Not every moth in the house eats fabric. Learn to recognise the small, pale species that do, what their larvae and damage look like and where they tend to hide.
Most moths that flutter round a lampshade are harmless to your clothes. The troublemakers are two small species: the webbing clothes moth and the case-bearing clothes moth. Adults are slim, buff or golden-brown and only around a centimetre long, with narrow, fringed wings. The important point is that adult moths do not feed. It is their larvae that eat your woollens.
The larvae are small, creamy-white caterpillars with a darker head. Webbing clothes moth larvae spin silky tunnels or patches of webbing on the fabric, while case-bearing larvae drag around a little silk case covered in fibres. They prefer natural materials such as wool, cashmere, silk, fur, feathers and felt, and they often start in dark, undisturbed spots.
Clothes moths dislike bright light. You tend to see them running or fluttering weakly along a wall or out of a wardrobe when you open it, rather than flying round a lamp. They are poor fliers and often walk. A moth that heads straight for a light on a summer evening is more likely to be a different, harmless species.
Carpet beetle larvae also eat wool and feathers and leave similar holes, so damage alone is not proof of moths. Carpet beetle larvae are bristly and brown, often called woolly bears, and the adults are small, rounded beetles. Pantry moths in the cupboard are a separate group that feed on dry foods. Correct identification affects how the treatment is done.
Check the back of wardrobes, drawers rarely opened, boxes under beds and the edges of fitted carpet and rugs. Look under heavy furniture and along skirting boards where fluff and hair collect. Items that have been stored unworn for a season are at greater risk. Pull things out into the light and shake them over a clean sheet to see what falls.
Moths found in kitchens are often a different group altogether. Pantry moths, with a copper and grey pattern on the wings, breed in flour, cereals, dried fruit and pet food, not in clothing. If you see moths near the cupboards and webbing in a packet of grain, that is the likely culprit. The treatment is different and starts with throwing away infested food.
Larger, brown moths in the house in summer are generally wanderers drawn in by light. They do not breed in your wardrobe. A useful rule is to look at where the moths are found and what the damage looks like: holes in woollens and clean silk points to clothes moths, whereas tunnelling through packets points to a food pest.
If you have found signs and are unsure what they mean, call 0113 347 0014 or message us on WhatsApp for a free quote.
No. Only a few small species, mainly the webbing and case-bearing clothes moths, have larvae that feed on natural fibres. Larger moths that come to lights in the evening are almost always harmless to clothing. Ask for the plan to be explained before any work starts.
They are small, creamy-white caterpillars with a darker head, often hidden in webbing or a silk case in the fabric. Because they avoid light, you are more likely to notice holes and silky patches than the larvae themselves. Taking a photograph first can save a wasted visit.
Both cause irregular holes in wool and similar fabrics. Moth larvae leave silky webbing or cases, while carpet beetle larvae are bristly and shed hairy skins. Finding the insects or their casts is the reliable way to tell, and a technician can confirm.
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