Brought home scrap, and the cloth eating moth

Okay, this is embarrassing to admit. I know, it's a danger with scrapping from the curb: The critters that live in the homes you scrap from can go straight to your home. Well, I brought home the cloth eating moth - yes they really eat any cloth in the home. I would highly recommend that the scrapper knows what the moth, the larvae, the cocoon, and the egg look like, because I did not. The eggs might even be too small to see, I've never seen one, but I think it's a mass of eggs so probably easy to find if you do look. Here is a good idea of thier life cycle:

http://www.catalinarug.com/wp-conten..._Lifecycle.jpg

And here is what the adult looks like in color:

http://vonsomogyi.com.dedi1719.your-...cloth-moth.jpg

Now, luckily, these moths did not get into the house. I store my scrap, temporarily, in the garage before it goes outside to my holding bins (Yep - bad idea - I already know). I remember seeing the larvae on something electronic I was scrapping a while back - I thought I killed them all - and didn't know what they were. Right next to my scrap is a bag of bird food. Okay, never store bird food in Florida - or any state - in your garage. Use the whole bag of bird food, or toss it away. After days of cleaning and vacuuming up moths I found that to be the obvious epicenter. In the bird food was were eggs and larvae developed. The larvae would then crawl directly up the garage wall to my cold weather plant cloths. (We live in an area of Florida that can freeze, so to protect outdoor plants that cannot freeze it's common to have a stash of these around). From the cloths the moths cocooned, and transformed into adulthood. Since discovering this, the bird seed and the plant cloths are obviously gone - bye Felecia! I know there are a million things I could have done differently, such as not temporarily storing scrap inside my garage, and I admit to that, but it was a mistake I made so I stand by it.

Well, it is with this post that I also have to tell you all that my wife is not too happy with my endeavors currently, and I'd have to agree with her. It looks like I have to stop scrapping. I might be able to talk her into letting me collect copper power cords, but we'll see. I for sure do not want to put our house in danger in any way, but I like scrapping. It's free money, tax free money at that, I like the hunt and the trill of the find, but I just cannot live like others in my community do. The positive side to this is I am now an expert on the cloth moth, and getting rid of them, I got to have fun scrapping and learned a great deal about different types of metals!!! I'll still be on the forum, because I am now the guy who would scrap if he could! Can't wait to hear what you all find!

Top 5 Things I Found While Scrapping:
1.) ADT yard sign -- Who throws that out???? LOL, we now "have" ADT services, too - That might be priceless sitting out front.
2.) Beer keg ($40 trade in value at a local liquor store)
3.) An entire curb side of a scrap metal collector's hoard: many nonworking power drills and tools, boxes and boxes of cords and wire, etc
4.) A tankless hotwater system with around 10-12' of #1 copper plumbing
5.) All of my gold from e-waste. I just think that is cool.

PS - I was listening to NPR, they've done lots of stories about how people don't know how to properly recycle. I went collecting on two recycle days - I am not talking about picking through someones recycle bin - I am talking about picking up a bunch of aluminum sliding glass door frames that the person thought was recyclable layin' by the curb, lol. It might be recyclable, but not in the trash pick up truck! You guys might want to check out recycling day. I always found at least 1 big find, usually aluminum, within 200 houses or so, with no scrappers out looking.

I don't know how much you were making a month doing your scrapping but if you can swing the cost of a small storage unit a month, that might be an option. Keep the wife happy by stuff staying out of the house and you still doing what you like. And because you live in FL, you could basically work out of it year round I suspect. Think it over. I wouldn't let the bugs win...

She is not big on that idea either.. and I'd probably just about break even anyhow. It would also require a lot of driving back and forth for me, I do not have a trailer.

It really saddens me and pisses me off also when I hear about a spouse or other family members that won't allow the other to scrap.

I mean no disrespect to people who won't allow it, I just have a hard time understanding.

I just came in from the garage after spending 2 hours breaking down telephones and now my Wife is out there breaking down phones.

If it wasn't for her I would have to cut back on the amount of ewaste I bring home.

She is my partner and knows the value of scrap.

Originally Posted by jimicrk

It really saddens me and pisses me off also when I hear about a spouse or other family members that won't allow the other to scrap.

I mean no disrespect to people who won't allow it, I just have a hard time understanding.

I just came in from the garage after spending 2 hours breaking down telephones and now my Wife is out there breaking down phones.

If it wasn't for her I would have to cut back on the amount of ewaste I bring home.

She is my partner and knows the value of scrap.

My wife likes and appreciate's scrap also.
Some of us are just lucky !

We both appreciate the free cash, I like doing it, neither of us like the idea of our clean house becoming too easily infected with pests - and that is a 'fence' that will just always have two sides to it. I've seen lots of roach egg cases through my scrapping activities, and I always make sure to get rid of those suckers. I just can't run the risk of losing a clean house. Nothing against scrapping as I've said before I thoroughly enjoy it, and I respect everyone's ideals and values, but I personally found how easily your own house can become compromised. I can say with confidence that my house is once again safe from pests. Now, I did learn many lessons from this, and I think if I start up again I can use even more safety precautions. I'll start up again. She's okay with me collecting power cords (I love vacuum and old extension cords!) - she likes and wants me to have fun - we just both want a clean house.

Florida just has too many nasty critters. One nice thing about living in an area that has cold winters, some nasties can't over winter. I suspect Sioux Falls has roaches but I've never actually seen a live wild roach living here in South Dakota. Maybe I've just been lucky...

Lol.. Okay I honestly just watched you movie.. it's close to accurate.. except I am the clawed-back monster, with a vacuum in both hands, sucking up moths and squishing the larvae, and tossing out sheets and checking base boards, under shelves, over shelves, behind containers, in front of containers, the ceiling, the garage door, the indoor-outdoor carpet.. you name it.. my whole garage is up-side-down - BUT I don't care because I am winning this battle baby... Have not seen a moth is two days since I got rid of the bird seed. And, I will not stop until I reach my level of cleanliness.. it's next to Godliness I hear.

How much does it suck to be my trash guy? LOL.. I mean I feel bad for them already (as is with what I see every week sitting out at the curb), but darn Felecia.. to open my trash can lid safely you'll need to hold your breath and close your eyes!!

Well .... I am suiting up to go out collecting tomorrow at 4:00am EST. I already saw a huge "E" pile (eviction pile) near my place - booyyyaooowww! Free Pickings!! This time, I'll dissect my collections 110% outside of my garage, underneath an umbrella, in the 108+ degree heat index, sweating my you know what off, losing water weight like I like it, and trying to drinking water to counter balance the difference.. I promise not to drink rum... at least not until after I am done....

HEY!!!!!! Anyone interested in the Spanish treasure fleets of the 1400's through 1700's??? Lots of gold I tell you, litterally laying covered in sand off of the coast just south of Cape Canaveral. Literally, like finding the right needle in a pile of needles. It's mostly well documented wreckage, just some of them are unfound yet .. in waters of the state likely leased to private recovery corporations... but you split the finds pretty evenly with the State, the owners of the dig site, and yourself. I've got maps. I'm nuts I guess, but I read a LOT and I know this gold, well honestly it is mostly silver, is out there for the finding. The Spanish transported nearly 80/20 silver to gold ratio in the 15, 16, and 1700's to fund its empire. The Spanish mostly transported silver as a means to satisfy their massive continual international debts - they just assumed the silver would keep flowing in from the "New World". It didn't take long for the British, and the Dutch jump on this and become new world economic powers, too. Anyone got a magnetometer??? I'd come up with a boat.. payments in sea Salt of course... just like it used to be millions of years ago .... "Are you worth your salt" = Are you worth your pay? You see, pay used to be in increments of sea salt - the single most valuable preservative on the planet at that time (since refrigeration did not exist). Pure salt was a really expensive spice, and was mainly used to preserve meats. Are you worth your salt? I hope so... Spanish cannons vs Brittish cannons can be told with a simple swipe of a magnetometer... Okay.. just wishful thinking.. Good night all!!!


BTW - Netflix is far, far down right now... basically on sale because the company is not going out of business - trust me - buy low, sell high.. jump now or forever hold your peacesssssss!!

So why are the cannons between the two countries different that can be seen on a magnetometer??

So check it out!! Okay, I know I have been quiet.. I'm back at work now so time is scarce.. but at any rate listen to this good news!! I do not have clothes moths! I have meal moths!!! That's why they infested the bird seed in my garage! WOW I am so glad to know our clothes, and anything that is fabric in our house, is safe!!! (But having meal moths does suck, too) Believe it or not, I am still vacuuming up these moths to this day.. we had a hatch event this past Monday, and a mini one on Thursday. It's pretty easy to figure out when a hatch takes place. My garage is now ultra clean, and ridiculously organized, and I go out there multiple times a day/evening/night "hunting" with a vacuum. Overall, their numbers are declining fast, which I am very happy about. Their food source is, and has been, gone for some time now. The hatches we are seeing now are the ones who ate the bird seed a while back and used the energy to lay eggs (I think and seriously hope). They can stay in the larval stage for months. Well, all moths suck, but you just don't know how neurotic I've been. I watch TV with a flashlight in case I see one in the house, I also use it to do periodic scans of the room and surrounding rooms. It's terrible, just sad. But I am winning this battle - know that!!!! The battle is not over yet, and I suspect it will continue, I just hope to you know who it ends, and soon.

I still scrap, but I am a cords only guy (see above if you don't get why). I have a good size pile of cords, about a 55 gallon can full, just waiting for me on the OUTSIDE of my house. I no longer put anything of scrap, that touched scrap, or that was next to scrap, in my garage. This morning I picked up a nice #1 copper plumbing set up from a shower.

FYI - everyone should know that clothes moths are 1/4" long, no longer, and there are two types of them. Meal moths are 1/2" long and a different color. Body shape and style is very similar between the two. Larval stages are also very similar. See here for more information:
Clothes Moths Management Guidelines--UC IPM

All the Best,
FLScrapperGuy

Yea, Spanish used I think copper to make cannons.. I'd have to look it up.. I know one country, I want to say Spanish, used a metal to make cannons that was more expensive and it's non-magnetic. If you find an iron cannon, it's most likely English, Dutch, French - it all depends on the time period.

I had my post with sentences and such, but for some reason it keeps putting it in a string/block of words. Tried to edit and it stays the same. sorry about the crowds of words above.

Originally Posted by FLScrapperGuy1

Yea, Spanish used I think copper to make cannons.. I'd have to look it up.. I know one country, I want to say Spanish, used a metal to make cannons that was more expensive and it's non-magnetic. If you find an iron cannon, it's most likely English, Dutch, French - it all depends on the time period.

I believe they were made from bronze, rather than copper.

The first day one is a guest, the second a burden, and the third a pest.

Jean de la Bruyere

Cannons on seagoing ships were most often made of bronze. Copper itself is too soft and sea water and the ocean air are very corrosive. (Think rusty iron cannon blowing up in your face.) Being at sea for years at a time their cannons needed a long shelf life.