They prefer dark, undisturbed areas such as closets, basements and attics. Similar-looking moths spotted in kitchens and other well-lighted areas are possibly grain moths originating from cereals, dried fruit, nuts, or other stored foods.
Two different types of clothes moths are common in North America — the webbing clothes moth Tineola bisselliella and the casemaking clothes moth Tinea pellionella. Adult webbing clothes moths are a uniform, buff-color, with a small tuft of reddish hairs on top of the head.
Casemaking clothes moths are similar in appearance, but have dark specks on the wings. Clothes moth adults do not feed so they cause no injury to fabrics.
However, the adults lay about pinhead-sized eggs on vulnerable substrates, which in turn, hatch into the fabric-eating larvae.
Development time before transforming into a moth varies greatly from one month to as much as two years , depending on temperature, food availability, and other factors. Webbing clothes moth larvae spin silken tubes or patches of webbing as they move about on the surface of infested materials. They often feed within folds of fabric and other concealed areas. As larvae graze along the surface, threadbare spots occur where fibers are removed at the base.
On animal taxidermy mounts, clumps of hair will often detach from the skin. Also present are tiny fecal pellets. The casemaking clothes moth encloses itself in an open-ended tubular case, which it drags about wherever it goes.
Incorporated into the silken case are fibers from materials the larva have fed on. Unlike the webbing clothes moth, casemaking clothes moths seldom incorporate webbing or cocoons into the materials on which they are feeding. Oftentimes, the larvae crawl off the item to spin their cocoons in crevices of shelving, or along the juncture of walls and ceilings. It is important to recognize that damage attributed to clothes moths may in fact be caused by another group of insects adapted to digesting keratin— carpet beetles.
Carpet beetles are very common in homes and buildings, and feed on most of the same materials as clothes moths. However, these pests are quite different in appearance. For more information on carpet beetles, see University of Kentucky Entomology Entfact As noted earlier, clothes moths feed on such animal-derived materials as wool, fur, silk, feathers and leather. Articles commonly infested include sweaters, scarves, coats, blankets, rugs, down pillows and comforters, upholstery, toys, decorative items, and taxidermy mounts.
The larvae prefer to feed in dark, undisturbed areas such as closets, chests and boxes where woolens and furs are stored for long periods.
Clothing and blankets in regular use are seldom infested, nor are rugs that get a normal amount of traffic, or are routinely vacuumed. Edges and undersides of rugs, or sections beneath furniture are more likely to be attacked. Clothes moths may also be found infesting upholstered furniture both inside and out , and in vents and ducts where the larvae may be feeding on lint, shed pet hair and other bits of debris.
Infestations may also originate from bird nests or animal carcasses present in attics, chimneys or wall cavities. Controlling clothes moths requires a thorough inspection to locate all infested items. The action of the detergent may result in the weak viscose fibres being removed with any stains at that spot. Modern detergents contain cellulase an enzyme that breaks down cellulose - and viscose materials are based on cellulose. If the detergent is removing a stain it may also remove the weakened viscose fibres.
Generally, the earliest enzymes to be added to laundry detergents were proteases," thehousekeepingchannel. Accordingly, the inclusion of multiple enzymes in a detergent allows the product to tackle a much broader profile of soil types.
A week before Easter this year, long after the original question was posed, we started to see the occasional small moth flutter near the TV at night.
My wife then showed me her viscose T-shirt, which featured holes at the front and down one seam also typical of moth damage. My wife has similar style T-shirts but it is her only viscose T-shirt and the only one with damage. I checked a year-old woollen wall hanging - holes and webbing Was it coincidence that the only time I have seen a few moths around and found activity on the wall hanging that there was also holes in clothing?
Most people would not have noticed the occasional moth - that turned out to be many. The 'rubbing' and enzyme action of detergents are plausible explanations for viscose materials but are less likely for cotton garments.
Viscose is based on cellulose with a similar structure to cotton - and, according to web comments, cotton is also regularly affected. The cause of the holes being found consistently in the 'belly-button' region can be argued positively for rubbing, detergent action AND clothes moth - assuming clothes moth damage cellulose as well as keratin.
I believe the common clothes moth is capable of damaging cellulose based cotton and viscose garments and attacks areas of weakness. Any feeding results in the holes becoming more discoverable after washing because the holes are enlarged by the action of washing and they are more likely to be seen while ironing. If you are asked by a customer about holes in T-shirts, ask the customer to take careful note of what they do.
Ask the customer to check for any activity of small moths - even one or two a night could mean the presence of many more. Read your labels, though, as many wools will shrink and felt if agitated at such high temperatures. If you have a non-agitating shelf in your dryer, that would be a good alternative for killing moth larvae on woolen clothing.
Clean your closet. Thoroughly vacuum your closet. Moths and larvae love dark corners and crevices. Remove the vacuum bag and discard it outside immediately, because it will probably be full of eggs and larvae. You may also consider using a dry cleaning service or a carpet steamer to do a deep clean of any rugs made of natural fibers. A combination of sunlight and vigorously brushing the infested items can kill moth eggs and larvae. But this can be dirty work; expect to get grimy and take care not to track eggs or larvae back into your home.
Avoid doing this with any clothes that have beadwork or plastic, which can melt. Traulsen kept his clothing in zipper bags in the freezer at its coldest setting for two weeks after discovering his moth infestation.
I re-inspect everything. Take care to store clothes made of wool, fur, or feathers in tightly sealing plastic storage bins or compression storage bags. Place suits, dresses, or other hanging clothes in garment bags , sealed and without holes tape over any seams or joints. Avoid fabric containers, which moths can eat through.
Keeping your closets open and moving clothing around frequently will help prevent moths from wanting to hang around in your closet, because they hate light and movement.
Sturdy construction and better materials give this versatile bin an edge over the competition. We recommend the Although cedar and other herbal scents can repel moths, Dombroskie expressed uncertainty about their efficacy.
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