Sounds interesting - but do they mean the old fashioned, very smelly mothballs? Or the modern version, usually lavender scented? Not sure what the composition of the modern ones is.

It sounds like the old fashioned type. The reader who suggested this was given this tip by an old gardener when she was young.Don't how long the modern types have been around i've never used them personally. hope that helps.

Thanks Lemondrop.

Also if both types of mothballs contain Naphthalene don't suppose it would matter would it ?

No, absolutely not. I have some old fashioned mothballs (used for keeping cats off temporarily) but they're difficult to find these days, so hopefully, the new ones still have napthalene - although there's no guarantee of that, given the EEC rulings on myriads of pesticides which have been withdrawn. I just checked my Zensect moth killer, which is a ball contained in a transparent pouch which must not be removed - its active ingredient is something called transfluthrin, not napthalene.

I've just done a quick bit of research - you'll be hard put to find any napthalene balls any more - the EEC changed the rules for useage in late 2008. Napthalene is dangerous to animals, humans and the environment - in humans it reduces red blood cells and their ability to transport oxygen for a start. Amazon has them listed as napthalene balls rather than mothballs, but all of the suppliers on the web I just checked have none in stock, and haven't had for some time. I suspect they're now unavailable.

Just found this too :
''Other fumigant uses of naphthalene include use in soil as a fumigant pesticide, in attic spaces to repel animals and insects, and in museum storage-drawers and cupboards to protect the contents from attack by insect pests'' But the International agency for research on cancer, class it as a carcinogen, so much care needed. We used to use it for certain experiments in the science lab, but the stock was very very old. it is now no longer available.

And the same chemical was used in "toilet blocks" - you know, those smelly, somewhat crystalline blocks that you'd suspend on the rim of the toilet bowl. I'm told that they used to be found sitting in pub urinals too, but that's just hearsay.

I can quite believe it Beattie!! and yes I remember those white blocks in the loo! Lol

I have a couple of resident toads in my garden, I have issued them with big sticks and given them strict instructions regarding slugs and snails.

Fingers crossed they are up to the job.

Did you realise that Jeyes fluid had to change its ingredients because of EC rules? It smells completely different now, and badgers take no notice of the new stuff. (They didn't like the original Jeyes!)