Do Carpet Moths Eat Clothes

They are attracted to food stains spills and smells so it is crucial for a moth free life keeping all your textiles clean and tidy.

Do carpet moths eat clothes. Webbing clothes moth larvae like to feast on carpet in dark corners behind furniture. This means items made of cashmere and wool cotton and silk. Carpet fibres are the perfect place for clothes moths to lodge their eggs and for larvae to hide household dirt that collects in carpet provides a keratin rich food course for clothes moth larvae carpet behind or beneath furniture can go untouched for months or even years allowing infestations to grow. Both moths will feed upon cotton clothing if it is blended with an animal fiber.

The larvae eat natural fibres like wool fur and silk. Contrary to what most people believe adult moths do not eat or cause any damage to clothing or fabric. Adult moths are no danger to wool cashmere or mohair clothes but the larvae can be detrimental as they feed and cut holes in clothes. Bugs that commonly eat cotton carpet beetles of the family dermestidae are responsible for most damage to cotton or synthetic clothing.

Rather confusingly most of these moth species will sometimes switch from carpets to clothes and chew any natural fabrics like cotton wool and silk. The female moth lays hundreds of soft white eggs that adhere to the fabric and hatch quickly. The casemaking clothes moth will sometimes use cotton fibers to cocoon themselves when nothing else is available. Some will even attack man made fibres.

You should vacuum your carpets on a regular base and wash your items of clothing. Finally moving back to the wardrobe all clothing made of natural fibres are going to attract moths. That is why in the wardrobe you are likely to find moth holes around areas on the clothes that get sweaty under arms are a prime example. Carpet beetles and moths both cause holes in your clothes and especially like to feed on cotton clothing or other fabrics.

This is precisely why clothing moth issues persist through the. It is the clothes moth larvae which are solely responsible for damage to clothing and carpets and which spend their entire time eating and foraging for food.