What do clothes eaten by moths look like. Adult webbing clothes moths are a uniform buff color with a small tuft of reddish hairs on top of the head. Do moths eat clothes. The larvae are so small that if you dont know what to look for you could easily miss them. Tinea pellionella or the.
Clothes moths have an average life cycle of between 60 and 90 days and during this lifespan females can lay around 50 eggs. Moths do eat clothes but not in their adult stage. They are only about a quarter to one half inch long and leave white stringy trails similar to a cobweb. Adult clothes moths actually do no damage when feeding.
Casemaking clothes moths are similar in appearance but have dark specks on the wings. Adult moths lack the mouthparts needed to eat your clothing lint. Kill moths eggs and larvae using killer sprays. Clothes moth life cycle clothes moths like many insects go through a full metamorphosis from egg to larva to pupa cocoon and finally to flying adults.
It is the larvae which hatch from the sticky eggs that eat wool hair fur or feathers. The tineola bisselliella or clothes moths and the tinea pellionella or casemaking clothes moth are two such species. They are commonly found around the home and even canberras parliament house. Clothes moth adults do not feed so they cause no injury to fabrics.
Moths are destructive no doubt but they dont actually eat your clothestheir babies do. The larva of the webbing moth are easy to identify as they are shiny and white with a darker head. According to blake newton an extension entomologist at the university of kentucky moths lay eggs on fabrics caterpillars hatch from those eggs and then the caterpillars munch on the clothing. Clothes moths and pantry moths can be a real pest when they start eating your woollens and getting into your flour.
Unlike most moths webbing clothes moths do not like light and will often hide in closets undiscovered until a piece of clothing is damaged. A female moth lays a mass of fertilized eggs that can range from 50 to 1000 eggs onto a piece of clothing or on host plants.