The common clothes moth, Tineola bisselliella, lives in wardrobes, warehouses and museums, where its larvae munch away on keratin proteins in wool, hair and fur. How can this be prevented? Three Californian inventors have a cunning plan (US 2003/19440).
Their tests reveal that male moths release three methyl ester pheromones which attract both males and females from far and wide to a food source. The males also make noises that attract both sexes. In the plan, a few hundred male moths are crushed and their methyl esters extracted with methanol for use as bait in conventional sticky-sided traps. Meanwhile,…
