adults. And it won’t have any impact on paint, plastic, etc. Once mixed, the solution is odorless and can even be used inside the home safely.

Expect to apply 2-3 gallons to the home per application in order to get proper coverage.

Once in place, the Onslaught will help by killing any moths that land on the treated surfaces. And over the weeks following the treatment, you will see a great reduction of the problem. But this alone will not solve the issue.

Ultimately you really need to identify what is “feeding” the moth larvae. Now I have seen a range of moths that can thrive on oaks so start paying some extra attention to these trees during the spring, summer and fall. What you’re looking for is any kind of small caterpillar. Many times these can be quite small but the “clue” you can readily find will be their webbing. This is a fine spider web type silk thread that can be seen in long, single strands. If you notice this on your oaks or some lower growing shrubs or ground cover, you’ll need to do treat these infested plants accordingly.

Now its won’t be practical to treat all the plants on 5 acres. But since these moths are no doubt targeting something, you really just need to figure which ones they want. Basically all you need to do is to try and isolate the main plant or tree being targeted. And once you figure this out, you have two ways to protect it.

The first is to spray. If there are only a few small plants showing activity, the Onslaught could be used effectively.

But if there are a lot of plants to cover, go with BIFEN XTS. It can cover a much larger area with less active needed and is best suited for large, open landscaped areas filled with plants, bushes and trees. It won’t last a long time like Onslaught so you’ll need to use it more frequently. But its extremely effective on plants because it naturally “spreads out” and covers foliage a lot better compared to Onslaught.

Now if it turns out the problem is coming from tall trees, consider treating them with DOMINION 2L. This product would be applied now. Basically it works as a systemic. This means you’ll drench it into the soil and from there, the trees will absorb the treatment through their roots over the winter and spring. As the Dominion works its way into the foliage (which will grow out in the spring and summer), any moth larvae (or any insect for that matter) which tries to feed on the treated plant or tree will die. Ultimately systemics are a great way to treat tall plants. This kind of product is easy to use, lasts a long time and works well for large insect problems. In fact, Dominion is one of the best products one can use to save a tree from certain death when spraying is not a practical treatment.

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