The Common Clothes Moth

Clothes moth Pest Control in Taunton, Somerset and Devon. Our clothes moth control call out service offers professional, discreet solutions to solve your moth problem quickly, effectively and at a very competitive price. Call us now for a no obligation quote or if you would like to know more about Clothes moths and other textile pests and what we do read on.

Biology

All moths follow the complete metamorphosis life cycle going through Egg-Larvae-Pupa-Adult stages. The eggs are very hard to see having been laid by the mated female deep within the material. Once laid the egg hatching time is very dependent on temperature but during the summer it will typically take between 4-10 days.

Having hatched they are now in the larval stage, this is when they cause damage feeding on the keratin within the carpet or material. The small maggots are approx 1mm long and grow through a series of moulting stages during which they normally camouflage themselves beneath mats of webbing which they produce. As mentioned Wool, fur and feathers consist primarily of keratin which is a very indigestible protein. But these insects have adapted to be able to feed on this diet.

Keratin on its own does not provide a sufficient diet for the normal development of these insects. It lacks certain vitamins. So you will often find them feeding on areas which have small traces of sweat urine of food on them. When full grown they can be up to 12mm long, this can take anything from 35 days to 2 and a half years. When ready the larvae will spin a small silk case around themselves in which they will undergo their biggest change into adult moths. As adults they do not feed just look for a mate and so start the process all over again.

Signs of Clothes Moth Infestation

Webbing on the Material / Carpet
Patches of carpet being eaten from beneath
Frass, this is a mixture or chewed up material, webbing and droppings
Cast pupal skins
Adult moths crawling on the carpet

Treatment & Control

There is no doubt the biggest enemy of the clothes moth is the vacuum cleaner and whilst DIY products can sometimes control smaller moth infestations, a professional moth control service will be required for larger or ongoing infestations.

At Guardian Pest Control we have a range of powerful insecticides and various methods to deal with clothes moths to provide you the reassurance that the problem has been fully dealt with. For futher advice or treatment options feel free to give us a call.

We use only the latest tried, tested and approved pesticides.

The Safety of our Commercial customers and their environment are our number one priority.

We will explain fully any treatment we have carried out and any precautions you need to take, if you require more than one treatment you will be given a 24 hour telephone number, if in any way you are concerned you can call us. We are with you every step of the way.