Help! African Mask is alive!

Sambucus_Nigra

gallygirl wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. I really like it so don't want to get rid of it (& I'd be frightened of bad vibes if I did :eek:). I'll go with this one, and hope that does the trick. Any doubt and I will bin it

Be a bit late once they are flying round your house laying eggs.

Primrose

I'd remove it quickly from the house and put it in a sealed plastic bag outside. If you've got an aerosol fly killer, spray it around generously inside the bag and that will hopefully kill them off. You have no means of knowing what insects are causing the problem and it might be a good idea if you contact your local council's Pest control department in case the insects are known to cause damage in this country.

System

actually it might be an idea to put the hand in a bag to see what happens, it's eerie really isn't it.

3v3

gallygirl wrote: »

We brought back a mask from Gambia but I think it's actually from Mali. All well for 4 months but I am now getting small piles of sawdust under it so reckon there is a larvae of some sort in there. Fortunately I can't see or hear anything :eek::rotfl:

Can anyone recommend a treatment? I assume I'd be better with one I can soak the mask in rather than a spray? I can't see any holes (tbh a bit afraid to look too closely in case something is looking back at me )

Contact immigration ... you never know

gallygirl

Ok, so suitably freaked now and mask off the wall. Banged hard on light paper and noticed a little frass (oh, get me with the technical terms ) and.... em..... a little live beetle _pale_. Only about 3mm long, and body lighter colour than the head so think it was (note use of past tense :rotfl: ) a powder post beetle.

They only live 4-10 years so am sure will be fine .

Mask now sealed in bag and will get treatment tomorrow. Will also get ladder out when light & check other wood on wall (only noticed this as it was above a white banister). Will treat them all as well.

Am I the only one itching now :rotfl:.

Thanks for all advice.

cormie

We had something similar a few years back, but instead of wood boring insects from an ornament ours originated from one of those strings layered up with dried chilli peppers that we had hanging in our kitchen.

Over time we noticed 2cm long ugly little grey caterpillars appearing in increasingly alarming numbers walking across the ceilings, that would stick their hind ends up in the air when disturbed-then the moths started to show up, it took a few weeks before we traced the source of the infestation back to the string of chillies when we noticed that some of them were looking rather chewed. :eek:
They were promptly thrown out!