A woman in Washington, D.C., decided to use nature itself to get rid of her clothes moth problem. She decided to unleash a swarm of 10,000 wasps to eradicate the infestation. And while it initially sounds like a “hydrogen bomb vs. coughing baby” situation, her solution actually made perfect sense.
Julia, also known as julesisthrifty, shared her wasp method on TikTok. She is a vintage fashion enthusiast and thrifter whose content centers on both passions. Although it’s clothes-related, the clip above stood out among her other videos and went viral in less than a day. It garnered 1.8 million views, 139,700 likes, and close to 2,000 comments.
The Washington, D.C., woman straight-up shared her clothes moth eradication strategy: to release 10,000 parasitic wasps into her closet. Admitting the idea sounded “a little scary,” Julia was still “super excited” to release the wasps, whom she called “bad boys.”
“According to the internet, these eggs will hatch slowly, and then the wasps actually lay eggs inside of the moth eggs, and that basically kills off the moth,” she explained.
The parasitic wasps, which were still inside their eggs, were spread out in three little hangers. Julia said that some of the wasps were already hatching, so she placed the hangers strategically: inside her closet and her cotton shirt drawer.
“Allegedly, they are supposed to die off within a couple of weeks once they run out of food, aka the moths that they’re killing,” the Washington, D.C., woman added. She wished them luck, saying, “Good night, wasps.”
Reactions
While parasitic wasps are indeed less flashy and far tinier than other wasps like yellowjackets, the idea of using them to take care of moths might sound like overkill to those unaware of their effectiveness. Most viewers reacted that way. One asked, “Mothballs weren’t an option?” Another one commented, “I don’t see how this is possibly a good idea.”
Other viewers, meanwhile, argued that Julia was doing the right thing. One said, “Yup. My brother had pantry moths. The parasitic wasps are the only way.” Another one wrote, “But like, do they sting you?” to which Julia responded, “Nope! They’re harmless to humans and pets.”
Julia has promised to update her followers on her wasp vs. moth situation. For now, things are definitely happening inside that closet.
