Signs of a moth infestation

The presence of moths in your home can be frustrating. For some people, with a fear of moths (Mottephobia), it can also be frightening.

Moths can cause damage to clothes and fabric, to which you may have an emotional attachment.

Nobody wants to find damage on their carefully stored wedding dress, or holes in a quilted throw handed down from a beloved grandmother.

The damage these pests can cause to carpets, curtains and upholstery can also become very costly. Prevention can play a key role in protecting your valuable items.

What damage do moths cause?

FACT: Moths don’t actually eat fabric, their main purpose is to reproduce, it’s their larvae that do all the damage.

There are a few species of moth found in homes that can cause problems and these moths have differing preferences for materials, which means their larvae cause slightly different damage to fabrics and materials, for example:

• Common clothes moth larvae cause irregular shaped holes in fabrics

• Case bearing clothes moth larvae create smaller, more regular shaped holes in garments

• Brown house moth larvae tend to prefer animal based materials like feathers and leather

• White shouldered house moth larvae scavenge on a wide range of food, so are a little less damaging to textiles

Common infestation signs

The first thing most people notice is the damage caused to clothes, fabrics or carpets but there are other indicators of a moth infestation:

• Small maggot like larvae (moth caterpillars).

• Silken tubes or cases in which the moth larvae live.

• Pupae (silk cocoons) from which larvae emerge as moths.

• Adult moths often crawling rather than flying.

Another cause of carpet or fur damage can be fur or carpet beetles rather than moths. These textile beetles along with house moths are often referred to as textile pests.

Call Ehrlich free at 800-837-5520 if you are worried about an infestation in your home.