Moths such as Clothes Moths or Carpet Moths can severely damage natural fibres (such as wool, silk or cotton) in carpets, clothes, fabrics, fur and even leather items.

Moth caterpillars cause the damage by eating the protein (keratin) found in natural materials.

Moths and larvae likely to be damage to clothes, textiles and fabric that you may have an emotional attachment to – nobody wants to find damage on their carefully stored wedding dress, or holes in a quilted throw handed down from relatives.

The damage these pests can cause to carpets, curtains and upholstery can also become very costly and potentially catastrophic.

Moth control is important and you should not delay if you see the signs.

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

In the UK there are four 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 natural fabrics. Adults lay cream coloured eggs, which hatch into creamy white larvae.
• Case Bearing Clothes Moth larvae create smaller, more regular shaped holes in garments and textiles. The larvae are white with a brown head.
• Brown House Moth larvae tend to prefer animal based materials like feathers and leather. They are the most common type of house moth.
• White Shouldered House Moth larvae scavenge on a wide range of food, so are a little less damaging to textiles, they will make small circular holes in natural fibres. These moths tend to be rarer than other species.
• Larvae can often be seen crawling around, especially on carpets, most active at night.

Contact us today for help with your moth problem.