Biting cold is winter's secret weapon against wool-eating moths
With temperatures continuing to plunge across Estonia, locals are using the bitter cold as a time-honored way to air out their woolens, sheepskins and other textiles.
At Võru Museum in Southeastern Estonia, staff have been taking advantage of ideal recent freezing weather to air out the many striped woolen skirts and Seto overdresses and long coats in its folk dress collections.
"Several museums use deep freezing to prevent pests," noted museum researcher Hipp Saar. The museum does have its own deep freezer, but their textiles collection is too large to accommodate it all.
"So we follow our ancestors' wisdom and bring our woolens outside in winter to keep would-be pests at bay," she said.
Kaarel Sammet, a zoologist at the Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMÜ), confirmed the practice works.
"Pests adapted to room temperature usually die in the cold," Sammet explained. At the museum, that can include carpet beetles, auger beetles and various other beetle larvae.
"Many of these can also show up in homes," he added, warning they can damage household textiles.
As snowy and freezing conditions persist, homeowners can try it too.
"People can safely take folk dress, wool blankets, pillows and rugs outside when it's more than 10 or 20 degrees below zero," Saar said.
Temperatures that low, she added, should be especially effective.
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Editor: Johanna Alvin, Aili Vahtla
