Carpet Moths Eat Clothes

Clothes moths don t like light and are so secretive that you ll probably never see them.

Carpet moths eat clothes.

Moths are one of the most common bugs that eat clothes. There are two main types of insect which cause serious damage to textiles in the british isles. The casemaking clothes moth tinea pellionella with brownish wings and lighter colored hairs on its head. Alamy rather confusingly most of these moth species will sometimes switch from carpets to clothes and chew any natural fabrics like cotton wool and silk.

Adult case bearing carpet moth. This creates the perfect storm of clothes moth habitat. Another common clothes moth haven are rolls of leftover carpet or unused rugs in attics or basements. Clothes moths prefer dark places where they won t be disturbed meaning that a regularly used wardrobe is often a last resort rather than a cherished home.

Read on for some top tips to fix carpet moth damage. Clothes moths and carpet beetles. There are many bugs that eat clothing and fabrics in closets dressers cabinets and wardrobes. What s more the adult moths won t do any harm.

The specific name is commonly misspelled biselliella for example by g. Although very different in appearance and habits both are pests which eat animal fibres such as wool carpets and cashmere or mohair clothing. The carpet moth is a common household textile pest. Herrich schäffer when he established tineola.

Identifying clothes carpet moths webbing clothes moth case bearing clothes moth. Undisturbed dark damp and dirty. The most common clothes moths are the webbing clothes moth easily identified with a golden colour and around half an inch in length and the case bearing moth which can be identified about inch long and their forewings are mottled brown with one large and a few. Carpet moth larvae feed predominately on keratin found in natural fibres such as wool and so can live on any carpet with some wool content.

The webbing clothes moth tineola bisselliella is the most commonly found clothes moth. Damage to woolens is actually done by the larvae of two types of insects. As moth infestations aren t usually covered by household insurance having a few tricks up your sleeve to deal with the damage they leave behind is important. You may have stopped moths eating carpet fibres in your home but it s likely they already left some damage behind.

A carpet moth infestation can be a costly problem as it can cause serious and often irreperable damage to carpets rugs and other soft furnishings in the home.