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Do moth balls dissolve in water?

Updated: 8/11/2023
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13y ago

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Mothballs work as an insecticide by giving off toxic gases that kill moths, moth larvae and moth eggs in woolen fabrics sealed in tight containers with mothballs. The traditional mothballs generally contain naphthalene and/or paradichlorobenzene. From a solid mothball, it sublimates, forming gas. The particles (see Kinetic Particle Theory) in the mothball gas will then diffuse in the cupboard. By diffusing, the whole cupboard will then have the noxious vapours, which interfere with the respiratory system of the moth or pest, killing it. If there is no present moth/pest in the cupboard, then the noxious vapours will prevent them from coming.

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16y ago
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9y ago

Yes, mothballs seem to work on ants. You can place the balls whole or crush them where they migrate to. Another tip is to sprinkle crushed moth balls on the hole where ants are coming from to keep them out.

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13y ago

No. They only kill things with fur, like rodents.

I use them quite effectively. I crush them up, sprinkle it on hole ants seem to be coming from and by next day ants are gone or no longer moving. I'm gonna try them out next weekend on fire ant mounds.

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12y ago

Yes, some animals eat moth balls. Here is a list of animals that will eat moth balls: Snakes Moths Frogs Crows Most birds Here are things that will not eat moth balls: Bunnies Big dogs Some small dogs Toads Insects Humans-but keep away from small children

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12y ago

Moth balls are solid balls of a chemical (1,4-dichlorobenzine) that slowly "sublimates" over time, that is it goes from the solid state directly to a gas without becoming a liquid and without heat. Another example of a sublimating substance is frozen carbon dioxide, or "dry ice".

Anyway, when you want to store clothes for a long time, you throw a few moth balls in with the clothes in a sealed container, filling the space with the vapor coming from the subliming moth balls. The vapor kills moths and mites that nest in fabric and eat it. This is to prevent you pulling your dress or coat out of storage a few years latter and seeing a bunch of holes eaten into the fabric!

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12y ago

It's known as sublimation. The material it is made from, naphthalene, can change from a solid to a gaseous phase. Sublimation differs from evaporation in the sense that evaporation deals with a liquid and usually involves some sort of moisture. Sublimation has no moisture, and thus, will not dampen your clothes within the closet.

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9y ago

Mothballs work by releasing a chemical called Dichlorobenzene into the air. This kills moths and their larvae. The fumes are toxic to the moths and larvae.

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9y ago

No, mothballs do not melt. Mothballs will sublime under heat, which means they turn into a gas from a solid without melting in between.

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14y ago

Moth balls are made out of naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, which are white crystaline compounds. Yes they will dissolve in water

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12y ago

Not scare in a sense. The chemical the moth balls produce repels insects because it irritates the insects. Like when your around onions.

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