that have a unique ability to convert keratin, a protein available in wool,

fur,horns and many other natural materials, in food.

Clothes Moths possess a special enzyme that

works on the digestive tract of the moth. even if

natural hairs and fibres from fabric, clothes and carpets  are preferred

Moths have been found to eat almost anything!

The list includes, but is not limited to snakeskin,

beef, almost any type of food, dairy products,

finger nail clippings, human hair, animal hair,

  wool, cotton, silk, furniture, insulation,

rugs - both natural and synthetic, leather, cork

and beeswax. They seem to be able to eat anything

but this does not mean that they are capable of living and

thriving on these types of diets. It is evident that some of the above

‘foods’ are better adapted and some are not. However, the moth will take

advantage of what is available; a variety of food

not necessary, just a good supply of something that

it has its necessary nutrients.

Also, clothes moths have been shown

to prefer fabric that is dirty or stained. They are

particularly attracted to rugs or clothing

that has human sweat, urine, milk, coffee, sauce or

other liquids that have been spilled on them. Looks like

they are drawn to these areas,  but because the spill contains

moisture - a vital necessity for most insects.

Since the larva of the moth does not drink water, their food must

contain moisture from which your requirements can be drawn.

   Clothes moths develop like any other insect.

The eggs hatch larvae that feed. Once they get their ration

pupate where they undergo metamorphosis to emerge

as the adult. Adults don't eat; adult males seek

females and adult females look for a place to lay their eggs.

Once their work is done they die. Contrary to what most

people believe, adult clothes moths do not eat or cause

any damage to clothing or fabric. It is the larva that

you are solely responsible for this; larva passes its entirety

time to eat and in search of food. If they find enough

close to where they hatch, they will not waste their time

eating and therefore spend very little foraging time. If the conditions are

not providing enough food, larvae become very

mobile and will travel long distances in order

to get proper nutrition.

 Both adults and larvae prefer low light conditions.

Most moths are attracted to light, but clothes moths seem

to like dim for dark areas well-lit rooms spread out. Yes

larvae are in a well-lit room, they will

try relocating under furniture or carpet edges. From

handmade rugs are a favorite food for clothing

moths, it's easy for them to crawl underneath. They too will crawl

under low moldings on the edges of the rooms looking darkened

areas that have dust and particle build-up.

Clothes moths can easily be mistaken for pantry

moths. They are similar in size, can and do infest

Side by side and they are able to eat similar food and found

throughout the world and there is no structure is forgotten.

 Churches, houses, carpet shops, warehouses, museums, and almost

any building that has the necessary material in which the larva of

these moths feed. They are also very much the rise of the UK.

Although they prefer humid conditions, it is

important to understand low humidity merely retards

its development. Lack of moisture is more

likely to keep them eating and in their cocoons longer.

It will not eradicate infestations. Adult females

they don't like to fly; males will happily fly searching for

the females. These are small moths; adults grow between

1/4 and 1/2 inches. Their eggs are tiny and barely visible.

The females will lay several hundred during their life and egg-laying

areas will be chosen carefully in places where the larvae

have the best chance for survival. They prefer loose

uneven strands of fiber and when spread, the eggs are

attached with a glue-like material which is almost

impossible to remove with an ordinary vacuum cleaner or

cleaning. This is an issue that must be addressed

when discussed and will be discussed later in the

Article. Unlike most insects, the eggs hatch

when they are ready, regardless of the weather. They do not have to

spend the winter in the 'egg' state. Inside will  hatch at any time of the

year. The is no appropriate time for treating suspected infestations.

Once the egg is hatched, the larva will start to feed .

They are hardly larger than the egg and

even though they have no eyes, larvae will easily find

food. If egg-laying was good, larva need not

travel far to find a meal. If no food is present,

that crawl in search of food. The larval

stage appears to be critical to understanding its

development and control measures. Larva become moths

in less than two months, but if conditions are not favourable,  

the larva has been found to stay in this stage for more than two years.

 In addition to doing a lot of damage during this time span, larva

mislead inspection into believing that the infestation

has been removed as there are no adults to see. Although the larva

create a case where they live spinning a cord around the areas where

they are most active.

They usually use this area as a 'silk pod'

sleep and stay protected but venture outside

of it, as needed to find food.  If a silk pod is found in clothes

or furniture is a sure sign of clothes moths.

Whether it takes two months or two years, larvae

eventually, weave a cocoon into which it will change into

Adults. They will stay in this cocoon for 1-2 months and

then emerge as adults ready to mate and lay eggs. The

the average time it takes for a local infestation to go from

egg to egg is only about a year; development speed

will depend entirely on food supply, humidity and

temperatures.

The first tool that will be useful for any level

of infestation is to install some pheromone clothes moth traps

These are pheromone-based traps that use female

sex pheromones to attract males. The attractant is a lot

stronger than natural pheromones they emit.

Emerging males will not be able to resist the 'smell'.

 They land, get stuck, and are now unable to impregnate

 females. The traps last approximately 3 months and although it will not

kill the larva, they will reduce the adult male population dramatically.

Similarly, more treatments will be needed. be sure that

locate them recessed, near rugs or furniture

and any other room where you have activity. Try

inspect them at least once a week.

  Once traps are in place, spray or liquid

treatments should be done.

In order to prepare these applications, it is best to do

some house cleaning. This will involve different things for

different areas. First of all, where you find activity around  clothes

or other stored product moths

will have to use a good vacuum cleaner. You can even

to dry-clean certain clean items. This process is

help remove moisture levels. Go through

each piece paying special attention  to natural fabrics,

They can harbor infestations at different levels.

Larvae will not migrate easily if the food supply is

both dense and abundant. If you are going to spend

time going through piles of clothes and fabrics

you are most likely to find any droppings, grubs

or even adults. Finding any of these will help in control

measures. If you are not going to wash or dry clean

suspected infested clothing, make it a point to vacuuming as

best you can. This process will take some time

but this is going to turn out to be a good investment.

Vacuuming will help remove larvae, adults, and

their silk fabrics, but the eggs and pupae are almost impossible

to remove. Sticky like excretions and cocoon yarn

 does a good job of gluing the eggs and pupae in

place. A cheap and effective way to kill eggs and

pupae are to put the clothes in a bin bag and leave them in the

deep freeze for a couple of weeks. The same is true for carpets.

Thick rugs need a good vacuum cleaner. Since the hand

Woven rugs generally have a natural weave through

which clothes moths will find their way to

the bottom of the rug and your 'hoover' will not be powerful
 
enough to remove the larva. However, the superstructure

treatments cannot penetrate far enough to get them and  so

turning up the edges or in some cases turning on the rug over

may be necessary to ensure good coverage.

Other items that can develop moth activity include

tapestries, taxidermy mounts, curtains, garlands, bedding,

rugs, stored products, or just about anything

that has a natural fabric or material on which

clothes moths can feed. Most of these items need to be

 vacuum cleaned before treatments to ensure good

results and to maximize the effectiveness of the product.

   Once you have cleared cupboards of clothing, rugs,

rugs, furniture, or anything else with the activity,

you are ready to spray. The simplest thing one can

to do is use a spray.

For recesses, the use of a product of this type is very good:

KRITTER KILL ADVANCE C  spray, its easy to apply and does not require a

long "dry" time. It is very useful for use on furniture, taxidermy

 mounts, or tapestries, etc

  It is odorless and a light mist will ensure that you do not have holes

through killing any fabric-feeding pest that might be present. Do not

mess around with smelly mothballs that won't

work as well or rely on wooden crates Give way (they stop working

after a couple of years);