The problem
Occasionally my dog will alert me (that’s his job) to the fact that we have an unwanted animal under our decks. Unwanted as in skunk, raccoon, opossum, armadillo, snake and a few rabbits. I have all the necessary tools to discourage that! All anyone needs is a watering can, water and moth balls and moth crystals. Moth balls are made from a chemical called naphthalene. The moth crystals have paradichlorobenzene in them which is really more caustic than napthalene. Napthalene is a poison to most insects as well. Collectors kill the insects they catch by shutting them in a jar with a moth ball. The creepy, crawly things under the decks will leave for a time but come back quicker than the animals.
The action
Put the box of moth crystals into the watering can. You can use moth balls but you need to put them into a sack (as a laundry bag) to prevent the balls from clogging the spout of the watering can. The crystals actually work the best since they dissolve into the water quickly and more thoroughly. (Caution) Always use gloves. Moth balls are caustic to the skin. I also wear shoes and clothing to cover my feet and legs since the water will “splatter”.
In the evening just before dark, put the crystals into the can and fill it with water. Systematically pour the moth crystal water over the deck, starting at the house and working outward to the edge of the deck. Our decks are attached to the house, however, this works just as well for free standing structures such as gazebo’s or anywhere there is a crawl-space. Be careful not to pour the crystals out. They can be reused many times, until the odor is almost gone. Repeat this action until the deck is wet and the ground beneath is wet. Then, take moth balls and strew them around the perimeter of the deck having a ball every 6 inches from each other, or less. (This only needs to be done once.) Take this action each evening for 3 of 4 days. The odor will diminish rapidly and only return with rain or wet weather, which is necessary to leach the chemical into the soil.
Other places to use moth balls or crystals
We have three other buildings on the property where I use moth balls. The workshop is surrounded by moth balls at least twice a year. I think this discourages mice and even though we have the buildings sprayed each spring for termites, maybe the balls will add a little extra protection. My potting shed, which has a gravel floor, gets treated inside and outside as well. This certainly cannot do anything but help discourage the mice and the spiders. The “outback” storage building where we keep flammable materials (gasoline, etc.) gets a treatment also. Once we found a snake skin inside that building (we don’t have a clue how he got in) and since we have been treating with moth balls there have been no signs of snakes or mice. I use moth balls as a deterrent in my gardens. I do not grow vegetables, but when our weather is dry the moles love to munch on my hosta bulbs! Oh no…..these are my pride and joy of the gardens. I have a drip system and include the moth crystals in the watering system from time to time. There is NOTHING on the box to indicate this works, however, time does tell all.
As for the original and most common use, I have a cedar lined wardrobe closet in the home that takes care of the clothes moths! If I needed to have protection in the home I would opt to purchase cedar balls instead. They smell much better but do not work as well.
Another word of CAUTION
Moth balls are caustic and poisonous! Since we do not have children around (the balls do look like candy) I do not have to take extra precautions here. I am still very much aware of the dangers and anyone using them MUST BE AWARE OF THE DANGERS. I use the crystals a lot for this reason. My dogs do not seem to take any interest in them, however, if I had puppies (which I have had from time to time) I take extra precautions there. I usually bury the balls in the dirt. Once the dogs get a smell they will leave them alone.
There are a lot of “old wives tales” and most of the time there is something to them. Always check your sources!
