Aloïce Jilg

Nancy Reading wrote:Samantha mentioned using Diatomacious Earth with wool insulation at Wheaton labs here, which sounds like it should work against the moths. I haven't heard any long term results of it as yet.

After trying the same thing I have to say, the it didn't do the trick, the moths started infesting it straight away even through, over and around the white DE powder. I'm  out of ideas now....

Samantha Lewis wrote:I have about 30 Finn sheep.
I gave all my extra wool to wheaton labs in montana



a good dusting with food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) and stuffed in the walls and ceiling of the red cabin.  

The cabin was fully built, but a bit drafty.  I think they just stuffed it in around the existing insulation and now it is super cozy.

The pump house at wheaton labs has a mycoinsulation roof.  I think the plan with the walls is to stuff burlap sacks with wool and staple them between the studs as the exterior wall boards are going up.


we did not wash any of this wool.  It is a bit dirty with bits of straw.  some is partly felted     dusting it with DE will keep moths and other insects from being a problem

I tried it as you described it and the moths are crawling around, over and through the DE. I already tried 2 kinds of ultrafine Diatomaceous earth and it doesn' seem to keep the moths away :( Back to square one for me...

Very interesting to read about your usage of DE. I'm not yet sure how to apply it so or will stay on and inside the will for hopfully many many years.
Also i found this on the Internet where they say DE had to be applied in two steps.
Has anyone got any idea what is meant by that?

That's the link:
https://greencoast.org/sheeps-wool-insulation/

Samantha Lewis wrote:I have about 30 Finn sheep.



a good dusting with food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) and stuffed in the walls and ceiling of the red cabin.  


we did not wash any of this wool.  It is a bit dirty with bits of straw.  some is partly felted     dusting it with DE will keep moths and other insects from being a problem

Nancy Reading wrote:Samantha mentioned using Diatomacious Earth with wool insulation at Wheaton labs here, which sounds like it should work against the moths. I haven't heard any long term results of it as yet.

Wow, thank you for that information! I read up on the subject and immediately ordered some DE, "Kieselgur" as it is called in German! The immediate results are astounding! Any moth that touches the stuff falls. I find  it interesting how the connection between farmers who use DE against other kinds of small insects in their stables hasn't been made to sheep wool yet. It is easy to use, while applying it with a sort of duster/spray method, protection for eyes, mouth and nose and skin is recommended as inhaling the stuff during the application can cause major organ damage and worse. As soon as it is in place, it immediately sucks any humidity or fat from its surroundings and will therefor not cause harmful particles in the air. So the protection wear is necessary simply while it's being applied.

I'll keep sharing my progress with it!

Hei,
Living in Central europe, I'm trying to find cost-effective and low-technical-manufacturing way to make sheepwool repellent against moths in wall and roof insulation.
So far, all efforts have failed and led to an infestation!

I haven't tried wormwood but I would imagine that effectiveness degradesover the years, as it does with all the other substances.

There are companies whos products work really well but they work highly technically, are copyright protected and can't be done in a DIY manner.

The most important effect that needs to be achieved is the deflection of the moth larva. As soon as they hatch, they will eat and transform, thus the infestation starts.

I'm thankful for any ideas! Best regards!