The rug willow

Insects are one of the main enemies of your rug and it is necessary to protect your handwoven rug from them, insects such as termites, willows and cockroaches can cause a lot of damage to the rug. In the meantime, willow corrosion is one of the worst damages faced by rugs. Hand-woven or machine-made rugs should be taken to a rug cleaner before it gets infested by termites.

Depending on the weather conditions, there are various insects in different areas that may damage the rug: termites, crickets, grasshoppers, rug beetles and willows are among these insects, among which willows are the most dangerous. This insect feeds on the protein found in the wool fibers of the handmade rug, and the damage to the rug caused by willow is called willow corrosion. .

What kind of insect is a willow?

Willow is a small yellow insect that lays its eggs between the fibers of rugs or woolen clothes, and the length of this insect is from 9 to 12 mm. A female willow can lay 100 eggs in the fabric of the rug in less than a month, and baby willows cause more damage to the rug than adult willows because they need more protein in the rug fibers for growth and development.

The baby willows lay eggs again before reaching adulthood and this process does not stop. Before this happens, as we said above about hand-woven and machine-made rugs, the rug should be taken to a well-known rug cleaner

How does rug corrosion occur?

Keratin protein, which is the source of willow nutrition, is found only in wool fibers and synthetic fibers such as acrylic or polyester do not have this protein, but some factors such as humidity help to intensify the attack of willow corrosion or the growth of other insects.

The next factor is darkness and lack of light and air. It is suggested that even stored rugs be taken out of the cylinder state and exposed to light and air. Or, if you don’t have free air or light, you can take your rug to the most reliable rug cleaner. If liquid is spilled on the rug, it should be cleaned immediately.

Ways to detect rug stains

Rug willow can be recognized by some signs, among these signs are:

The presence of small insects on the rug that move quickly.

The presence of very fine threads around the rug texture, when the willow eats the rug fibers and weaves it.

The presence of white spots on the rug that get deeper and willow creates corridors to penetrate the fabric of the rug.

The presence of small white larvae.

The presence of small gray particles on the surface of the rug, these particles can be a sign of willow larvae.

Corrosion of the knots behind the rug, the willow begins its penetration from behind the rug and starts eating the knots of the rug.

How to prevent rug corrosion?

Check your rug at regular intervals.

Do not wrap the rug in plastic wrap, use paper or cloth instead.

If you don’t intend to use your rugs and you want to keep them, you must clean the dust first.

To disinfect rugs, you can use naphthalene, which is the best disinfectant. Note that naphthalene is a very toxic substance that should not be exposed to children.

Never place the rug in wet place.

Is it possible to repair the damaged willow?

Both yes and no.

If the willow corrosion has occurred in limited parts of the rug, it can be repaired. But if the damage level of the willow is extensive, although it can be repaired, it is not worth it because the repair costs are high and the handwoven rug must be repaired by experienced rug repairmen.

Note: Do not forget that willows appear suddenly and damage the rug, and you must be careful in maintaining your rugs.