Insect-proofing agents

Clothes-moth [13,175,269,270] larvae attack wool with a mixture of enzymes that catalyze the reduction of cystine residue disulfide cross-links and the hydrolysis of peptide bonds. Wool is usually moth-proofed by treatment with insecticides that are absorbed like dyes and show similar fastness. The wool textile industry applies insect-resistant agents mainly to carpet wools, which account for about 85% of the treated wool. Insect-resistant agents are of two classes those which have been developed specifically for use on wool, and those which consist of agricultural insecticides that have been specially formulated for use with wool. The former group is usually polychlorinated aromatic compounds, and the latter group is based on synthetic pyrethroid insecticides. 

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