Clothes Moths. 



221 



closed cupboard and left in the fumes for some days. It must 

 be remembered that this gas is a deadly poison, as well as the 

 cyanide of potassium used in its manufacture. 



(c) Benzine may also be applied to polished furniture, but is 

 best used mixed with carbolic acid. Furniture so treated has, of 

 course, the polish taken off and will require repolishing. 



(d) Rooms in which the Anobium are present should be fumi- 

 gated every week during July, either with sulphur or hydrocyanic 

 acid gas, and then well washed down with carbolic. Of course, 

 during fumigation all windows should have the crevices, &c, 

 papered up and the doors tightly closed. Hydrocyanic gas 

 must be used with great care and can only be employed in 

 certain cases. It could not be used in high attics, as the windows 

 must be opened from the outside so as to allow the fumes to 

 escape from the room before anyone enters. In the case of 

 attics where windows cannot be opened from the outside sulphur 

 had best be used. 



Clothes Moths.' 



Three species of small moths attack clothes, woollen articles, 

 carpets, &c. These all belong to the group Tineinae and have 

 now become almost cosmopolitan ; in origin they are probably 

 Old World species. 



The three species are the following : — 



(i.) The Case-making Clothes Moth {Tinea pellipnella, L.). 

 (ii.) The Webbing Clothes Moth [Tineola biselliella, Hum.), 

 (iii.) The Tapestry Moth {Tinea tapetzella, L.). 



They are all common and very destructive in this country both 

 in private houses and stores. 



(i.) The Case-making Clothes Moth {Tinea pel lion ella, J^.) is 

 a small moth with a wing expanse of half an inch, the forewings 

 are yellowish grey with three indistinct brownish spots, the hind 

 wings and the wing-fringes grey. The larva feeds on all woollen 

 goods, carpets, furs and feathers. The moth appears in February 

 and there may be successive broods until November. In 

 America there appears to be only one brood in the north the 



