moth balls

[laurie]

Does anyone know if it is safe to keep moth balls in a closet if I have chameleons in that bedroom? I keep getting daddy long legs spiders, but an not sure moth balls are safe. Would cedar blocks be better to use?

 

[ChameleonRave]

I was wondering the same thing! Spiders are just horrible this year. I am going to get HedgeBalls for the house, if they are safe.

 

[suzi]

There is an article here about how lizards don't like the smell of moth balls and they are used to keep lizards away... http://pests.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-lizards.htm
So my vote is for cedar good luck

 

[xanthoman]

Mothballs aka (Naphthalene and Paradichlorobenzene) naptha 4 short

you decide;

http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/ptype/mothball/index.html

cedar contains tropolines and other ingredients that also could conceivably be released as an insecticidal gas. if it is released as a gas, then it permeates you, your feeders, your chams. in lower qtys, (like that derived from placing it in a remote location). its not inconceivable that it could get into your feeders, but not be strong enough to kill them, and you would never even know it.

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...aCKLR-&sig=AHIEtbTtMHwnHZK6DycMN9a-GO6Gd4CpSA

same goes for lidane insecticidal shelf paper,
if you can smell it, it is offgassing.

just to be safe, personally i would use fly paper, or contact shelf paper sticky side up, just tack the corners to a throwaway board or piece of cardboard/ drywall or anything. no smell, no gas, no risk, except maybe getting it in your hair. also, ddls like pill bugs, so, you might try sticking a tiny dubia or tiny pill bug to the center of your square, worth a shot, couldnt hurt anything. jmo best wishes, will call one of these days, xantho

edit;
ya know, dont get me wrong , im not trying to cause a panic over cedar shavings,(well maybe), probably lots of members with bags of the stuff hanging in their closet with no noticeable ill effects. all im saying is, if you want to make an informed decision, then its something to consider.

i know how the xanthoman would deal with it;
i would hatch out a chinese ooth and free range it,
as soon as it hatched, i would free range a culture of hydei, via controlled release container,.
in one week close off the release container, in 10 days, there will be no more ffs or ddls, in 3 more weeks most of the mantis will be gone, except for a few prime specimens. the xantho way lol

other option,
there are insect traps that dont even use an insecticide, they just use a fly paper of sorts, inside a hard paper box, with a sq of pheromones or other attractants, in the back.

http://www.xlure-traps.com/products/spider-and-crawling

 

[suzi]

you decide;

http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/ptype/mothball/index.html

cedar contains tropolines and other ingredients that also could conceivably be released as an insecticidal gas. if it is released as a gas, then it permeates you, your feeders, your chams. in lower qtys, (like that derived from placing it in a remote location). its not inconceivable that it could get into your feeders, but not be strong enough to kill them, and you would never even know it.

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...aCKLR-&sig=AHIEtbTtMHwnHZK6DycMN9a-GO6Gd4CpSA

same goes for lidane insecticidal shelf paper

just to be safe, personally i would use fly paper, or contact shelf paper sticky side up, just tack the corners to a throwaway board or piece of cardboard/ drywall or anything jmo best wishes, will call one of these days, xantho

Fly paper is a great idea I know that I avoided using cedar chips for animal bedding because of toxins if ingested and also vapors if not well ventilated. Closet's don't have adequate ventilation, that is definitely something to consider that I wasn't thinking about.

 

[laurie]

you decide;

http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/ptype/mothball/index.html

cedar contains tropolines and other ingredients that also could conceivably be released as an insecticidal gas. if it is released as a gas, then it permeates you, your feeders, your chams. in lower qtys, (like that derived from placing it in a remote location). its not inconceivable that it could get into your feeders, but not be strong enough to kill them, and you would never even know it.

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...aCKLR-&sig=AHIEtbTtMHwnHZK6DycMN9a-GO6Gd4CpSA

same goes for lidane insecticidal shelf paper,
if you can smell it, it is offgassing.

just to be safe, personally i would use fly paper, or contact shelf paper sticky side up, just tack the corners to a throwaway board or piece of cardboard/ drywall or anything. no smell, no gas, no risk, except maybe getting it in your hair. also, ddls like pill bugs, so, you might try sticking a tiny dubia or tiny pill bug to the center of your square, worth a shot, couldnt hurt anything. jmo best wishes, will call one of these days, xantho

edit;
ya know, dont get me wrong , im not trying to cause a panic over cedar shavings,(well maybe), probably lots of members with bags of the stuff hanging in their closet with no noticeable ill effects. all im saying is, if you want to make an informed decision, then its something to consider.

i know how the xanthoman would deal with it;
i would hatch out a chinese ooth and free range it,
as soon as it hatched, i would free range a culture of hydei, via controlled release container,.
in one week close off the release container, in 10 days, there will be no more ffs or ddls, in 3 more weeks most of the mantis will be gone, except for a few prime specimens. the xantho way lol

other option,
there are insect traps that dont even use an insecticide, they just use a fly paper of sorts, inside a hard paper box, with a sq of pheromones or other attractants, in the back.

http://www.xlure-traps.com/products/spider-and-crawling

Thanks John, I bought bunches of the spider traps off the internet, and never a spider in any of them. My feeders are on a different floor so they are not an issue, but if there is any chance it would hurt lenny, no moth balls. i have 8 chinese ooths but they don't seen to be hatching. That is a great idea and I will try it. For now i will get contact paper. You have such great ideas, you need to get here more often.

 

[Carlton]

I've read that you can repel spiders (yes I know daddy longlegs are not spiders) by spraying Pledge furniture polish along cracks in walls, windowsills or other entry points. They apparently have taste sensory cells in their feet and don't like to walk over smelly surfaces. You might try other "herbal" repellents (cinnamon? marigold/Buhach powder? There are others). Didn't know mothballs work on anything other than fabric moths.

 

[gerhartrx]

There are a couple of somewhat natural ways to deter spiders and moths. I used around the house:

powdered laundrey detergent made into liquid and sprayed.

OR

Ivory bar soap ground up and made into liquid and sprayed.

This works well and smells pretty good.

 

[xanthoman]

Thanks John, I bought bunches of the spider traps off the internet, and never a spider in any of them. My feeders are on a different floor so they are not an issue, but if there is any chance it would hurt lenny, no moth balls. i have 8 chinese ooths but they don't seen to be hatching. That is a great idea and I will try it. For now i will get contact paper. You have such great ideas, you need to get here more often.

one thing you might try with your insecticide free insect traps is to briefly place them (maybe even outside) where there is a lot of little insect to get caught in them, or maybe right next to your ff cultures for a while. then return it to your desired location. it may be unfounded, but it just seems logical that any ddls or any other predatory insect/arachnid, would be more likely to enter if there were already a lot of insects in there, especially prey ones, just a thought, worth a try.

about your ooths, are they store bought or what ? i have raised dozens of store bought chinese ooths and i have never had one fail to hatch. if they are viable they will almost certainly hatch . i would keep them all individually in small brown lunch bags at about 75-85* and mist the bag until damp about 1x a day (i would avoid misting oothes directly) and keep out of direct sunlight. they will almost certainly hatch in less than 3 weeks.

if you got them off of the internet, they maybe nonviable or even this years in which case they havent had diapause yet. if they havent hatched in 4 weeks. dont throw them away, try refrigerating them at around 40* for at least several weeks and then try again. worth a shot.