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Getting rid of felt eating insects

  • 1.  Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-21-2013 19:51
    This message has been cross posted to the following Discussions: Pianotech and 301-Atlanta, GA .
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    Is there any way to be 100% sure all the felt eating insects in a piano are gone; iradicated; kaput?

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    Bill Davis, RPT
    2315 Rocky Mountain Rd NE
    Marietta GA 30066-2113
    HP: 770-485-6430
    CP: 770-778-6881
    bill@pianoplace.net
    www.pianoplace.net




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  • 2.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Member
    Posted 04-21-2013 21:51

    What type of insects are you referring to - moths ? Where is the damage ?
      Before treating anything you should try to identify what it is and where the insects are coming from. If you can capture or kill a few and take them to a local pest service you may be able to get some good advice. .  I had a customer who brought a piano here from Florida that had some type of boring beatles in it. They had bored through a number of keysticks just like a forstner drill bit and also tunneled into various parts. I told him the best thing to do was to build a bonfire- advice which a pest service told me was good. Such insects are worse than termites.
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    James Kelly
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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  • 3.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Posted 04-22-2013 00:08
    If you see no moths currently living in the piano, there should be nothing to worry about.  Only moth larvae feed on the felt,  adult moths do not eat they only drink, so if there are no adult moths in the piano, there is probably no larvae around either.

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    Roger Aycock, RPT, TEC
    Marietta, GA
    rogerspiano@bellsouth.net
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  • 4.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Posted 04-22-2013 08:48

    Carpet beetle larvae also devour natural fibres. The majority of infections come from fresh cut flowers as this adult insect lives on the pollen.



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    Dan Silverwood
    www.silverwoodpianos.com
    http://silverwoodpianos.blogspot.com/



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  • 5.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-22-2013 10:43
    I saw no live insects.  I couldn't get a good picture of the pupae casings (?).  These two photos are the easiest to see.  Punchings. Dampers, hammer rest felts, some underfelt in knuckles.



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    Bill Davis, RPT
    2315 Rocky Mountain Rd NE
    Marietta GA 30066-2113
    HP: 770-485-6430
    CP: 770-778-6881
    bill@pianoplace.net
    www.pianoplace.net




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  • 6.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-23-2013 03:07
    George,

    From the look of the damage and empty skins these might be carpet or furniture beetles.  I can positively ID them with skins or remains if you sent them to me, but it might not do much good.

    Vacuuming and general cleaning is almost all you can do.  Any remaining eggs might hatch and mature, but 100% eradication would take a lot of chemicals and might be more painful than it is worth.  Tenting with a gas such as Vikane will kill any felt or wood eating insects but is probably "overkill".  Mothballs or ExHale (liquified mothballs) work, but at the level needed to eradicate all pests it might be objectionable to the customer.

    I would be happy to answer any other questions.

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    Blaine Hebert
    Duarte CA
    626-795-5170
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Posted 05-22-2013 18:42
    All,

    I have done one piano (a Baldwin spinet) many, many years ago by doing a thorough vacuuming and cleaning, and I do mean thorough. I then applied a product called Enoz Six Month moth-proof (spray can).

    I can offer no feedback as to its effectiveness as I have not seen the piano since.

    Keith McGavern, RPT
    Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA
    tune-repair@allegiance.tv
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    Original Message:
    Sent: 04-23-2013 03:06
    From: Blaine Hebert
    ... Vacuuming and general cleaning is almost all you can do.  Any remaining eggs might hatch and mature, but 100% eradication would take a lot of chemicals and might be more painful than it is worth. ... [delete text] ... Mothballs or ExHale (liquified mothballs) work, but at the level needed to eradicate all pests it might be objectionable to the customer. ...



  • 8.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 05-22-2013 18:49
    I've heard, Lavendar pedals sprinkled in keeps bugs out.  Moth balls are an option.  but can you find them anymore?  Stinky!  Cayenne works too. I had ants come knocking knocking at my door...Cayenne, and they knock no more.  Nevermore said the raven.

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    Paul T. Williams RPT
    Piano Technician
    University of Nebraska
    Lincoln, NE 68588-0100
    pwilliams4@unl.edu
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-22-2013 14:43
    Bill

    The best way is to take the piano to an exterminating company that will "tent" the piano is a room at their plant. We have several companies here in Honolulu. The piano moving company I use has a special discount deal with one of those exterminating companies. The piano stays packed up and on a dolly. It is picked up on a Friday, treated over the weekend, and brought back on Monday. Now, obviously, all it does is kill any living organism. It doesn't clean out the remains.
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    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
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  • 10.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-23-2013 03:15
    Wim,

    I have heard of renting a small trailer and towing a piano to an exterminator who seals it up and gasses the piano over the weekend.  Other exterminators will tarp and gas the piano in their warehouse over a weekend.

    There is a product called "RentToKill" that apparently is a giant zip-lock bag that you can gas with CO2, N2 or other gasses, but I have not used one myself.  N2 and CO2 are much safer, but require a week or two to work and there might be drying or soundboard issues in that time.

    Could you give me the name of your exterminator?

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    Blaine Hebert
    Duarte CA
    626-795-5170
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-23-2013 03:50
    Blaine

    The name of the company is Diversified Exterminators. But I live in Hawaii, so they won't be able to help you.

    Termite and but tenting is a multi billion dollar industry here, (read a powerful political lobby), and they have very strict rules and regulations about private people using any kind of 'dangerous" chemicals to eradicate bugs. You can buy over the counter bug sprays and even some termite killer in a can, but it is only used for topical treatment or in small areas. Any kind of "tenting" HAS to be done by professionals.

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    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-23-2013 11:05
    Hi Bill,

    A good cleaning then sprinkle with fine ground cayenne pepper powder onto the felts  works for me on key frame felts and dark areas.   Little cloth bags of the stuff here and there helps too.   Tenting and chemicals will kill but the buggers come back.   I learned about this at a forum in Cuba.  It's a big problem down there.   

    David Stanwood


    Original Message


  • 13.  RE:Getting rid of felt eating insects

    Posted 05-22-2013 15:15
    David, at what interval periods should the bags of cayene pepper be topped up and or replaced?

    Thank you

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    Mark Davis
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    Original Message