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General Characteristics:

- Webbing Clothes Moths are small moths whose adults grow to between 1 and 2 cm

- Both adults and larvae prefer low light conditions

- The Webbing Clothing Moth (Tineola bisselliella) is said to be the most common variety

- Have the ability to turn keratin, a protein present in hair and wool, into food

- Prefer dirty fabric and are particularly attracted to carpeting and clothing that contain human sweat or other liquids which have been spilled onto them

Reproduction:

- It prefers moist conditions, although low humidity will merely slow development

- Eggs are tiny, most being under 1 mm long and barely visible

- A female will lay several hundred during her lifetime;

- Egg placement is carefully chosen in locations where they will have the best chance for survival

- The eggs are attached with a glue-like substance and can be quite difficult to remove

- After the egg hatches, the larva will immediately look for food

- Larvae can obtain their required food in less than two months

- Each larva will eventually spin a cocoon in which it will change into an adult

- Larvae stay in these cocoons for between one and two months and then emerge as adults ready to mate and to lay eggs

Signs of Infestation:

- Larva feeds on wool clothing

- Feeding on animal products, amid webbing (as opposed to making a portable case as the case-making clothes moth does)

- Hand made rugs are a favourite because it is easy for them to crawl underneath and do their damage from below.

- They will also crawl under mouldings at the edges of rooms in search of darkened areas which hold good food.

Control Techniques:

- Clothing Moth Traps can help monitor the current infestation and prevent males from mating with females

- There are two types of mothball. Older types are based on naphthalene while more recent ones use paradichlorobenzene. Both decay into a gaseous state. They fall to the lowest point as a gas and need to reach a high concentration to be effective. A safer and more natural alternative to naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene is Camphor.

- Vacuuming is another method since moths like to hide in carpeting and baseboards, this is an important step towards full eradication.

- Insecticides such as dusts, wet table powders, microencapsulated products, or aerosols may be used ACCORDING TO LABEL SPECIFICATIONS AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERAL, PROVINCIAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS

Please click here to contact a Focus Pest Control professional to inquire about further treatments for this pest species.



References:

"Clothing Moth" (On-line), From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Accessed January 13, 2010 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_Moth.

“Species Tineola bisselliella - Webbing Clothes Moth - Hodges#426” (On-line). Iowa State University Entomology. Accessed Jan. 12, 2010 at http://bugguide.net/node/view/258504.

Disclaimer:

The Focus Pest Control ‘Pest Library’ is an educational resource written largely to educate the general public about common pests in Ontario. The Focus ‘Pest Library’ does not include all species in Ontario, nor does it include the most recent scientific data about species we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While Focus Pest Control staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.

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